Still

A few monthes ago, my beautiful and wonderful friend Ginny made a short film, "Await," and asked me to act in it!  I was going over my resume today, updating, cleaning, etc, and watched it again.  Okay, so maybe I watched a few pieces I've been in, but don't judge me.  I'm so incredibly pleased with how this one turned out, and hope to work with her on another sometime soon!  Matter of fact, I bugged her about it about an hour ago, and that's what inspired me to write this post.

It was her first project like this, and I think her eye is great... and not just because I'm in the film.  I mean, I appreciate the fact that I am, but, hey.  That'd be pretty selfish and egotistical.  It's also not because she was my roommate my freshman year of college, and is a good friend.  It's artsy.  I like artsy when it has a point, and I enjoy what this film says.

Anyways, here are a few stills from the project, because, it's similar to how I'm feeling today.  Not in a bad way- the girl in the film looks a little bit sad, and I'm not sad.  I'm just a bit calm, and not preparing for much.  Due to the semester ending, I don't have work this morning, and due to my neck continuing to be a bit of a pain, the workouts planned to take up most of the day will not be happening in as much force.   I had pulled my neck almost two weeks ago, and went back to martial arts last night.  It was fine while I was working out, but, perhaps, doing jiu jitsu wasn't the strongest choice.  Getting choked out umpteen times within the span of an hour does tend to aggravate the neck.  Just a little bit.  As I said- maybe not my best choice ever.

There are places that I have to be later this afternoon, but this morning is about relaxing, recuperating, doing some yoga, sipping some coffee, and editing some photographs. 

You can watch the full film here.

Filmed in Ginny's apartment, and at Saint John the Devine.

Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Film by Ginny Kozemczak

Namaste

I'm going through a beautiful and exploratory period in my life right now.  To say that every day is an amazing experience in which I learn more than I can articulate sounds well, pretentious.  It sounds nuts, too.  But, that's where I am. I'm having epiphanies, and re-epiphanies about ten times a day, and my mind is basically blown.  Okay, it's totally blown. 

 

 Enjoy some pretty flowers.  The world is beautiful.  They fit this post.

 

 I'm absorbing and learning so much about humanity, the human condition, myself, my true self, my place among humanity, my place in nature, my place in the galaxy, my place in time and in my own body that I might just explode with enlightenment.  This is to the point that I don't exactly know how to really tell you what it is I'm learning.  My eyes are being opened.  Something wonderful is happening, and I know what it is, but don't know its name.

I feel awake.  Awake to the people around me.  Awake to the happiness, more than the hurt.  Awake to the kindness.  Awake to the little things.  Yes, awake to the hurt, but to the point that I see it for what is really happening, not an over-dramatization.  Awake to what is actually happening in a moment instead of what I think is happening, or what I assume is happening.  Looking and seeing rather than guessing and judging.  Living in what's occurring instead of what has or what will.  Acknowledging that my true voice is the kind one, the one that is nice to me, the one that isn't judgmental, and that all the other voices, the things I tell myself in my head, (which we all have, and you know you have, lest you think I'm suffering from some terrible mental disorder,) are simply projections I have placed onto myself due to my connections to the past, and worries about the future, or the reactions of others.

I thought yoga was a bunch of poses and stuff, but it is really learning to still the modifications you make to your mind.  Woah.

The universe is everywhere, including inside you.  Even if your choices and actions don't affect the world around you, they affect you, and thus have changed the world.  Because, you're part of the world.

A small part of divine is in each of us.  We just have to shut up and listen.

Namaste.  I salute the divine in you.

Taking this course is one of the best choices I've ever made.  Hooray!

Please Close the Gate

Grammercy Park is a private park, and it is truly a marvel to behold.  It's essentially spotless.  It's so well kept, that few fallen leaves cover the paths.  At any given time, it's extremely surprising to see more than three people in the park, and I've often walked past it and seen it completely empty.  The doors remain locked, from both the inside and the outside- you need a key to enter, and to leave.  I've had friends enter behind some lucky be-keyed individual, to then find themselves stuck a few hours later.  All three of them then resorted to climbing over the walls.  The walls are pretty high, so I'd guess that this was a bit of an endeavor.  A hard one.  A hard endeavor.  Basically, what I'm saying is that I wouldn't risk it.  That just sounds like way too much of a risk to me.  Even though the park looks stupidly awesome.  Only people for about a three block radius have keys to the park, and the rest of us are kept out.  It's just for the neighborhood.  I think that it's a neat idea, and wish that my neighborhood had one. 

The buildings surrounding the park, including a grand old church, some boutique hotels, old clubs and theaters, and gorgeous apartment buildings are about as pristine and well-kept as the park.  I know that one of the buildings houses part of the School of Visual Arts as well.  So, you have classy socialites, wealthy young families, churchgoers, and art students.  It's a neat area.  Here are some photographs I snapped of it yesterday.

Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Inner City Pressure

 

Would you get these cutleries out of my knees... please?

Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Photographer Feature: Robert Mejia

Hey, I'm Robert.  I'm a 19 year old Spanish and German Major at West Chester University. I enjoy traveling, particularly to Latin America; I have been to Colombia, Costa Rica and Mexico.

 Pueblito Paisa, Colombia

Iglesia Guatapé, Colombia

Volcán Poas, Costa Rica

Volcán Arenal, Costa Rica

 Monteverde, Costa Rica