June 20-26, 2009

Despite another hiccup in internet connections, my project is running fairly smoothly (although I will probably delay the launches of a couple of new projects due to an upcoming trip to America). In the coming week, I'll have a bit more time (as my vacation starts) so I'll start promoting my pages on Twitter (as well as Intent, Beliefnet, Gaia, etc.)

Although it's bloody hot, I've still managed to get out a bit and see old friends, have a party with Lila and more friends, and generally maintain my placid lifestyle (I even managed to take my 2.5k walk home this afternoon, something I've been avoiding all week because of the heat).

So that's it. Nothing too exciting in the Middle Kingdom

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Here's what published this week:

Wisdom Blogs:

☼ 365 Secrets of Happiness: 7 posts: Slap Someone's Hand, Be Your Age, Count Your Blessings, Be Prepared, Thank Someone Special, Walk Mindfully, and Carpe Diem (Seize the Day)

☼ At the Feet of Sri Ramakrishna: 2 posts: Man is Like a Pillowcase (all contain the same "cotton") and Different Qualities of Water (though equal, not all places are wholesome)

☼ Buddhism Simplified: 2 posts: Devadatta and the Swan (in which compassion triumphs over custom, and the boy prince makes a lifetime enemy) and The Royal Plowing Festival (early inklings of he Buddha-to-be's insight)

☼ Meet Joe Campbell: 2 posts: Idea #6: Archetypes (how Campbell uses standard figures to understand myths and other stories) and Idea #7: Comparative Mythology (Campbell's forte)

☼ Aphorisms of a Derelict Yogi: 2 posts: "It's better to sit on your ass..." (the value of doing nothing bad) and "Keep your g*ddamned nose out of other people's business" (just plain common sense)

Projects:

☼ Meatless/Mooless Monday: 2 posts: A Little History (did you know the "Meatless Monday" dates back to the days of wartime rationing?) and "God Does Not Eat Meat" (a funky fantasy on a meatless world)

About James:

☼ Blog Highlights: A new veg restaurant in Shenzhen, a small solstice party (and the weather heats up), our friend Martin Juaristi leaves Shenzhen, a forgettable meal and memorable film, and the start of my eight-week vacation.

☼ My Bio and more: Post on Shenzhen Vice (a meeting with one of my city's many great men)

☼ My Photo Galleries: Gallery of Polaroid Manipulations: California Missions (an unusual process)

Places:

☼ America: Post on Virgin of Guadalupe Shrine, Baja California, Mexico (sacralizing the land through folk practice)

☼ Japan: Post on Yukata! (the Japanese know how to stay fashionably cool)

☼ China: Post on Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Xi'an, Shaanxi (a monument to the monk Xuanzang)

☼ Philippines: Post on First Burial Place of Jose Rizal, Paco Cemetery, Manila (the country's national hero)

☼ Asia: Post on A-Ma Temple, Macau (the place that gave Macau its name)

Library:

☼ Articles: 2 Posts: On the mythological and psychological significance of The Wizard of Oz, and Transparent to Transcendence (correspondence on an idea from Joseph Campbell)