I teamed up with Chris Pirillo to co-author, "50 Divorce Tips for Men", drawing from Chris' experience as a divorcee, and mine as a counselor and divorcee. We released this version for the men first, because I acknowledge that there is much less information available for men on the subject than there is for women.
We'll be releasing a similar list for women in a few weeks. In the meantime, please know that our collective desire is to present the healthiest options for self-care, proceeding through a divorce, and taking care of the kids and pets. There are plenty of other books, articles, and websites showing you how to screw your ex-spouse over and walk away a "winner", and if you want to find that information, don't read our divorce tips list.
If you are going through a divorce or know someone else who is, please read the list, share it, and let us know if it helps. Sometimes it just helps to know you're not alone when you go through something as traumatizing as divorce that you are not alone.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Got iPad? Get Touchpad
With the release of Apple's Magic Trackpad, my mind has been wrapped around that oh-so-familiar question, "Should I get it? Do I want it? Do I need it? Will it make my life a little easier?"
Many years ago, I wanted to develop a foot-controlled mouse pad with a track ball on a foot board in order to alleviate the pain of a repetitive motion injury in my right wrist and elbow. Years of piano playing, layered with the use of a computer keyboard, made mouse use excruciating at times, and the injury I had was only cured by putting my entire arm in a cast and sling for 30 days. Subsequently, I've eyed the computer mouse as a necessary evil.
Recently, I've begun icing my left elbow for what appears to be a similar injury: tendonitis which radiates to the top of my hand and extends into the second digit. I don't mouse with my left hand, but I use a lot of keystrokes with the left hand that were meant to reduce the total number of keystrokes overall. The Magic Trackpad caught my interest while considering how it might further reduce the kind of keystrokes that irritate my tendonitis (i.e. pressing and clicking finger movements, versus sliding or dragging finger movements). I believe it could be a great solution for this condition, and I'm looking forward to testing my theory out on myself.
But it took me an extra twenty-four hours to generate my dumb question of the hour: if I have an iPad, isn't there an app available to turn the iPad (which also has Bluetooth and runs wirelessly) into a trackpad of sorts, as well as a controller for multiple computers? Turns out, maybe my dumb question isn't so dumb.
The first time I visited Chris Pirillo's office, he flipped out when my mouse from across the room took over his computer while he was trying to manage a document. He thought his mouse was on crack, until he realized it was I who was making his mouse scamper across his screen. We quickly reset our mice to recognize our respective computers. With more than four computers running in the office simultaneously, computer confusion among the mice happens. However, that experience left me wondering if there was a better solution for organizing the mice. I mean, are we mice or are we (wo)men?
After looking at a video about Sonosaurus Rex and Looptastic HD, I began wondering more about using the iPad as a controller, so I could roam my house with one device in hand. Chris can do that with his iPhone, but I hadn't thought about that for the iPad, which is also oh-so-portable, but with a bigger touch screen for all the things I might want to do with it.
What if you wanted one mouse/trackpad to control all your devices, like a universal remote control? What if you wanted it to control computers running Windows (with an additional recommended download) or Linux? Looks like there's been a solution all along, and the developer recently made some cool updates. Check out Touchpad for iPhone and iPad, which turns your iPad or iPhone into a controller. Now you can roam your home or office, and liberate yourself of mice and spare keyboards clutter because Touchpad uses your WiFi network. It works well for your HDTV and Mac Mini configurations, and it appears to have gotten a lot of four star (or higher) reviews.
Well, my little empire of computers is a molehill compared to Chris' empire of screens throughout his house, but whether your set up is big, small, or somewhere in the middle, Touchpad could be your $4.99 app solution on your already-spendy iPad purchase.
Apple shouldn't be disappointed I'm not racing out to get the Magic Trackpad just yet. They already got my money for an iPad and an iPhone this year. And there are plenty of people who will love the trackpad as a designated piece of hardware. I'd say there's really a win for everyone here.
Many years ago, I wanted to develop a foot-controlled mouse pad with a track ball on a foot board in order to alleviate the pain of a repetitive motion injury in my right wrist and elbow. Years of piano playing, layered with the use of a computer keyboard, made mouse use excruciating at times, and the injury I had was only cured by putting my entire arm in a cast and sling for 30 days. Subsequently, I've eyed the computer mouse as a necessary evil.
Recently, I've begun icing my left elbow for what appears to be a similar injury: tendonitis which radiates to the top of my hand and extends into the second digit. I don't mouse with my left hand, but I use a lot of keystrokes with the left hand that were meant to reduce the total number of keystrokes overall. The Magic Trackpad caught my interest while considering how it might further reduce the kind of keystrokes that irritate my tendonitis (i.e. pressing and clicking finger movements, versus sliding or dragging finger movements). I believe it could be a great solution for this condition, and I'm looking forward to testing my theory out on myself.
But it took me an extra twenty-four hours to generate my dumb question of the hour: if I have an iPad, isn't there an app available to turn the iPad (which also has Bluetooth and runs wirelessly) into a trackpad of sorts, as well as a controller for multiple computers? Turns out, maybe my dumb question isn't so dumb.
The first time I visited Chris Pirillo's office, he flipped out when my mouse from across the room took over his computer while he was trying to manage a document. He thought his mouse was on crack, until he realized it was I who was making his mouse scamper across his screen. We quickly reset our mice to recognize our respective computers. With more than four computers running in the office simultaneously, computer confusion among the mice happens. However, that experience left me wondering if there was a better solution for organizing the mice. I mean, are we mice or are we (wo)men?
After looking at a video about Sonosaurus Rex and Looptastic HD, I began wondering more about using the iPad as a controller, so I could roam my house with one device in hand. Chris can do that with his iPhone, but I hadn't thought about that for the iPad, which is also oh-so-portable, but with a bigger touch screen for all the things I might want to do with it.
What if you wanted one mouse/trackpad to control all your devices, like a universal remote control? What if you wanted it to control computers running Windows (with an additional recommended download) or Linux? Looks like there's been a solution all along, and the developer recently made some cool updates. Check out Touchpad for iPhone and iPad, which turns your iPad or iPhone into a controller. Now you can roam your home or office, and liberate yourself of mice and spare keyboards clutter because Touchpad uses your WiFi network. It works well for your HDTV and Mac Mini configurations, and it appears to have gotten a lot of four star (or higher) reviews.
Well, my little empire of computers is a molehill compared to Chris' empire of screens throughout his house, but whether your set up is big, small, or somewhere in the middle, Touchpad could be your $4.99 app solution on your already-spendy iPad purchase.
Apple shouldn't be disappointed I'm not racing out to get the Magic Trackpad just yet. They already got my money for an iPad and an iPhone this year. And there are plenty of people who will love the trackpad as a designated piece of hardware. I'd say there's really a win for everyone here.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Ready, Set, Bag! Comes To The Seattle Area
Bag It: Documentary Film “Ready, Set, Bag!
Follow on Twitter @HipsForHire
Follow on Facebook ImeiYogaDance
Pixar CTO and Independent film Executive Producer Oren Jacob’s got it in the bag, and the bag is making its way to your town.
In Jacob’s independent film, “Ready, Set, Bag!”, eight contestants train and compete to win the National Grocery Bagging Competition, and the film shows us what a serious competition it is, while raising money for meals as the film travels across the nation.
Jacob’s reached out to Chris Pirillo and the Lockergnome community because of Pirillo’s general love of food, as well as his work in Social Media circles. Pirillo knew I would snap up the chance to share with you how to feed yourself and feed others in your town.
Here’s why you should go see this movie. In a statement released by Jacobs:
We support food banks everywhere we go and we've already funded
over4,500 meals so far in a few special event screenings in the Bay
Area this past winter. Now, as we take the film out across the country,
there's the opportunity to fund 100,000 meals or even many more,
depending on how well we do. We donate 100% of all ad revenue from
www.readysetbag.blip.tv.
Ready, Set, Bag! is the first movie to sign a deal with Groupon. Seattle area people on the Groupon mailing list should receive a coupon good for two tickets and a large popcorn (plus a free reusable shopping bag), all for $16. Groupon coupons are very time-limited (released on July 25, 2010), so be sure to pick up your coupons and make plans to see the movie quickly.
One of the cool aspects of this film is how theatres and the filmmaker are collaborating to not only sell tickets, but to provide money to local food banks where the film is being shown. It’s the ultimate kind of “feel good” movie that lets you do good at the same time.
I’m equally impressed at how Jacobs is using Social Media tools such as Facebook to identify venues that support his film and his cause. Viewers of the Groupon coupon are encouraged to follow this film on Twitter and Facebook, and people’s interest about the film is growing since it was marketed earlier in the Bay Area. In Seattle, the film can be seen at Central Cinema.
In the Seattle area, I already noticed a sign at PCC announcing their bagging competition coming August 20-21, while the movie is still making the rounds in Seattle and Bellingham. Maybe you’ll be inspired to do some bagging yourself. And if you do, Jacobs wants you to take up a challenge by filming yourself. This is the one case where baggery has nothing to do with being a douche.
B. Imei Hsu, RN, MAC, LMHC is a nurse psychotherapist, dance artist, fitness instructor, and occasional guest blogger for Lockergnome. When she isn’t shopping at PCC for organic food, she’s usually up to no good (or just walking like she’s up to no good). She lives in Seattle, WA, and is impatiently waiting for her iPhone 4.
Follow on Twitter @HipsForHire
Follow on Facebook ImeiYogaDance
Pixar CTO and Independent film Executive Producer Oren Jacob’s got it in the bag, and the bag is making its way to your town.
In Jacob’s independent film, “Ready, Set, Bag!”, eight contestants train and compete to win the National Grocery Bagging Competition, and the film shows us what a serious competition it is, while raising money for meals as the film travels across the nation.
Jacob’s reached out to Chris Pirillo and the Lockergnome community because of Pirillo’s general love of food, as well as his work in Social Media circles. Pirillo knew I would snap up the chance to share with you how to feed yourself and feed others in your town.
Here’s why you should go see this movie. In a statement released by Jacobs:
We support food banks everywhere we go and we've already funded
over4,500 meals so far in a few special event screenings in the Bay
Area this past winter. Now, as we take the film out across the country,
there's the opportunity to fund 100,000 meals or even many more,
depending on how well we do. We donate 100% of all ad revenue from
www.readysetbag.blip.tv.
Ready, Set, Bag! is the first movie to sign a deal with Groupon. Seattle area people on the Groupon mailing list should receive a coupon good for two tickets and a large popcorn (plus a free reusable shopping bag), all for $16. Groupon coupons are very time-limited (released on July 25, 2010), so be sure to pick up your coupons and make plans to see the movie quickly.
One of the cool aspects of this film is how theatres and the filmmaker are collaborating to not only sell tickets, but to provide money to local food banks where the film is being shown. It’s the ultimate kind of “feel good” movie that lets you do good at the same time.
I’m equally impressed at how Jacobs is using Social Media tools such as Facebook to identify venues that support his film and his cause. Viewers of the Groupon coupon are encouraged to follow this film on Twitter and Facebook, and people’s interest about the film is growing since it was marketed earlier in the Bay Area. In Seattle, the film can be seen at Central Cinema.
In the Seattle area, I already noticed a sign at PCC announcing their bagging competition coming August 20-21, while the movie is still making the rounds in Seattle and Bellingham. Maybe you’ll be inspired to do some bagging yourself. And if you do, Jacobs wants you to take up a challenge by filming yourself. This is the one case where baggery has nothing to do with being a douche.
B. Imei Hsu, RN, MAC, LMHC is a nurse psychotherapist, dance artist, fitness instructor, and occasional guest blogger for Lockergnome. When she isn’t shopping at PCC for organic food, she’s usually up to no good (or just walking like she’s up to no good). She lives in Seattle, WA, and is impatiently waiting for her iPhone 4.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Be Your Own iPad DJ: Why I Love Looptastic
Be Your Own iPad DJ: Why I Love Looptastic
Long ago, in a galaxy far, far, away (Seattle, WA), I had a few records and a turn table. Not that I would have known what to do with Peter Frampton Live and the Sex Pistols, but I knew that without a second turn table and impeccable timing, I didn't stand half a chance at becoming even a hobbyist disc jockey. I just knew I wanted to spin the tunes.
The appeal of being a DJ may be lost on the upcoming generation. On Lockergnome.net, a question about what DJ's do for a party (since they aren't playing musical instruments) came up on the community-powered forum created by Chris Pirillo. In the thread, various replies intimated that the real worth of DJs lies in his powers to spin emotional landscapes as much as it is to spin tunes. On the heels of watching Christopher Nolan's, "Inception", I'll add to that description by saying that while musicians and singers are the prophets of this age, DJ's are the new architects of the our subconscious projections.
Many moons later, I find myself the owner of a Carvin sound system (from my former band gigging days as a singer, keyboardist, and sometimes bass player), an iPad, and a generously stocked iTunes gift card to download the latest music apps. Thanks to the iPad DJ Rana Sobhany's tip, I concur with her thumbs up of Looptastic, which allows even n00bs like me to seamlessly mix looped presets with interchangeable musical elements, such as hi hats and melody lines.
One doesn't need perfect timing, nor a steady hand. Looptastic's buttons allow you to add and subtract musical elements, yet only on the beat. Even a young child can slide the buttons up and down, or return them to a holding deck below the "score".
Once my iPad gets in proximity of Chris Pirillo's iPad, the next level of ultimate DJ'ing can be explored. Looptastic for iPad allows you to synch two iPads together, so you can run another music set simultaneously. The app also allows you to record your masterpiece, so you can reproduce to your heart's content without having to rely on recall.
Of course, I've already downloaded Groovemaker, iElectribe, and iDaft. I'll likely be testing a decent piano app, as well as something like Sonosaurus Rex for iPad (I heard the updates for the iPad make this a sick addition to what I've got already, along with the ability to save your files to iTunes for future use). Andrew and Andrew (two iPad DJ's) have a demo of Sonosaurus Rex, an iTunes app that you can download to your laptop, connect the laptop to your tuner and speakers, and use the iPad as your wireless controller interface, allowing the iPad DJ to wirelessly roam the planet - or, at least the venue floor! - spinning tunes while interacting with a crowd. I'd just make sure I had Mobile Me on the iPad, especially if you are holding a drink-i-pooh in the other hand.
I've always loved the concept of tools that even the playing field, and Looptastic HD for iPad definitely allows just about anyone with an iPad to unlock unlimited possibilities in musical architecture. I only wish I had had one of these when I was painstakingly banging out Rachmaninoff to scholarship my way through college. We don't need to settle for Bethovan's Fifth set to a disco beat. Now we can give the world Jason Moran and Billie Holiday, wrapped up in the warm cocoon of Dub-step, without rolling out the heavy equipment and wires.
As I tweeted out to my community, I think I'll dust off my old stage name and recirculate it. Please welcome Trixie Bon Bon, Seattle iPad DJ. And don't forget to follow me on Twitter, as I round the corner into the last days of my 365-1/4 days as the n00b of Social Media.
Long ago, in a galaxy far, far, away (Seattle, WA), I had a few records and a turn table. Not that I would have known what to do with Peter Frampton Live and the Sex Pistols, but I knew that without a second turn table and impeccable timing, I didn't stand half a chance at becoming even a hobbyist disc jockey. I just knew I wanted to spin the tunes.
The appeal of being a DJ may be lost on the upcoming generation. On Lockergnome.net, a question about what DJ's do for a party (since they aren't playing musical instruments) came up on the community-powered forum created by Chris Pirillo. In the thread, various replies intimated that the real worth of DJs lies in his powers to spin emotional landscapes as much as it is to spin tunes. On the heels of watching Christopher Nolan's, "Inception", I'll add to that description by saying that while musicians and singers are the prophets of this age, DJ's are the new architects of the our subconscious projections.
Many moons later, I find myself the owner of a Carvin sound system (from my former band gigging days as a singer, keyboardist, and sometimes bass player), an iPad, and a generously stocked iTunes gift card to download the latest music apps. Thanks to the iPad DJ Rana Sobhany's tip, I concur with her thumbs up of Looptastic, which allows even n00bs like me to seamlessly mix looped presets with interchangeable musical elements, such as hi hats and melody lines.
Filmed at my office on a VADO 3rd gen
One doesn't need perfect timing, nor a steady hand. Looptastic's buttons allow you to add and subtract musical elements, yet only on the beat. Even a young child can slide the buttons up and down, or return them to a holding deck below the "score".
Once my iPad gets in proximity of Chris Pirillo's iPad, the next level of ultimate DJ'ing can be explored. Looptastic for iPad allows you to synch two iPads together, so you can run another music set simultaneously. The app also allows you to record your masterpiece, so you can reproduce to your heart's content without having to rely on recall.
Of course, I've already downloaded Groovemaker, iElectribe, and iDaft. I'll likely be testing a decent piano app, as well as something like Sonosaurus Rex for iPad (I heard the updates for the iPad make this a sick addition to what I've got already, along with the ability to save your files to iTunes for future use). Andrew and Andrew (two iPad DJ's) have a demo of Sonosaurus Rex, an iTunes app that you can download to your laptop, connect the laptop to your tuner and speakers, and use the iPad as your wireless controller interface, allowing the iPad DJ to wirelessly roam the planet - or, at least the venue floor! - spinning tunes while interacting with a crowd. I'd just make sure I had Mobile Me on the iPad, especially if you are holding a drink-i-pooh in the other hand.
I've always loved the concept of tools that even the playing field, and Looptastic HD for iPad definitely allows just about anyone with an iPad to unlock unlimited possibilities in musical architecture. I only wish I had had one of these when I was painstakingly banging out Rachmaninoff to scholarship my way through college. We don't need to settle for Bethovan's Fifth set to a disco beat. Now we can give the world Jason Moran and Billie Holiday, wrapped up in the warm cocoon of Dub-step, without rolling out the heavy equipment and wires.
As I tweeted out to my community, I think I'll dust off my old stage name and recirculate it. Please welcome Trixie Bon Bon, Seattle iPad DJ. And don't forget to follow me on Twitter, as I round the corner into the last days of my 365-1/4 days as the n00b of Social Media.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Ten Years of Bellydance: Orchestrating Emotion
This summer marks my tenth year since I started belly dance. The most common question I get (besides "How do you balance that sword on your head?") is, "Why did you decide to learn belly dance?" It's a valid question, but I also know this question comes with an a certain amount of curiosity about how a Chinese girl picked up a Middle Eastern folkloric dance as a passion.
The story: in 2000, I graduated from my second Master's degree program at nearly the same time a very important relationship with a troubled man was put on hold. My own personal suffering translated into physical illness. I ate and slept so poorly, my doctor recommended that I find something more gentle to do than running and aerobics for exercise (I had lost approximately 25 pounds in two months).
Picking up a Discover U catalog for Seattle-area classes, I flipped through it, looking for "something" that seemed interesting. I didn't know I was looking for belly dance, though I had been exposed to Lebanese belly dancing while on a tour of Israel a few years earlier. One of the Discover U class offerings was belly dance with Yasmine, who I would later find out was not only a dancer but a musician as well. With a few group classes, Yasmine encouraged me to consider belly dance as "your dance"; that is, she felt that I took naturally to it. I must admit, being a musician has its advantages: zill playing was a bit easier for me than the average beginner.
Imei, celebrating 10 years of belly dance, and different styles of dance
People ask me where I get my ideas for choreography. Certainly, all of us learn from someone, and we borrow their moves as it suits us. Later, we learn to listen to the music, playing with variations of how those shapes and emotions might look when in motion and facial expressions. Finally, we create, film, observe, perform, and elicit feedback, constantly working to refine the feelings and messages we wish to send to the audience with each piece.
Sabura once wrote an email with a piece of advice I have taken to heart over the years. She reminded me that it didn't matter so much what movement I did in a choreography, as long as it perfectly expressed the emotion of the music in which it occurred. If I can get an audience feeling what I feel -- longing, joy, tension, release, breath, misery, anger, confidence, comedy -- I have accomplished no small feat.
In essence, we dancers give our viewers the unique opportunity to feel what is is to embody the music itself, yet without having to move from one's chair, nor ooze a single drop of sweat. If you find yourself holding your breath, smiling, laughing, or emitting a flirty confidence from every pore in your body, you have just understood perfectly what it is to be a belly dancer: orchestrating emotions in a waterfall of pleasure
The story: in 2000, I graduated from my second Master's degree program at nearly the same time a very important relationship with a troubled man was put on hold. My own personal suffering translated into physical illness. I ate and slept so poorly, my doctor recommended that I find something more gentle to do than running and aerobics for exercise (I had lost approximately 25 pounds in two months).
Picking up a Discover U catalog for Seattle-area classes, I flipped through it, looking for "something" that seemed interesting. I didn't know I was looking for belly dance, though I had been exposed to Lebanese belly dancing while on a tour of Israel a few years earlier. One of the Discover U class offerings was belly dance with Yasmine, who I would later find out was not only a dancer but a musician as well. With a few group classes, Yasmine encouraged me to consider belly dance as "your dance"; that is, she felt that I took naturally to it. I must admit, being a musician has its advantages: zill playing was a bit easier for me than the average beginner.
Imei, celebrating 10 years of belly dance, and different styles of dance
People ask me where I get my ideas for choreography. Certainly, all of us learn from someone, and we borrow their moves as it suits us. Later, we learn to listen to the music, playing with variations of how those shapes and emotions might look when in motion and facial expressions. Finally, we create, film, observe, perform, and elicit feedback, constantly working to refine the feelings and messages we wish to send to the audience with each piece.
Sabura once wrote an email with a piece of advice I have taken to heart over the years. She reminded me that it didn't matter so much what movement I did in a choreography, as long as it perfectly expressed the emotion of the music in which it occurred. If I can get an audience feeling what I feel -- longing, joy, tension, release, breath, misery, anger, confidence, comedy -- I have accomplished no small feat.
In essence, we dancers give our viewers the unique opportunity to feel what is is to embody the music itself, yet without having to move from one's chair, nor ooze a single drop of sweat. If you find yourself holding your breath, smiling, laughing, or emitting a flirty confidence from every pore in your body, you have just understood perfectly what it is to be a belly dancer: orchestrating emotions in a waterfall of pleasure
Belly Dance At MedFest: Why We Love This Festival
I am shocked when Seattle locals who have lived here for years are surprised to hear that one of the Northwest's largest belly dance shows occurs annually every third weekend in July in the vibrant West Seattle Community.
Over 600 dancers from California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and even Alaska register for non-stop dancing over two days on two stages for the Mediterranean Fantasy Festival, hosted by the Babylonian Ensemble. Audiences are exposed to various forms of the classic as well as emerging genres of belly dance, which include steam punk, tribal fusion, goth, martial arts, hip hop, and circus elements.
Additionally, MedFest has been open to Bollywood dance, and over the past few years, I've seen a few troupes present Indian-inspired works or full-on Bollywood pieces. This year, Mollie Singh introduced Bollywood Seattle, with excerpts of three solo choreographies as well as a group number, all choreographed by Mollie.
What I love about MedFest is how the organizers never fail to attract a high-quality workshop instructor and performer. Saturday July 17 Tito Seif of Cairo, Egypt performed on the outdoor stage (video recordings were not allowed), wowing the audience with his exciting stick dance, beledi, and dance performance while balanced on a tabla.
Tito Seif is one of the world's best male bellydancers, and an exciting choreographer. His joy is infectious, and his intensity and precision inspires dancers across the globe. In terms of the level of accomplishment this man has achieved, I was only surprised that I could not find a Wiki page about him. Bet his press team is working on that, because he is surely a "notable".
If you missed out on his workshop Saturday morning, Seif is offering another choreography workshop at 6 pm Sunday July18. For more information, go to the Babylonian Ensemble website, and click on the workshops.
Last but not least, one of my favorites is back: Shoshana of Arcata, CA. Shoshana's playful use of the four-yard veil always takes my breath away. She was the first to teach me how to use my veil like a rubber band, flicking it across the room if necessary [Added: Sunday July 18 at 1:45 pm. Shoshana had to leave early, so she performed at 12:30 pm instead of the listed time of 3 pm. Here's a few photos, taken on my Vado 3rd generation camera]:
Cocooned within a transparent, over-sized veil, Shoshana shows the audience how to spin out of a web.
Did I mention the shopping? I'm not much of a shopper, so when I do shop, it's usually in binges. This year, I purchased four dresses for $65! I wasn't in need of a new costume, but there are plenty of costume vendors ready to suit you up in gorgeous glamour, whimsical skirts, and gothic tribal wear. If you don't want to depart with any hard-earned cash, do not (I repeat, do not) go anywhere near the indoor stage area where Shiny Sparkly Things is happily liberating people of their dough. I bought a pair of earrings from SST a couple of years ago, and I'm getting great mileage out of their high-quality, costume jewelry.
Hungry? Falafel sandwiches, kabobs, and non-alcoholic beverages are vended from a conveniently placed truck and grills.
All-in-all, you and your family can spend the afternoon at MedFest in this highly entertaining, vital community of dancers, musicians, fans, and people who love world music. Come and join us if you can (just don't park on Walnut Street, or you are likely to get a parking ticket), and bring a light jacket, as it is a bit chilly for mid-July.
Over 600 dancers from California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and even Alaska register for non-stop dancing over two days on two stages for the Mediterranean Fantasy Festival, hosted by the Babylonian Ensemble. Audiences are exposed to various forms of the classic as well as emerging genres of belly dance, which include steam punk, tribal fusion, goth, martial arts, hip hop, and circus elements.
Additionally, MedFest has been open to Bollywood dance, and over the past few years, I've seen a few troupes present Indian-inspired works or full-on Bollywood pieces. This year, Mollie Singh introduced Bollywood Seattle, with excerpts of three solo choreographies as well as a group number, all choreographed by Mollie.
What I love about MedFest is how the organizers never fail to attract a high-quality workshop instructor and performer. Saturday July 17 Tito Seif of Cairo, Egypt performed on the outdoor stage (video recordings were not allowed), wowing the audience with his exciting stick dance, beledi, and dance performance while balanced on a tabla.
Tito Seif is one of the world's best male bellydancers, and an exciting choreographer. His joy is infectious, and his intensity and precision inspires dancers across the globe. In terms of the level of accomplishment this man has achieved, I was only surprised that I could not find a Wiki page about him. Bet his press team is working on that, because he is surely a "notable".
If you missed out on his workshop Saturday morning, Seif is offering another choreography workshop at 6 pm Sunday July18. For more information, go to the Babylonian Ensemble website, and click on the workshops.
Last but not least, one of my favorites is back: Shoshana of Arcata, CA. Shoshana's playful use of the four-yard veil always takes my breath away. She was the first to teach me how to use my veil like a rubber band, flicking it across the room if necessary [Added: Sunday July 18 at 1:45 pm. Shoshana had to leave early, so she performed at 12:30 pm instead of the listed time of 3 pm. Here's a few photos, taken on my Vado 3rd generation camera]:
Even with a breeze, Shoshana's control makes throwing, tossing, and flicking the veil look like liquid magic.
Letting the veil follow her slightest coaxing.
Did I mention the shopping? I'm not much of a shopper, so when I do shop, it's usually in binges. This year, I purchased four dresses for $65! I wasn't in need of a new costume, but there are plenty of costume vendors ready to suit you up in gorgeous glamour, whimsical skirts, and gothic tribal wear. If you don't want to depart with any hard-earned cash, do not (I repeat, do not) go anywhere near the indoor stage area where Shiny Sparkly Things is happily liberating people of their dough. I bought a pair of earrings from SST a couple of years ago, and I'm getting great mileage out of their high-quality, costume jewelry.
Hungry? Falafel sandwiches, kabobs, and non-alcoholic beverages are vended from a conveniently placed truck and grills.
All-in-all, you and your family can spend the afternoon at MedFest in this highly entertaining, vital community of dancers, musicians, fans, and people who love world music. Come and join us if you can (just don't park on Walnut Street, or you are likely to get a parking ticket), and bring a light jacket, as it is a bit chilly for mid-July.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
The Sh!t: To Do Or To Be
People who I consider deep thinkers have many characteristics in common, but one that fascinates me to no end is their shared experience of an unexplainable, undefinable moment. I know this already, sounds not only vague and woo-woo like, but I assure you, it isn't magic juju. The most successful, brilliant, out-of-the-box thinkers have all had "experiences" -- moments that helped them see beyond their senses -- that shaped their direction, choices, attitude, or outlook. With that shift in energy and perspective, they went on to do great things. In times of discouragement, they drew upon those experiences to give them strength to pursue their path.
For right now, I'm going to call that experience, "The Sh!t" (here, I'm using an exclamation point to symbolize the "i", turning a slang word for fecal matter into a metaphysical signifier for that uncommon, and often unrepeatable, experience). In contrast to "the shits", which refers to having repeated loose stools in rapid succession,"The Sh!t" is a welcomed phenomenon, though perhaps poorly understood.
Take a look at this video from Youtube. This is a perfect example of "The Sh!t", even if the viewer suspects the man behind the camera has ingested some magic mushrooms:
What should you do when you are facing "The Sh!t"? One of my former graduate school professors used to remind people to stop getting so worked up about "doing", and focus more on "being". I don't think he was on any mushrooms while he said this, but he would constantly point to the merits of "going with the flow", "being in the stream", "riding the wave", and other terms we commonly share for letting what's happening "do its thing" without our resistances kicking in and shutting "The Sh!t" down.
"Being" isn't an excuse for laziness. The truth of "being" includes being alive and awake to what is happening, just like the man shouting in the video, "What does it mean?" Being is an active process, not a passive one. Laziness is not active; laziness is a state of half-sleep while events happen, yet without interest or reaction from the person. The lazy person defaults to either apathy or lack of appreciation, even though the "being" person may also appear to be doing nothing on the surface. The difference is observation. Though the man behind the camera does not get an audible answer to his question, he simply stays with the moment, laughing, appreciating the beauty, sobbing, and then coming back into equanimity with "what is".
My friend Bill calls these "shifts" [though I had thought of them as epiphanies]. Shifts include energy, motivation, and attitudinal movements that occur inside of our thought processes, and maybe physically in our bodies [though perhaps we have no way to measure it except in things like heart rates and body extremity temperatures). When a shift occurs, we are freed from the stifling heat of our own wearying thoughts, fears, and paranoia.
We may find the video "Double Rainbow" funny (and that is the category it is listed under for Youtube), but I'm also caught with my own experience of "The Sh!t", and I can assure you, there were no mood-altering substances involved! When I watched "Double Rainbow", I found myself laughing at his goofy remarks, and then suddenly uncomfortable. I knew I was watching something of a very private, vulnerable moment, and one that I have experienced so many times before. One can laugh it off as a joke, or one can also grapple with the complexity of an existential moment bearing down on the shoulders of a man, and wondering how his mind didn't just snap under the pressure.
I am fairly confident for the number of "The Sh!t" moments I've had in my lifetime G-d/Life/The Universe is sure to throw me a few more of those. Will I -- and will you-- know how to "be" with "The Sh!t", or like many things we do in our tech savvy world, simply ignore it in the waterfall of unending content we see every day? Will you chuckle and chalk these kinds of experiences up to things that we make up for silly Youtube videos? Or will you open your eyes to "The Sh!t" and let it take you into Being, while taking you on a rip-roaring ride towards greater creativity and more passion for connection?
Your choice.
For those of you who couldn't get enough of the "Double Rainbow" effect, take a look at this KFC parody "The Doublelicious", also from Youtube:
For right now, I'm going to call that experience, "The Sh!t" (here, I'm using an exclamation point to symbolize the "i", turning a slang word for fecal matter into a metaphysical signifier for that uncommon, and often unrepeatable, experience). In contrast to "the shits", which refers to having repeated loose stools in rapid succession,"The Sh!t" is a welcomed phenomenon, though perhaps poorly understood.
Take a look at this video from Youtube. This is a perfect example of "The Sh!t", even if the viewer suspects the man behind the camera has ingested some magic mushrooms:
What should you do when you are facing "The Sh!t"? One of my former graduate school professors used to remind people to stop getting so worked up about "doing", and focus more on "being". I don't think he was on any mushrooms while he said this, but he would constantly point to the merits of "going with the flow", "being in the stream", "riding the wave", and other terms we commonly share for letting what's happening "do its thing" without our resistances kicking in and shutting "The Sh!t" down.
"Being" isn't an excuse for laziness. The truth of "being" includes being alive and awake to what is happening, just like the man shouting in the video, "What does it mean?" Being is an active process, not a passive one. Laziness is not active; laziness is a state of half-sleep while events happen, yet without interest or reaction from the person. The lazy person defaults to either apathy or lack of appreciation, even though the "being" person may also appear to be doing nothing on the surface. The difference is observation. Though the man behind the camera does not get an audible answer to his question, he simply stays with the moment, laughing, appreciating the beauty, sobbing, and then coming back into equanimity with "what is".
My friend Bill calls these "shifts" [though I had thought of them as epiphanies]. Shifts include energy, motivation, and attitudinal movements that occur inside of our thought processes, and maybe physically in our bodies [though perhaps we have no way to measure it except in things like heart rates and body extremity temperatures). When a shift occurs, we are freed from the stifling heat of our own wearying thoughts, fears, and paranoia.
We may find the video "Double Rainbow" funny (and that is the category it is listed under for Youtube), but I'm also caught with my own experience of "The Sh!t", and I can assure you, there were no mood-altering substances involved! When I watched "Double Rainbow", I found myself laughing at his goofy remarks, and then suddenly uncomfortable. I knew I was watching something of a very private, vulnerable moment, and one that I have experienced so many times before. One can laugh it off as a joke, or one can also grapple with the complexity of an existential moment bearing down on the shoulders of a man, and wondering how his mind didn't just snap under the pressure.
I am fairly confident for the number of "The Sh!t" moments I've had in my lifetime G-d/Life/The Universe is sure to throw me a few more of those. Will I -- and will you-- know how to "be" with "The Sh!t", or like many things we do in our tech savvy world, simply ignore it in the waterfall of unending content we see every day? Will you chuckle and chalk these kinds of experiences up to things that we make up for silly Youtube videos? Or will you open your eyes to "The Sh!t" and let it take you into Being, while taking you on a rip-roaring ride towards greater creativity and more passion for connection?
Your choice.
For those of you who couldn't get enough of the "Double Rainbow" effect, take a look at this KFC parody "The Doublelicious", also from Youtube:
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Seattle Nightlife Initiative
Mayor McGinn will sign the Seattle Nightlife Initiative on July 13, 2010 at the Century Ballroom to help stimulate a better and safer nightlife economy for Seattle, including flexible hours for serving liquor, more public transportation at night (yay!), and ways to deal with nighttime noise and nuisances.
School of Rock is scheduled to play two short sets to help us celebrate. A no-host bar reception will be held at Tin Table afterwards. Mayor McGinn had the press release added to his Twitter feed today.
Hips For Hire believes some of these changes will definitely be a boost to the nighttime economy and allow artists in the registry to pick up more gigs as the demand for quality performances increase. I hope to shake the hand of Mayor McGinn, and tell him how I hope this initiative will help performance artists make a better living -- and perform in safer venues! -- with the initiative going into effect.
If you plan to be there, it's at the Century Ballroom on Pike Street in Seattle, starting at 7 pm. We might be getting a bite to eat elsewhere (Boom Noodles, Mediterranean Express) to stay on the cheap yet yummy side of the food spectrum. Join us by looking for the girl in the black "geek" shirt.
School of Rock is scheduled to play two short sets to help us celebrate. A no-host bar reception will be held at Tin Table afterwards. Mayor McGinn had the press release added to his Twitter feed today.
Hips For Hire believes some of these changes will definitely be a boost to the nighttime economy and allow artists in the registry to pick up more gigs as the demand for quality performances increase. I hope to shake the hand of Mayor McGinn, and tell him how I hope this initiative will help performance artists make a better living -- and perform in safer venues! -- with the initiative going into effect.
If you plan to be there, it's at the Century Ballroom on Pike Street in Seattle, starting at 7 pm. We might be getting a bite to eat elsewhere (Boom Noodles, Mediterranean Express) to stay on the cheap yet yummy side of the food spectrum. Join us by looking for the girl in the black "geek" shirt.
Friday, July 9, 2010
iPad Geek Out: Merging tech and art
While the iPhone has already spawned several concerts composed of people using iPhones (such as the Michigan Mobile Phone Ensemble), I've been waiting to play around with apps for the iPad that would allow myself as a dancer and musician to explore sound and music while getting geeky with it.
After passing my iPad over to Chris Pirillo with the plea, "Pimp my apps," he loaded Beatwave, and later texted me with the message, "Grab Granimator now, it's free!" [unfortunately, it's not free any more]. You can see Chris demo the Granimator on his Youtube video.
Beatwave app for iPad got me thinking. Why not set up a repeating pattern based on a the principles of western music (we like resolution or resolved dissonance), and then express those patterns through movement and dance?
Here's a quick video demo of how that works (wait for the Picture-in-picture video at 1:17).
Filmed at home using a Vado. Bose speaker.
With Beatwave, you can adjust the reverb, speed, tone, and you have four "pages" to work with, creating solos or muting a page of notations. Better yet, non-musicians have a perfect picture of a matrix-style representation of your musical creation. Though there are other apps that allow you to create musical patterns using keyboards or hitting objects with your fingers, I like Beatwave's sense of almost random generation by trial and error, and then the ability to share what you created with friends. You don't have to be a musician to create some cool stuff.
I did not create the music before turning on the camera, nor should you have to tell a person how to move when s/he hears a note. None of this was choreographed. Imagine what I could do with six to 10 people, line up across a stage, while I, the maestro, keys in notes on Beatwave, and I assign a note to each dancer. I could layer two or more people to take on the chords layered by my choices. One could create an entirely spontaneous stage piece, with dancers following simple principles related to sounds assigned to them. It's like an Etch-a-Sketch, only for space and time, and geeky people like you and I.
If you liked what you just read, come join me on Twitter @HipsForHire, or friend me on Facebook ImeiYogaDance. Better yet, go on my Youtube channel YourLilChinaGirl, and leave me a comment.
After passing my iPad over to Chris Pirillo with the plea, "Pimp my apps," he loaded Beatwave, and later texted me with the message, "Grab Granimator now, it's free!" [unfortunately, it's not free any more]. You can see Chris demo the Granimator on his Youtube video.
Beatwave app for iPad got me thinking. Why not set up a repeating pattern based on a the principles of western music (we like resolution or resolved dissonance), and then express those patterns through movement and dance?
Here's a quick video demo of how that works (wait for the Picture-in-picture video at 1:17).
Filmed at home using a Vado. Bose speaker.
With Beatwave, you can adjust the reverb, speed, tone, and you have four "pages" to work with, creating solos or muting a page of notations. Better yet, non-musicians have a perfect picture of a matrix-style representation of your musical creation. Though there are other apps that allow you to create musical patterns using keyboards or hitting objects with your fingers, I like Beatwave's sense of almost random generation by trial and error, and then the ability to share what you created with friends. You don't have to be a musician to create some cool stuff.
I did not create the music before turning on the camera, nor should you have to tell a person how to move when s/he hears a note. None of this was choreographed. Imagine what I could do with six to 10 people, line up across a stage, while I, the maestro, keys in notes on Beatwave, and I assign a note to each dancer. I could layer two or more people to take on the chords layered by my choices. One could create an entirely spontaneous stage piece, with dancers following simple principles related to sounds assigned to them. It's like an Etch-a-Sketch, only for space and time, and geeky people like you and I.
If you liked what you just read, come join me on Twitter @HipsForHire, or friend me on Facebook ImeiYogaDance. Better yet, go on my Youtube channel YourLilChinaGirl, and leave me a comment.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Anxiety: Much To-Do About Everything
The other day, I answered a knock at my front door and walked into a spider web. Without much thought to it, I reached my hand up to my face, pulled the sticky thread away, and finished my conversation with the person at the door. There is nothing remarkable about this story, unless you understand that I don't like spiders.
I have, in fact, a moderate fear around spiders. The idea that we ingest some of these critters over our lifetime makes my stomach a little queasy. If I come across a picture of a hairy spider in a magazine, I get the "heeby jeebies" (my non-clinical description of the hairs on the back of my neck standing to a state of alertness, and a feeling of hyper awareness about my surroundings).
Video demonstrating trigger, anxiety response, response to stimulus, avoidance, recovery
"Cat Boo" by Imei Hsu and Charles-Monet
What exactly is anxiety (in the clinical sense), and when should someone consider seeking professional help to treat that anxiety? A quick hot-list of anxiety types and their symptoms can be found on WebMD.com
What Are the Types of Anxiety Disorders?
There are several recognized types of anxiety disorders, including:
Panic disorder : People with this condition have feelings of terror that strike suddenly and repeatedly with no warning. Other symptoms of a panic attack include sweating, chest pain, palpitations (irregular heartbeats), and a feeling of choking, which may make the person feel like he or she is having a heart attack or "going crazy."
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) : People with OCD are plagued by constant thoughts or fears that cause them to perform certain rituals or routines. The disturbing thoughts are called obsessions, and the rituals are called compulsions. An example is a person with an unreasonable fear of germs who constantly washes his or her hands.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) : PTSD is a condition that can develop following a traumatic and/or terrifying event, such as a sexual or physical assault, the unexpected death of a loved one, or a natural disaster. People with PTSD often have lasting and frightening thoughts and memories of the event, and tend to be emotionally numb.
Social anxiety disorder : Also called social phobia, social anxiety disorder involves overwhelming worry and self-consciousness about everyday social situations. The worry often centers on a fear of being judged by others, or behaving in a way that might cause embarrassment or lead to ridicule.
Specific phobias : A specific phobia is an intense fear of a specific object or situation, such as snakes, heights, or flying. The level of fear usually is inappropriate to the situation and may cause the person to avoid common, everyday situations.
Generalized anxiety disorder : This disorder involves excessive, unrealistic worry and tension, even if there is little or nothing to provoke the anxiety.
As a clinician treating people with mood disorders, the way I can tell someone should seek professional treatment is whether the person is able to reasonably cope with feelings of anxiety. If the person is having to restructure his/her life in such a way that it is hurting a significant relationship, or s/he cannot cope or function with the anxiety during work or leisure, it's very likely that the person needs to seek treatment. If he could have reduced that anxiety by himself, he would have done so much earlier. One element of anxiety that needs attention and treatment is the compulsive - almost instinctual in nature - factor in the way it manifests.
In an age of third-party payers, clinicians also look at the qualifiers of a diagnosis for Anxiety, using the qualifications as a screening test. Usually the presence of more than half of the qualifiers for a significant period of time is enough evidence for a diagnosis. The Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM) has been the accepted method used in the Western medical model to classify disorders and base evidence for a treatment plan. At Seattle Direct Counseling, I use the DSM IV as one way to help classify the type and extent of symptoms a person is experiencing, and if I am using a client's third-party payer, I have no choice but to use this method of diagnosis and classification.
Clients can choose to take any number of online quizzes to help them better understand if they may have a problem with anxiety. The statements can help them realize they are not the only ones who feel this way. One example from Psychcentral.com
I also prefer a compassionate, positive approach to diagnosis. Instead of focusing only on what is going wrong with a client, I like to help him see what is going right. This philosophical approach is more Buddhist in nature, in that it helps clients discover positive features of their coping mechanisms, free of feelings of guilt or "wrong-doing". I like to remind people that for the level of fear they are experiencing -- whether those fears "make sense" or are irrational -- their minds have come up with some pretty clever ways to try to feel better!
Life will never be without its anxiety-filled moments. However, it is possible to learn to move through them with more grace and ease, and to recover from traumatic events in ways that cause us to become stronger than we ever imagined.
I have, in fact, a moderate fear around spiders. The idea that we ingest some of these critters over our lifetime makes my stomach a little queasy. If I come across a picture of a hairy spider in a magazine, I get the "heeby jeebies" (my non-clinical description of the hairs on the back of my neck standing to a state of alertness, and a feeling of hyper awareness about my surroundings).
Video demonstrating trigger, anxiety response, response to stimulus, avoidance, recovery
"Cat Boo" by Imei Hsu and Charles-Monet
What exactly is anxiety (in the clinical sense), and when should someone consider seeking professional help to treat that anxiety? A quick hot-list of anxiety types and their symptoms can be found on WebMD.com
What Are the Types of Anxiety Disorders?
There are several recognized types of anxiety disorders, including:
Panic disorder : People with this condition have feelings of terror that strike suddenly and repeatedly with no warning. Other symptoms of a panic attack include sweating, chest pain, palpitations (irregular heartbeats), and a feeling of choking, which may make the person feel like he or she is having a heart attack or "going crazy."
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) : People with OCD are plagued by constant thoughts or fears that cause them to perform certain rituals or routines. The disturbing thoughts are called obsessions, and the rituals are called compulsions. An example is a person with an unreasonable fear of germs who constantly washes his or her hands.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) : PTSD is a condition that can develop following a traumatic and/or terrifying event, such as a sexual or physical assault, the unexpected death of a loved one, or a natural disaster. People with PTSD often have lasting and frightening thoughts and memories of the event, and tend to be emotionally numb.
Social anxiety disorder : Also called social phobia, social anxiety disorder involves overwhelming worry and self-consciousness about everyday social situations. The worry often centers on a fear of being judged by others, or behaving in a way that might cause embarrassment or lead to ridicule.
Specific phobias : A specific phobia is an intense fear of a specific object or situation, such as snakes, heights, or flying. The level of fear usually is inappropriate to the situation and may cause the person to avoid common, everyday situations.
Generalized anxiety disorder : This disorder involves excessive, unrealistic worry and tension, even if there is little or nothing to provoke the anxiety.
As a clinician treating people with mood disorders, the way I can tell someone should seek professional treatment is whether the person is able to reasonably cope with feelings of anxiety. If the person is having to restructure his/her life in such a way that it is hurting a significant relationship, or s/he cannot cope or function with the anxiety during work or leisure, it's very likely that the person needs to seek treatment. If he could have reduced that anxiety by himself, he would have done so much earlier. One element of anxiety that needs attention and treatment is the compulsive - almost instinctual in nature - factor in the way it manifests.
In an age of third-party payers, clinicians also look at the qualifiers of a diagnosis for Anxiety, using the qualifications as a screening test. Usually the presence of more than half of the qualifiers for a significant period of time is enough evidence for a diagnosis. The Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM) has been the accepted method used in the Western medical model to classify disorders and base evidence for a treatment plan. At Seattle Direct Counseling, I use the DSM IV as one way to help classify the type and extent of symptoms a person is experiencing, and if I am using a client's third-party payer, I have no choice but to use this method of diagnosis and classification.
Clients can choose to take any number of online quizzes to help them better understand if they may have a problem with anxiety. The statements can help them realize they are not the only ones who feel this way. One example from Psychcentral.com
I also prefer a compassionate, positive approach to diagnosis. Instead of focusing only on what is going wrong with a client, I like to help him see what is going right. This philosophical approach is more Buddhist in nature, in that it helps clients discover positive features of their coping mechanisms, free of feelings of guilt or "wrong-doing". I like to remind people that for the level of fear they are experiencing -- whether those fears "make sense" or are irrational -- their minds have come up with some pretty clever ways to try to feel better!
Life will never be without its anxiety-filled moments. However, it is possible to learn to move through them with more grace and ease, and to recover from traumatic events in ways that cause us to become stronger than we ever imagined.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Costumes: How to Buy Them Without Breaking the Bank
Every week, I get requests on my FB page or messages to my Youtube channel asking questions such as, "How many costumes do you have?" and "These look expensive. How do you afford them?"
I have watched many belly dancers go through countless costumes over the years. Some are great purchases; others, not so much. How do you purchase good costumes without taking out a small business loan? Here are my ten tips to purchasing quality costumes and starting a belly dance costume brokerage.
You can find this exact post on my hiring website, DreamYogaAndDance.com.
How to Purchase and Maintain Quality Costumes (without breaking the bank)
I now own 14 costumes, which I cycle through on a regular basis. I started out with two costumes in 2002. One was a poor purchase, and is useless (beading fell apart, backing of belt also ripped). The other got a lot of mileage, and has since been resold at the top of the market. Here's how you can own quality costumes and get your money back.
1. Find a costume maker you love. Some suggestions:
Dahlal.com
Bellacostumes.com
2. Participate in a swap board or consignment group
Bhuz.com
The Belly dance costume recycle project (Facebook)
Belly dance Costume SWAP (Facebook)
3. Know what colors you want, what style looks good and moves well with you, and don't buy anything less than that (or you might regret the spendy purchase). Additonal tip: if you dance with a troupe, you might want to think about colors, shapes, and designs where others can purchase similar costumes to match.
4. Keep your costumes in excellent condition, doing repairs and replacing bead loss immediately. This will help when you are ready to re-sell your costumes to purchase your next costume. Store them in separate boxes after airing them out after a performance. Do not smoke or eat in your costumes, and do not wear your costumes longer than you need to (i.e. change into street clothes after a performance).
5. Dance at least ten times for pay in each costume, and keep track of how much money you made. Some costumes are "money" costumes, attracting more tips and better pay. You might wish to keep this costume longer, even if it isn't your personal favorite. Sell the costume after the 10th time you've used it in your same town.
NOTE: Here's the kicker: if you aren't being paid for performances, you should pace your costume purchases and quality to the pace of your ability to pay for them. If you simply buy costumes because you really want them, make sure you have the income to cover these purchases. Otherwise, consider doing a "costume brokerage" systems, buying and reselling approximately two costumes a year, and purchase costumes that you believe will have a high resell value.
6. Purchase costumes in bright colors with interesting details. These will not only gain you great attention while you dance, they'll be popular when you're ready to sell it.
7. If you know a professional dancer who is close in size to you, offer to purchase costumes from her for below-new prices, or get on her email list when she places them on sale. My favorite: Sandra of raks-sharki.com
8. Don't buy costumes if they are:
a. full of small problems you wish you could fix, but know you won't
b. ill-fitting, too large or too small, or requiring massive amounts of alterations (adding more cost)
c. in drab colors that don't suit your complexion
d. trendy, unless you can truly pull it off AND you believe you can resell it later
8. Don't make emotional decisions about costume purchases. Get a trusted friend's opinion if you are unsure about a purchase. When it comes time to sell, don't hesitate if you find a buyer.
9. If you do a lot of performance where you are the solo entertainment for the event, consider buying costumes that are easy for you to dress yourself. If they have unreachable clasps, requires a lot of pinning, or have details that need a second pair of hands, save those costume purchases for when you are doing stage shows (people in the dressing room can help you).
10. Consider buying conservative fitting skirts with slits that can be shortened or closed, and those with beading sewn directly to the skirt (instead of a separate belt). Costumes showing too much of the thigh are pretty for pictures, but not always practical (and sometimes unappreciated) in some settings.
Have costume purchase tips you'd like to add? Please send them offline to info@hipsforhire.com
I have watched many belly dancers go through countless costumes over the years. Some are great purchases; others, not so much. How do you purchase good costumes without taking out a small business loan? Here are my ten tips to purchasing quality costumes and starting a belly dance costume brokerage.
You can find this exact post on my hiring website, DreamYogaAndDance.com.
How to Purchase and Maintain Quality Costumes (without breaking the bank)
I now own 14 costumes, which I cycle through on a regular basis. I started out with two costumes in 2002. One was a poor purchase, and is useless (beading fell apart, backing of belt also ripped). The other got a lot of mileage, and has since been resold at the top of the market. Here's how you can own quality costumes and get your money back.
1. Find a costume maker you love. Some suggestions:
Dahlal.com
Bellacostumes.com
2. Participate in a swap board or consignment group
Bhuz.com
The Belly dance costume recycle project (Facebook)
Belly dance Costume SWAP (Facebook)
3. Know what colors you want, what style looks good and moves well with you, and don't buy anything less than that (or you might regret the spendy purchase). Additonal tip: if you dance with a troupe, you might want to think about colors, shapes, and designs where others can purchase similar costumes to match.
4. Keep your costumes in excellent condition, doing repairs and replacing bead loss immediately. This will help when you are ready to re-sell your costumes to purchase your next costume. Store them in separate boxes after airing them out after a performance. Do not smoke or eat in your costumes, and do not wear your costumes longer than you need to (i.e. change into street clothes after a performance).
5. Dance at least ten times for pay in each costume, and keep track of how much money you made. Some costumes are "money" costumes, attracting more tips and better pay. You might wish to keep this costume longer, even if it isn't your personal favorite. Sell the costume after the 10th time you've used it in your same town.
NOTE: Here's the kicker: if you aren't being paid for performances, you should pace your costume purchases and quality to the pace of your ability to pay for them. If you simply buy costumes because you really want them, make sure you have the income to cover these purchases. Otherwise, consider doing a "costume brokerage" systems, buying and reselling approximately two costumes a year, and purchase costumes that you believe will have a high resell value.
6. Purchase costumes in bright colors with interesting details. These will not only gain you great attention while you dance, they'll be popular when you're ready to sell it.
7. If you know a professional dancer who is close in size to you, offer to purchase costumes from her for below-new prices, or get on her email list when she places them on sale. My favorite: Sandra of raks-sharki.com
8. Don't buy costumes if they are:
a. full of small problems you wish you could fix, but know you won't
b. ill-fitting, too large or too small, or requiring massive amounts of alterations (adding more cost)
c. in drab colors that don't suit your complexion
d. trendy, unless you can truly pull it off AND you believe you can resell it later
8. Don't make emotional decisions about costume purchases. Get a trusted friend's opinion if you are unsure about a purchase. When it comes time to sell, don't hesitate if you find a buyer.
9. If you do a lot of performance where you are the solo entertainment for the event, consider buying costumes that are easy for you to dress yourself. If they have unreachable clasps, requires a lot of pinning, or have details that need a second pair of hands, save those costume purchases for when you are doing stage shows (people in the dressing room can help you).
10. Consider buying conservative fitting skirts with slits that can be shortened or closed, and those with beading sewn directly to the skirt (instead of a separate belt). Costumes showing too much of the thigh are pretty for pictures, but not always practical (and sometimes unappreciated) in some settings.
Have costume purchase tips you'd like to add? Please send them offline to info@hipsforhire.com
Monday, July 5, 2010
How to Lose Weight: Fast and Easy?
Did I get your attention? I purposely titled this post, "How to Lose Weight: Fast and Easy?" because I know if you're looking for this kind of information, you could very well go to the wrong place. Truly, I feel for you: you're just trying to get honest information, and a ton of people who aren't even in the health care industry are trying to tell you how to lose weight. Admittedly, my friend Chris Pirillo wrote his own weight loss tips list, and it was he who suggested that I use my licenses as an RN and psychotherapist who has coached others towards weight loss to write my own eBook to help people.
Truth: there is no SAFE way to lose weight fast nor easily. You can, however, lose weight at a steady pace and keep it off. Here's how.
If you live in America, you need to know that you live in a weight-obsessed culture, with a food industry that creates a hostile environment for your plans to maintain a healthy diet, a fit body, and a weight meant for your height, age, and genetics.
Here's the opening excerpt from my upcoming eBook, "Video Nurse: 50 Weight Loss Tips for Busy People". It will be available to order by Paypal for just $5, and comes with an attractive cover and title page, perfect for giving as a gift. Download it as a PDF, or make a printed copy to keep by your desk.
Here's the excerpt:
According to present statistics available at the time of this writing, obesity rates in the U.S. may be finally leveling off, but the rates are still high. No state passed the Healthy People 2010 Guidelines for 15% or less obese people http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/index.html. Our food supplies continue to cater to a market that is willing to buy cheap food to keep our mouths entertained, while the number of preventable diseases and deaths related to complications of obesity continue to soar along with our health care bills.
Whenever instituting a change that doesn't provide an immediate measurable outcome, consider giving yourself a non-food reward for good behavior to help encourage the repetition of that behavior. I suggest that reward to be something other than food because I feel that food shouldn't be used as punishment or reward. An example of a non-food reward: put a dime in a jar for each time you complete a particular tip on the list below. At the end of fifty days, you'd have five dollars if you did just one tip (or put in a dollar per day as your list grows); you'd have $250 if you did all fifty tips for fifty days at a dime a piece (although some tips will only be done once or twice). At the end of fifty days, use that money for something healthy for yourself to enjoy.
I hold licenses as a Registered Nurse and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the State of Washington. "Video Nurse" health tips are just that: health tips. They are not designed to be used for diagnosis or treatment of specific diseases or disorders. Any misuse or misinterpretation of these health tips are at the risk of the reader, and Video Nurse and Bernice Imei Hsu, RN, MAC, LMHC is not responsible for any untoward consequences of these actions. You are advised to seek professional advice in the treatment of any illness, disease, or disorder.
Here area few tips from the eBook:
17. Unless you are diabetic or an athlete, it's not likely that more than 60% of your calories need to come from carbohydrates. If your diet consists of mostly cereal, spaghetti, and breads because of convenience, you might be encouraging a carbohydrate addiction as well as packing on the pounds over time. Consider weaning yourself off of excess carbs by reducing the portion size while replacing the excess with a serving of vegetables cooked in a tablespoon of good oil. Non-wheat eaters may find that returning to their genetic history may be easier on digestion. Example: I metabolize rice better than pasta, as long as I combine my carbs with protein.
18. Busy people need to have healthy foods ready to grab and eat in order to change the habit of eating less nutritious convenience foods. Consider spending one afternoon on a weekend preparing fresh foods cooked and measured into meal-sized bags, and keep a basket of fresh fruits in snack sizes (e.g small oranges, apples, bananas) nearby. Lunches can be pre-packed. Dinners can be waiting in large-sized zip lock bags, reheated by microwave or by placing on a baking sheet and reheated.
19. Juice fruit rather than buy it in a carton. It's easier to see how much you're actually consuming when you grab one orange and juice it yourself.
20. Eat slowly. It takes time for the stomach to feel full enough to signal the brain to stop seeking food. Converse during a meal, or put your fork down between bites. Consume a glass of water before the meal and during the meal to slow the process of eating down.
21. Stop eating when you feel 80% full. As one friend put it, it's a realization that you could eat a few bites more, but those bites would only be for entertainment. Do you really need "a party in your mouth" (as Dr. Phil has said)?
The eBook contains fifty tips I have discussed with clients over the years who were either recommended by their doctor to reduce their weight, or had personal health goals of which weight loss was a reasonable part of their treatment. Every client who did what I asked them to do lost weight. Whether they put the weight back on depends on whether they understood the lifestyle change involved in weight management, or their vision was temporary in nature.
The only real way to lose weight and keep it off is to eat less calories than you burn on a daily basis, and to use both smart nutrition and exercise/movement to create an environment where the body can thrive. There are no short cuts. There is no magic bullet. Even diet pills that encourage faster weight loss have side effects that may be intolerable, such as fatty, loose stools if you have too much fat in your diet. Diet shakes and protein shakes can help you lose weight, but they do not do the work for you to shape up those muscles, such as swimming, jogging, and resistance training.
You may have reached the time where you "get real" with your health goals, and you are ready to do the work to achieve your best life physically, emotionally, spiritually, and relationally. I hope you'll check out my work at Seattle Direct Counseling, or my eBook of weight loss tips (coming soon), to help you on your way.
Truth: there is no SAFE way to lose weight fast nor easily. You can, however, lose weight at a steady pace and keep it off. Here's how.
If you live in America, you need to know that you live in a weight-obsessed culture, with a food industry that creates a hostile environment for your plans to maintain a healthy diet, a fit body, and a weight meant for your height, age, and genetics.
Here's the opening excerpt from my upcoming eBook, "Video Nurse: 50 Weight Loss Tips for Busy People". It will be available to order by Paypal for just $5, and comes with an attractive cover and title page, perfect for giving as a gift. Download it as a PDF, or make a printed copy to keep by your desk.
Here's the excerpt:
According to present statistics available at the time of this writing, obesity rates in the U.S. may be finally leveling off, but the rates are still high. No state passed the Healthy People 2010 Guidelines for 15% or less obese people http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/index.html. Our food supplies continue to cater to a market that is willing to buy cheap food to keep our mouths entertained, while the number of preventable diseases and deaths related to complications of obesity continue to soar along with our health care bills.
Whenever instituting a change that doesn't provide an immediate measurable outcome, consider giving yourself a non-food reward for good behavior to help encourage the repetition of that behavior. I suggest that reward to be something other than food because I feel that food shouldn't be used as punishment or reward. An example of a non-food reward: put a dime in a jar for each time you complete a particular tip on the list below. At the end of fifty days, you'd have five dollars if you did just one tip (or put in a dollar per day as your list grows); you'd have $250 if you did all fifty tips for fifty days at a dime a piece (although some tips will only be done once or twice). At the end of fifty days, use that money for something healthy for yourself to enjoy.
I hold licenses as a Registered Nurse and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the State of Washington. "Video Nurse" health tips are just that: health tips. They are not designed to be used for diagnosis or treatment of specific diseases or disorders. Any misuse or misinterpretation of these health tips are at the risk of the reader, and Video Nurse and Bernice Imei Hsu, RN, MAC, LMHC is not responsible for any untoward consequences of these actions. You are advised to seek professional advice in the treatment of any illness, disease, or disorder.
Here area few tips from the eBook:
17. Unless you are diabetic or an athlete, it's not likely that more than 60% of your calories need to come from carbohydrates. If your diet consists of mostly cereal, spaghetti, and breads because of convenience, you might be encouraging a carbohydrate addiction as well as packing on the pounds over time. Consider weaning yourself off of excess carbs by reducing the portion size while replacing the excess with a serving of vegetables cooked in a tablespoon of good oil. Non-wheat eaters may find that returning to their genetic history may be easier on digestion. Example: I metabolize rice better than pasta, as long as I combine my carbs with protein.
18. Busy people need to have healthy foods ready to grab and eat in order to change the habit of eating less nutritious convenience foods. Consider spending one afternoon on a weekend preparing fresh foods cooked and measured into meal-sized bags, and keep a basket of fresh fruits in snack sizes (e.g small oranges, apples, bananas) nearby. Lunches can be pre-packed. Dinners can be waiting in large-sized zip lock bags, reheated by microwave or by placing on a baking sheet and reheated.
19. Juice fruit rather than buy it in a carton. It's easier to see how much you're actually consuming when you grab one orange and juice it yourself.
20. Eat slowly. It takes time for the stomach to feel full enough to signal the brain to stop seeking food. Converse during a meal, or put your fork down between bites. Consume a glass of water before the meal and during the meal to slow the process of eating down.
21. Stop eating when you feel 80% full. As one friend put it, it's a realization that you could eat a few bites more, but those bites would only be for entertainment. Do you really need "a party in your mouth" (as Dr. Phil has said)?
The eBook contains fifty tips I have discussed with clients over the years who were either recommended by their doctor to reduce their weight, or had personal health goals of which weight loss was a reasonable part of their treatment. Every client who did what I asked them to do lost weight. Whether they put the weight back on depends on whether they understood the lifestyle change involved in weight management, or their vision was temporary in nature.
The only real way to lose weight and keep it off is to eat less calories than you burn on a daily basis, and to use both smart nutrition and exercise/movement to create an environment where the body can thrive. There are no short cuts. There is no magic bullet. Even diet pills that encourage faster weight loss have side effects that may be intolerable, such as fatty, loose stools if you have too much fat in your diet. Diet shakes and protein shakes can help you lose weight, but they do not do the work for you to shape up those muscles, such as swimming, jogging, and resistance training.
You may have reached the time where you "get real" with your health goals, and you are ready to do the work to achieve your best life physically, emotionally, spiritually, and relationally. I hope you'll check out my work at Seattle Direct Counseling, or my eBook of weight loss tips (coming soon), to help you on your way.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Tech Animation Sling Mud: Defend What You Think (If You Can)
If you've been reading my past blog posts about technology, I've been fascinated by the users of technology as much as the tech itself. As a person with nothing to lose by choosing one brand over another, and with no personal loyalty to defend, I've been amused at the debates, cat fights, troll comments, and name calling that has followed the HTC EVO (Sprint) vs iPhone4 (AT&T) debate.
Leave it to a young person to come up out with this video from TinyWatchProductions. Please be warned: though it's cute animation, this video contains a lot of expletives and demeaning statements:
This is a perfect parody and dramatization of comments on the Internet.
Your thoughts?
Follow me on Twitter! @Hipsforhire
Leave it to a young person to come up out with this video from TinyWatchProductions. Please be warned: though it's cute animation, this video contains a lot of expletives and demeaning statements:
This is a perfect parody and dramatization of comments on the Internet.
Your thoughts?
Follow me on Twitter! @Hipsforhire
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