Monthly Archives: February 2010

Golden Sunset

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As Vancouver is awash in heavy crowds wearing red and white celebrating the nail biting victory of Canada vs. USA in the gold medal game, the setting sun casts a golden hue across the Western horizon. Canadians everywhere have warm glowing hearts, it is an amazing phenomenon these Olympics.

With all of the buzz in this city I have been moved the most by the unity that the games have brought about or steps towards unity that I have noticed. People from around the world celebrating together. Minority groups within Vancouver getting their voices heard, independent media unleashing.

Tonight the city is ablaze in celebration. Tonight I will sleep for 100 years. And I will fall asleep with a glowing heart, celebrating a gold medal record claimed by Canada, celebrating being a part of independent media and conscious direct action, celebrating good music and cultural events non stop for the past several weeks.

May the energy that the Winter Games brought to Vancouver sustain a positive force within the hearts of Canadians and may the arts remain alive and bustling. May all voices be heard.

Exodus

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Last night I caught the end of the Canada vs. Russia hockey game on the giant screens at Live City Yaletown. I have not caught many of the games on TV as there have been so many amazing events in Vancouver beyond the actual games during the past two weeks that my schedule just hasn’t allocated for it. Some of the games’ headlines have been moving though and I have been following along and catching the odd event here and there to be a part of the experience. I must say, as you all know, watching a sporting event with a large crowd that is pumped up takes it to a whole new level.

Canada beat Russia in men’s hockey, the Canadian Woman’s bobsledders dominated Gold and Silver and it was sweet to watch the expressions of athletes that have devoted and focused there energy towards mastering an extreme sport and competing at the pinnacle of their event.

Vancouver’s local Tambura Rasa played an excellent set on the Live City stage, I have grooved to their infectious beats many times and immensely enjoyed seeing them in this setting. Hands down, they are Vancouver’s best ‘World Music’ band.

Mayor Gregor brought Maelle Ricker on stage and declared February 24th as ‘Snowboard Day’ in Vancouver with an appearance from the Canadian snowboarding team. It seems we are all doing anything to ride the wave that is sweeping through the city right now. Why not? Why not drop everything on February 24th and go snowboarding!

The evening was further elevated by my first time seeing Damian Jr. Gong Marley rock the crowd. Really, an epic show for me especially rocking out to ‘Move’ with my 9 year old son jumping up and down with his hands in the air. This man is a total legend and has such a presence and such a message.

My media connections with W2 Culture + Media House got me nice and close to get some good shots. Enjoy.

Movement of jah people.

Tiger Heart

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Today I am celebrating the lunar New Year of the Iron Tiger coinciding with Valentine’s day. Being born in the year of the Tiger and being so focused on communication coming from the heart I couldn’t feel a more auspicious start to another lunar cycle around the zodiac.

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Tiger energy brings swiftness in action and thought and a determination to set things right. Brace yourselves, it is going to be a year of change, much needed change. Keep your heart in the right place, and you will be fine.

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Vancouver is an exciting place to be in this moment. The Olympic games are in full swing and it has been an amazing opportunity for people from all backgrounds to get their voices heard. The opening day protests were truly inspiring to hear people converge and peacefully demonstrate. Sarah from the Cultural Medicine Cabinet in particular inspired me. She believes that you access a different part of your brain when you sing than when you speak. She brought five choirs together to partake in the march and to hear their voices was moving.

Hearing people express why they were marching through the streets of Vancouver was moving for me, people had great intentions and motivations for doing so. So, the following morning when I head of the ‘Heart Attack’ protest that swept through the downtown streets getting violent I was shocked. I really felt that significant progress was made the day before. Now all the media is focusing on the particular ‘negative’ actions overshadowing the peaceful and intentional expressions of the day before. I totally sympathize with the ‘Heart Attack’s dissident towards capitalism, that is a model that is not sustainable for the planet. I just don’t see this course of action having any efficacy. No one was able to capture a key message. In my very humble opinion, to the rest of the world this appears negative and creates a further divide, taking us a few steps away from unity. My tiger heart feels the need for change on this planet and a need to take action, though my tiger instincts tell me that violent action is not the path. May we be victorious.

More Than One Story

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As with any significant event, there is always a story within a story, within a story. Here is a story captured by my friend Heiko Decosas about a Vancouver DTES resident Robert Martin and his experience carrying the Olympic torch.

There is more than what mainstream television and media sources are telling you. I am happy to see independent community based media centres such as W2 Community Media Arts emerging to capture stories that may not get to be told with an uncensored view. In this particular story Robert Martin was significantly empowered about being asked by Mayor Gregor Robertson to carry the Olympic torch, the experience goes beyond the physical act of carrying the flames. I believe all people need to be heard, especially the underprivileged. Give them the spotlight and watch them shine.

Glowing Heart

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The buzz in Vancouver has been increasing leading up to the Olympics that are underway today. The past few weeks I have been venturing out of my cave and connecting with some of the amazing people and events in this city. I am very inspired by the independent media centers that are popping up and open to cover the event, it really makes a difference for me. My plan was to be out of the city for the big event, but a trip to India was postponed then a trip to NYC I just put on hold also. I am feeling connected to the city in a healthy way, I want to be here.

I was editing some random footage at W2 Community Media Arts and one of the interviewees who had quite a progressive view towards the anti-Olympics movement due to the social and economical distortion they have created impressed me with a simple comment at the end of his speech. He mentioned that the hearts of Canadians were big though as we are sometimes quiet and tend to ourselves the world doesn’t really know how big our hearts are. I couldn’t agree with him more. It makes me think about our national anthem, which I haven’t though of since I was in elementary school. “With glowing hearts…” Yes. With all of this buzz in our city keep your heart a glow.

Last night the torch came through my neighborhood. It was exciting to see people flock to catch some of the action, support the hype, and collectively celebrate the arrival of this spectacle. I must admit, for the first time since I heard of the event coming to Vancouver which has propelled me into many different feelings and perspectives, I caught some of that infectious hype. My body started bouncing around all of that haywire energy and I felt genuinely excited. Though I have to admit, it was dampened by my knowledge of the budgets that went into the event and how the games are such a frenzy of corporate sponsorship sometimes swaying towards unethical conduct.

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Being Canadian feels like a blessing, and not just because I am stimulated by all of the activity ablaze in my city. I feel we are progressing in the right way, as humans we have a long way to go but I see it coming. With confidence I say, I see it coming. I FEEL it.

I am sure a large representative of the world just watched the opening ceremonies. As someone who has not had the time for television for many years I have to say that it was very entertaining. I was moved when a minute of silence was dedicated for Nodar Kumaritashvili. The presentation had mystical elements that kept my heart happy and the speech by John Furlong had references to magic that touches the human heart. Dream and believe what is possible, starting with sparks within our children. I don’t know why I was so surprised to hear such a heart centered speech.

My aspirations from the games being hosted in Vancouver with all of the independent media coverage is that there comes a balance between the corporate realm and the very real and pulsating independent community, that the homeless and underprivileged citizens in our city receive support, and that the independent artist can have a voice, a venue, and heart-centered volition. May the words spoken by John Furlong actualize. May we move all of our consciousness into our chest and have the best Valentine’s Lunar New Year EVER!!! Gush.

Fire Heart

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The tired girl took her raw gushing heart with severed roots exposed and caressed it gently before burying it deep within the dark moist earth. It absorbed the cooling support as it gushed to its little content, there was limitless soil to absorb her fertile blood freely in the depths where it was buried. Hidden from the world her delicate heart started healing in peace, re-growing those damaged roots.

The rains poured down, bringing soothing waters to stream amongst the hidden raw heart fibers. This water felt ever so delightful, her heart followed its flow to the ocean and immersed itself into the nourishing salty water, only to be tossed around in the waves, battered upon the sandy shore, left bruised and bare yet smiling at the sun.

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Narrowly avoiding becoming burned by the suns powerful rays, she plunged deep into the dark depths of the ocean following the strong currents until she nestled gently in a life bearing crevice feeling the pulsations and sensations from this new aquatic environment. She found peace there, a familiar comfort and although she was enjoying this new environment an awareness slowly emerged. A primordial feeling urging her focus upward, there is more to my existence than this she felt.

Rather than becoming a permanent fixture at the bottom of the ocean, unbeknown to the world, her heart was carried by the wind to the expansive sky. She heard her own pulse, once again, she heard it in the trees’ leaves, she felt the pulse of the clouds, they felt her pulse, and they beat together. Her heart started beating in unison with nature, with the world and with the stars, fortifying her fibers once again deeply feeling the interconnectivity of the entire world, and the entire universe. Her heart swelled at the beauty of it all, her heart swelled and swelled and swelled and the girls body was completely rejuvenated by her glowing heart.

From a tiny spec to an expansive orb, the girl’s heart was singing and shining with complete openness. This time her heart explored this phenomenon with the grace that comes from having experienced such an odyssey. Then suddenly, this heart felt a new sensation reverberating inside her inner chambers, an infinite warmth radiated within and beyond. Sparks were born, growing into flames, and instead of turning towards the ground she looked up, and she looked in, and she experienced a beautiful heart connection that lit her up.

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The heart connection nourished the pure flames that radiated from the center of the two hearts. The warmth fueled them, gave them energy to create beauty for the world, a pure universal expression. The trees felt their fire, and smiled. The clouds felt their fire, and smiled. The ocean and all of its creatures felt their fire and smiled, purifying its waters with the fire medicine. The steam rose high into the atmosphere then rained upon the Earth and every creature drank the love infused water. The other fire hearts smiled and beat stronger and brighter and in unison they all enveloped the planet and showered the broken bleeding hearts with their fire, encouraging them along.

The fire hearts knew that the connection was precious, it was honored but never grasped upon. They knew that the fire heart connection was powerful but remembered the importance to beat with the elements, the earth, the water, and the sky too. And the Earth became a lighter place.