Today is the last day I get to talk about the focus of the month for April. The thing with these focus of the months is that I begin with possibilities, and day by day I grow with it, and by the time the month ends, I've already grown a little bit attached, and to let it go makes me feel a little sad.
To bury or burn is about endings. It's a question posed about practicality, traditions and ceremonies around the end of life. The question feels mundane in light of the loss. To lose a father or a friend or a child or a dog- the pain is massive and we have to consider what to do with the body? When my dad passed away two years ago, I found myself in the midst of a busy shopping mall. The last thing I wanted to do was shop, but there I was having to shop for white clothes and shoes for the mourning ceremonies. Endings are hard. Because even as we feel our own world close in, life goes on. Endings are difficult because we have to confront our losses, our pains and hurts, this feeling that we have been somehow betrayed, that life dealt us an unfair hand of cards. But hurting does not mean we are weak. Feeling pain means that we are human and we are authentic. It shows that our hearts are pure and our souls divine. To care for someone knowing that loss is inevitable makes us brave. It shows our power to believe in the best of life. We encounter many endings throughout our lives. We lose people through sickness and death, through the end of relationships and friendships, we even lose our dreams and hopes along the way. The degree of pain and our mourning period may vary, but they are there just the same. It serves us well to grieve, because to bury our deepest emotions into an abyss will only burn through our hopes and make us unkind. Our yoga practice serves us in that we learn about this cycle of beginnings and endings. As we inhale so shall we exhale, as we come up so shall we come down, as we arise so shall we descend. Everything is temporary, but the ending of a situation can never negate the beauty of the beginning that it was, nor the beginnings that are about to come. We don't like endings because it means our loss translates to feeling lost. We don't like endings because most of the time, it wasn't our choice. We don't like endings because it means we have to start over. But we have within us the warrior who resides, she who is able to take it moment by moment, she who is able to elevate mere surviving to thriving amidst the loss. In time and through practice, we begin to accept and maybe even welcome the ending, because it means we get to start over. May any residual sadness that we feel towards any ending in the past or present give way to hope for a new beginning. May we release any negativity in our hearts and continue to love what the universe has to offer. Namaste.
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Now that I have a high-speed blender (an affordable one), I am going nuts with the possibilties: nut-based cheeses, ice creams, creams, milk etc!
Sunday finds at the Legazpi Market Something with a local twist!
And I am a fan of upcycled stuff, so I had to snap a picture of this.
The Manila Jiva order:
The vegan burger:
The bill (for 4 people):
P.S. I just found out that the onion rings and fried portobello contain eggs and are therefore NOT vegan. :(
The best thing about vegan potlucks is, well, the vegan food!
Peanut butter bars. Amazingly good!
A quick snapshot of the food everyone brought! It is indeed a joy to share food- real food!
This I have overlooked as a quick and easy (junk food vegan) snack. My friend told me only recently about this when I said that I like alternating sweet and salty tastes (think chocolates and vegan cheese). Sprinkle nutritional yeast for extra flavor!
I was looking at the menu at The Vegetarian Kitchen and I realized I don't get to eat the same dish a lot of times. Why? As good as they are, there is always something new that I want to try! Here are some new things: vegetable kofta, tocino, french toast, ice cream. These are all vegan, of course! My favorites from this batch are the tocino, which to me tasted remarkably like what I used to eat pre-vegan, and the french toast. Just thinking about that french toast makes me want to go back and have another one!
A couple of vegan options at Persia Grill: hummus and falafel sandwich (which are usual things you can get at any Middle Eastern restaurant).
The colors are similar to my condo. Naturally, I am drawn to it!
If you're going for fine dining, People's Palace in Greenbelt has a separate vegetarian menu. Items without eggs or dairy are clearly marked, and you can also veganize the options that do include eggs or dairy. Here are some of my favorites: coconut pomelo salad, yellow vegetable curry, tofu, phad thai (not in picture), mango sticky rice. Lighting isn't great- I could barely see the food myself so forgive the awkward camera angles- but the food is definitely my Thai favorite.
People's Palace is one of the few places (if not the only one) that made the vegan cut. What do I mean exactly? I loved the place as a meat-eater and I still love the place now that I am vegan. Check it out!
The only 100% vegan stall at the Legazpi Sunday Market used to be Ministry of Mushroom. Today I was happy to find two new additions: AETA Organics and Cocogreen! They are located side by side too. How convenient for me!
AETA Organics Stall
Cocogreen and Co Stall
It's now easier than ever to go vegan! Look into it. Do it for the animals. Do it to honor the temple that is your body. Do it for the environment.
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