Will's World 01 31 2010

Tim

Reflecting on this first month of the Will’s World blog, I am once again weighing why I am writing and photographing events of my life. Is this all an ego trip? Or is it just to have some fun. Or what is it I’m trying to accomplish?


I’m still not sure but I do feel that this is partially an attempt to reach out to friends, relatives, and anyone for that matter, who is seeking to get more out of life than the daily grind. And it’s not that I have any greater insight than anyone else, but I do want to urge folks to recognize some of the opportunities we have to enjoy life. Every contact I make with another person is an opportunity to expand my awareness. If I accept that every second of the day contains a potential learning experience if I’m open to it, I can’t help but being grateful for each day. What a journey!

Today at Hsi Lai Temple, I saw a young man with a Boston University T-shirt working with students in the courtyard. I said “Hi” and told him that I also attended B.U. Then Tim, after saying “Hi,” immediately asked: “Did you hear that Howard Zinn died?” and went on to say what a loss it was. I immediately liked him. He attended B.U. for two years as a linguistics and computer science major, and mentioned that Noam Chomsky is one of his heroes. Now I thought this guy was one of the brightest young people I’ve met recently.

We all can meet very interesting people by simply smiling and saying “Hi.”

Henna

Norbert

Elaine and Jacky

Venerable Hai

Will's World 01 30 2010

Surfer starts to ride a wave.

It is another beautiful day in Seal Beach: temperatures in the high 60s, no clouds, and a light breeze coming off the Pacific Ocean. (This is probably why some of my friends and relatives in New England --- where it is well below freezing today --- have bought voodoo dolls with my name on them and have been feverously been sticking pins into them for years.)


As usual, I had my list of things that MUST be done today, so I decided that if I had just one more cup of coffee, I’d be able to complete all the tasks on the list. As I was casually walking down to Main Street to buy the coffee, I took a slight detour to the town pier to see if anything was going on. It was. And I was distracted. And the list remained in my pocket as I watched surfers, boogie boarders, and skim boarders enjoying the sun and water.

So, it was a successful day. I enjoyed myself at the beach and I don’t need to write up a new list to direct me when I want to do some work.

Long boarder in control.

Skim boarder and surfers size up the ocean.

Boogie boarder cuts through wave.

Skim boarder catching a wave.

Skim boarder hit by a wave.

Will's World 01 29 2010

The cooks are kept busy during the lunch rush.

James B. was back in the United States for a few days and I was fortunate to grab a few hours with him to talk about his experiences in China. James has been teaching in China for the past six years, and writing a column for the English-language newspaper, the Shenzhen Daily. He is very much a cosmopolitan kind of guy, with a vast range of knowledge, and a keen interest in all aspects of Buddhism,


Over veggie burgers and French fries at Jim’s Burgers on Valley Boulevard in Rosemead, James, Zhihong, Jacky and I spent several hours talking mainly about the kind of Buddhism being practiced in China today. And as usual, when talking to someone like James, who has direct experience with the topic, I found the actual details much more fascinating that the general information one usually finds in textbooks or the media.

If you’re interested in learning more about Buddhism, life in China today, and many more unique observations, visit James’s blog at http://www.thetempleguy.com/

Jim's Burgers in Rosemead, Calif.

Worker at Jim's

James enjoying his veggie burger.

Zhihong and Jacky

James can usually spot the problem if there is one.

Will's World 01 25 2010

BELOW ARE PREVIOUSLY UNPOSTED BLOGS that I’ve been collecting since January 3.

Briefly, I've been in Boston for two weeks and then returned to Seal Beach with a cold and have been hampered ever since then with other "important things" that needed to be attended to. I know: excuses, excuses. So, I apologize, and hope to continue to demonstrate how I fumble, stumble and tumble through life.

Here is Will's World for Jan. 25, 2010

There are still media folk visiting Seal Beach. Now the focus is on the debris left on the beach following last week’s heavy rain.
The San Gabriel River forms the border between Seal Beach and Los Angeles County. With each heavy rainfall, a great deal of trash is flushed down the river from inland communities, with the result being that part of the beaches often look like a landfill for a few days before all the unwanted material can be removed.

Will's World 01 24 2010

Life seems to have returned to normal for residents of Seal Beach.

Will's World 01 23 2010

There was plenty of sunshine in Seal Beach again. The main reminder of the storm was the 20-foot high wall of sand that was bulldozed into position along the beach to protect the nearby homes.


In the afternoon I attended a service at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles with three Buddhist monks from Hsi Lai Temple. The mass was an annual “respect for life liturgy” and 148 candles were lit and placed around the altar. Each one represented a “life lost to abortion today in the County of Los Angeles.”

I attended the service to show support for increased dialogue between my Buddhist friends and the Roman Catholic and other Christian communities.

Will's World 01 22 2010

As dawn approached, the strong winds and heavy, gray clouds drifted off to the west, leaving behind a few scattered rain clouds, a turbulent ocean and a battered Seal Beach. But there were no homes flooded. And many smiling faces.


After cleaning up around the apartment building, I headed up to the University of the West campus and had lunch with friend and fellow student Jacky L., as we discussed how California was able to survive despite my absence. As usual, the mountains in the Los Angeles area looked beautiful with a new layer of snow.

Will's World 01 20 2010

Heavy rains, strong winds and pounding waves caused a great deal of concern of flooding in Seal Beach. The news media descended upon the town to get images of the turbulence --- especially the huge waves battering the town’s wooden pier (the longest pier in Orange County). These are exciting times to be living near the beach.


Well, actually, these are exciting times to be living, period.