Alex Grey. Explaining Everything. Without Words.

I guess I should have known

I shouldn't have been surprised,

Yet I could not believe

the images in front of my eyes!

BEHOLD! 

Mystic Wonder

In technicolor form

This man has talents I thought,

Way above the norm!

I could've stayed for hours

marveling at his form

observing his artistic powers 

made my heart feel warm!

If you haven't seen the show,

You better make your way

to the Art galleries of West Chelsea

You won't regret the day!

Also currently featured at this gallery is the work of Pablo Amaringo. He has a similar style to Alex Grey, and yet is completely different in his execution. His current show is called Shamanic Illusion. See photos below...

BUT ACT FAST FOLKS! SUPPLIES ARE ONLY WHILE THEY LAST! THIS GALLERY IS ENDING ON 10/22/11!!

It's location is 529 W20th Street between 10th and 11th avenues. Please go. You will be glad you did!

Apparently "Hella" is the new school cool

Whats up my peeps that be hella chill

I wish you were chillen

up on my window sill... 

Hanging out

Groovin' out in the sun

Cause you being around

makes life hella fun!

ATTN: SITE READERS! PLACES TO BE AND SEE AND.... PEE?

Upchuck: Albany Bulb

Deconstructed construction 

has been living here

Reconstructed again 

by people with cheer.

Exists for those struggling

with existence themselves,

No worries, no fears

only art full of vision

Come see for yourself

then make your decision. 

I guarantee a good time

and adventure for all

and you know the best part?

You don't spend a dime!

Albany Bulb is located just outside of Berkeley in Albany, located in the East Bay. Definitely worth a visit when in the area, and my advice? Find Mad Mark's Castle, they knew the spot. For more pictures check out my facebook!

Pullulate

You could
have walked
down,


The opposite 
side of Vine.


Instead,
you parade
your life
past my soul.


It is shredded
into thousands
of little pieces


and disperses 
itself into


the craters 
of Mind.


Never to return.
Self-damaging
at all costs.


-Ailee John

UPCHUCK! Indian Rock by DAY HAAAAAYYYYYYY

For those of you who are slackers and missed my first post regarding Indian Rock you can find that here. For those already in the know here are some pictures of Indian Rock by day. Great place to come and have a picnic while taking in the beauty of the surrounding Bay. Also lots of fun to come and watch those who boulder and rock climb!

Magical, Mystical, Surreal for sure...

Steps carved right in

but without a door

Anxious Ascent 

and then you can see

the Bay by day in all its glory!

Telegraph but mainly CREAM

Why hello! my inquisitive viewers! Hope your day wherever you are has been enjoyable :)

I'm here to bring you updated info on my journey of a lifetime through Berkeley CA and the entire BAY area. 

Today's agenda:

Telegraph Avenue 

is an awesome place to spend the day. Street vendors are plentiful from hand made silver jewelry to patches, henna, tie-dye and the like! It's all very exciting. Not to mention you can head to MARS... not the planet your probably thinking of but the perfect planet for die-hard vintage lovers. And the best thing about MARS? Thrift store prices! -- Okay so not completely "thrift" store prices but definitely excellent prices for almost pristine condition vintage clothing. (Hell yeah my clothing junkies I know you be appreciating that) 

There's also great bookstores that buy, sell and trade books of all sorts such as Shakespeare Bookstore. I have been to all the head shops on Tele and I definitely recommend Big Al's (boss) they have got great locally blown creative and artistic pieces. 

For the music lovers there's Rasputin a music store selling new and used CDs and DVDs at great prices. Not just your run of the mill stuff either. Great rare rock and roll versions can be found for the likes of the Rolling Stones, Hendrix, Beatles etc. This place is truly a music lovers paradise. If you're making a special trip in, call the store, sometimes on occasion live performances take place on the 2nd (loft) floor. Raleigh's across and down the street is a great local bar with its own beer and a young college atmosphere. Visit here on your 21st birthday but be prepared to chug your pint of free Guinness ON the bar. 

There's so much funky fun to unravel on this road but one of my favorites since arriving in the Bay Area is CREAM Ice Cream Shop standing for Cookies Rule Everything Around Me. Here you can find fresh baked perfectly soft cookies and eccentric ice cream! Just 2$ for an ice cream cookie sandwich, AND bonus: you can pick different types of cookies YUM! My personal favorite? Cinnamon Caramel ice cream between 2 butter sugar cookies OOOOOH WEEEEEE !!

Oh and for those NY fans... there's a Chipotle too!

Pleasant day to you! Check back soon :)

As Promised...

The sunset/moon rise at Indian Rock was super stunning!

i promised to bring
pix to the peeps
so imma keep
my promises
i speak

BEHOLD--!

Mind blowing experiences left and right in the Bay of CA ALLL DAYYY :)

Stay tuned pawty people

What to do in the Bay Area? Why, love life of course!

Greetings my fellow earthlings..

It is another beautiful day in the bay and I am loving life.
There's nothing here to cause any person strife.
I recommend to all no matter far or near,
And when you come in to visit you will leave here
Full of Cheer!!


Anywhoozit--

I plan to go to a place called Indian Rock in the not so distant future but could possibly be more distant than I know... it is a place from which you can see all other places, ponder over faces, or even to create some real nice spaces.

I should have some photos for you soon :)

Enjoy your place, wherever it is!

A Bouquet for a Dollar

Yesterday as I was leaving Sassafrisco, about to BART back to the east bay Berk... I met a rather charming and eloquent homeless man selling bouquets of flowers for only a dollar. What a deal and what an interesting character!

Berkeley Art Funkadunk

This was an awesome surprise...

Walking home in Berkeley on Shattuck Ave...

some really awesome sidewalk art!!

YAHOO :)

Dispatch in Berkeley!!!

Dispatch speaking--
Please hold
for westbound 51 train...

Super chill vibes
to an awesome beat!
Dispatch concert
to end my week?

Loving life
and full of love
theres no other time
I've been thinking of..

Just NOW

Music playing,
trees in the air
found my way
to the Haight St Fair.

History grooves
between the streets
of right Now...

WOW EE OW!
bow chicka bow!

Supa Freak
from the land
of Funk YEAH!

North Berkeley

Howdy doody folks! So today I was strolling through the neighborhoods around my house. There were some pretty cool sights to see. All the homes in this area are so unique to each other! The gardens are also like something out of a fantasy.... I couldn't help but smile and laugh to myself as I was walking through the streets because it is all just so fantastical... All I can say is.. the things that are said about California are true. No hype here these peoples is livin tha lyfe-

The photo of the sunset is from my window and its the Tule fog rolling in for the night from the bay. Crazy fog out here.

This last photo was taken in the Gourmet Ghetto of North Berkeley... some kind of food stands set up here..

So far my experience of this neighborhood has been great. The people are friendly, smiles are exchanged on the streets. Everyone is simply living life and it's a great thing to bear witness to! Full of good vibes and better food I'm falling in love already!

Stay tuned because the Haight Asbury Street Fair is this weekend! A day of peace and love in a place filled with all sorts of history of the very same thing! In the words of Paul Tetor "Peace Love and all that other hippie shit"

Comin to you live fre$$$hh outta Berkeley California

What's happenin' my party people? Word on the street is that California knows how to pawty and since being here I'm not saying any different!

Aww yeah the sun is shining the haze is hangin and the trees is beautiful babies the trees is be-a-ut-iful!

So listen, this is your spot to j chill and kick it and imma keep the updates comin to you as live as I can, so don't go anywhere now you hear? Berkeley CA comin to you...

Peace n LoVe and GrOOvin

Rothbury

The crowd moves as one--
like gears of the universe.
Minds become one--
as absolute experience
is shared among us.

The music courses
through my veins
igniting my soul
so that my entire being
dances to life's rhythm.

As the tie-dye sky morphs
to a lush cobalt blue,
the surrounding energy
becomes electrified.

I look around me--
smiling faces emerge,
splashed by a kaleidoscope
of superb colors
and glow of inner ecstasy.

I smile to myself
as a thought enters my mind--
There's no place
I'd rather be now
than where I am.

-Ailee John

Stars

Neola Road slinks below you--

you who lie in the lush velvet

of a summer's night sky.

I step out of my Volvo S60

and turn my face to marvel

in your delightful essence.

My mind flashes to those

rarely graced by your presence.

To New York City--

a world that knows nothing

of the pure magnificence it foolishly dilutes.

Competing against your splendor,

its skyscrapers banish you

yet I know you are only in hiding.

For now, you and I know different realms.

One natural, one man-made.

But someday, I will return again,

to stand speechless and smiling

beneath your twinkling tent,

which covers this world.

-Ailee John

Purple Micro Dot

It appears there are slight
discrepancies here.
Or there.
And perhaps everywhere—
as a general rule.

Do you in fact know
where it is that we are?

It would seem,
that you and I are both here—
in this moment paused at this
word.

Yet, I am not there with you
as you sit there to read this
word.

Or the line below;
Something about
Being in two places at once
Which may or may not
be the case,
here.

In any case,
I used to be here—
where you are now,
so I guess in some form
what we have here
is something illustrative
of sharing…

Our Experiences


-Ailee John

A "Found" Poem

Horoscope

Sometimes you need
to just wander
off on your own
and deal with life--
or think things through.

Today's thoughtful energy
helps you make
some serious headway
into a difficult problem.

-Ailee John

Okay so just in case you are unsure of what a "found" poem is, I will give a little explanation. It is when you find something just written such as a paragraph in a story, copy in an advertisement or so on so forth and then you take this writing and add line breaks in order to turn it into an effective poem. For this poem, I used my daily horoscope that is emailed to me every day! I hope you enjoyed!

Twilight Zone

I

 I don't know what it is, but I'm really crazy about this chandelier... and the wall paper that is behind it...It's so -- mesmerizing. 

HAHA.

Anyway I saw this at a place on the L.E.S called National Underground... it's a pretty cool place, I suggest a look see at E Houston and Allen St.

Manifest your Happiness

The universe works in mysterious ways... I'm telling you.

It's funny how you can find a person to talk to and somewhere in that conversation that person will say the exact thing that you know you have been needing to hear.

Recently, I was speaking about such universal things with a person and they said something that resonated with my soul. 

They said, "your reality is created from the inside out, not the outside in."

I found that completely lovely. So often I think that there cannot be this many things to be negative about, or upset about or even worried about. But I think what happens is that we forget we are even being negative and so we begin to do it throughout our life subconsciously. 

As humans, we are all running around frantic about things and if we begin to have negative thoughts, it somehow turns into negative results. 

I guess what I am speaking of is manifestation.

Manifestation is the idea of "think and it shall be so" in a sense. It says that if we think positively about ourselves and situations, many positive things can come from it, but if we constantly dwell on negativity then those negative thoughts actually become our reality.

Sometimes I think that people need to make that conscious decision to be positive rather than negative, and we would all be much better off. After all, we're in all of this together.

I know from personal experience that sometimes I feel this wave of "depression" coming for me. And I could very easily let it overtake me and consume me bit by bit. I will sit there alone and bored and nothing good comes from that for me. 

BUT what I've been trying to do instead is that every time whenever this negative feeling comes, instead of succumbing to my own negativity, I make the conscious decision to think about the positive stuff instead!

Now, I'm not saying I succeed 100% of the time, but I am becoming much better. It's so easy and anyone can do it!

So next time you start to feel down, think if you are the one making it that way. If so, do a quick 180 and bring on the fleet of positive vibes to conquer the negative ones!

Positive thinking can make the world go round :)

Until next time... manifest good and share it with those around you!

True Talent from Amelia Photography

Amongst other things, my friend Hannah is a photographer. Her talent for finding beauty in common objects and her visualization is jaw dropping. She once told me "I don't even know if I want to be a photographer." To which I replied, "Well you don't have to have a job as a photographer, but you have an unbelievable talent for it so whatever you do, it has to be part of your life, perhaps as a hobby if nothing else."


I first met Hannah during my first year at college, she happened to be living in the room across the hall from mine. On move-in day I saw her moving into her room from mine and I noticed that we had brought the same quilt, different colors. I then proceeded to notice her outfit. She wore cut off blue denim shorts, a white V-neck tee which it appeared she had cropped herself, black slip on sneakers and an interesting buffalo nickel pendant necklace that had been crafted so that just the Indian head remained in the circle, leaving other parts cut out. It was something I would have never thought to put together but it was chic in every way. I wondered to myself if we would get to be friends, I hoped that we would be, but wasn't sure if she'd find me interesting. 


Well, lucky for me, over the course of the year I got to know her and her photography as well. Even before she began to work on her photography at school the photos that she brought in from her high school and previous summers floored me. She made common items look extraordinary, landscapes wowed with color and there is always this feel of unexpected juxtapositions which never doubts to mesmerize. To me she is a true surrealist.

Now, I don't know anything technical about photography, so I will not pretend I do. But I do know that talent has a way of moving people, and what is usually funny is that the artist did not even have to break their back to achieve it. While some photos grab me more than others, I was looking through her flickr (which I will share with you) and I could not find a single photo that wasn't captivating in some way. 

I also love to watch her work. Sometimes when she tells me about her idea I'm not really sure what to expect. Next thing I know I see it all unfold and the ideas are tirelessly brilliant! I still might not have any clue what is in the frame of her camera when she clicks the button, but once the images are up and loaded on the computer I'm usually freaking out because they are exquisite! 


So in light of all this, I wanted to share some of them with you because I never get tired of experiencing her photos so I brought some of my favorites.. because if I would have brought them all I wouldn't be able to ever fit anything else ever again on this blog haha. So because I couldn't bring them all... it is impertinent that you visit her website in order to view them for yourself!


You can find the rest of her photographs HERE on flickr under Amelia Photography here are some favs of mine: