A smiling face

Yesterday I stopped off at an Indian restaurant and ordered some vegetable korma... yummm very tasty ... I was so hungry that I asked the lady if she could bring me some extra sauce ... she said yes but with a befuddled look in her eye... the kind of look you get when you are foreigner in another country ordering food that you don't know much about.

So she brings my a heaping dish of vegetable Korma ... rice and naan bread... Lovely I think.... this is lots of food...

Two minutes later she shows up with another dish full of yummy creamy korma sauce and vegetable goodies floating in it... I look at her confused ... I said I only ordered one dish ... she looks at me equally confused and says to me ... this is the extra sauce that you ordered ... hummmm™ I say ... alright.

But of course my eyes were bigger than my appetite... so I asked for a to go container... paid the bill and headed home...

As I get off the highway I notice a homeless person with a sign and a very sad look on his face... I think to myself - Here is a moment in life when you can think and do something ... not that big of a thing to do ... but still it is the act of acting spontaneously that makes all the difference in life... So I reached into the back seat grabbed the bag with the goods and asked him if he was hungry and he nodded affirmatively ... gave him the food and off I went...

Today I got off that same highway and as I drove past him he had the most amazing smile... it made my day... all because someone was just really generous ... and someone asked for something more...

Things like this never cease to amaze me.

As the saying goes ... never postpone joy...

Ciao everyone.

Dead Squirrel

Hey this is not the best title ... but this is what I saw today on my walk... but what I was inspired to write about was not the fact that it was dead squirrel... and typically you see them as road kill - indistinguishable ... This on the other hand was the strangest of things ... it was laying there on the sidewalk so peaceful but gone... It looked like it had fallen from the tree above... Maybe it was tired and old and could no longer do those impressive jumps from limb to limb... And today was its last magnificent feat flying through the air with nothing to grasp but the air as it flew to the ground ...

I wonder what went through its mind/heart when it was falling ... do you think it was scared like we humans might be - Knowing that this represents our ultimate demise... or was it simply enjoying the fall... and be what has to be ... life and death just exist without anything other than the moment... but to me as the passer-by ... the moment for me was the look on it as it lay there peaceful and still...

I think that death is a precious gift ... I know this may sound weird but I was fortunate enough to be present when my grandfather died - it changed my life - having seen what happens and staying behind in this world I find it has left me with knowledge that I always refer to.

And today - maybe because the squirrel spirit was with me I thought to my self of the words that we might think of when we pass away ... like "What we leave behind" and for some reason - I kept thinking that it is not what we leave behind ... but "What leaves us behind" - can't describe why I think this way ... but for some strange reason this thought kept coming to me today.. so maybe one day it will be more clear why I thought that way today ... but just felt like sharing that...

And when I was by my grandfather's bedside and he was slipping away... I asked him if he could hear me and he all he could do was nod ... so he nodded... I told him not to be afraid ... because he was a gardener that he already know what life was all about ... "don't be afraid you are simply going back to where it all came from anyway... " and I kept holding his hand and slowly he just slipped away ... and at one point I knew he was gone...

I wonder what it is in life the makes me want to reflect on this --- maybe it is what leaves us behind that does this - I haven't figured any of it out yet... all I know is that he was an inspiration in my life and continues to be that.

Wondering .............

Saying Hello to People

I must say Friday was a rather special day to say the least. I usually walk down to Arizmendi in the morning and grab a muffin or just even to go for a walk... But as I walked down the hill Friday morning I was going to experience something very different. I was walking down the hill and this person walking up greeted me with a firm "Good Morning" greeting... hummmm I thought to myself ... that was nice of him to say that ... well I keep walking down the hill and not too far from the bottom this other woman with a huge smile looks at me squarely in the eyes and says "Good Morning" ... I don't know these people and yet they are all greeting me this morning... I am now turning to look in the park on the left to see if there is some kind of friendly gathering of some sort... but none to be seen... This is something I want to do more of in my life. So I decided to do the same on the rest of my walk to Arizmendi ...

Passing it on... while I was in Arzmendi there was a woman next to me waiting for her drink and she started talking with me (maybe she also attended the event in the park !) ... anyway she was pointing out to me the headband that one of the workers in Arzmendi was wearing and then I say to the worker - as she was pouring my latte ... You konw I just had the strangest experience... 2 complete strangers came up to me and said good morning ... and she said to me that it should just be like that and that we should not consider it strange...

So lately I have been greeting more people who I don't know when I walk past them... I wonder what they are thinking when I do!

Wow its November!!

Holy Cow where does the time go... we'll after I posted my post about "Have Filemaker - will travel" I got some interest from a philanthropist and we were going to connect over the phone but we haven't seemed to connect yet... So I should see about connecting with him again.

I am coming close to wrapping up Inspector a product for FileMaker Developers that will help them build better FileMaker solutions... Its been so much work - I can hardly believe it myself - but the final product will be amazing, and I am very proud of it.

One of the things I have also recently enjoyed very much is to hear from people who have benefited from my lynda.com training videos ... I asked them if they wanted me to do follow up titles but they seem to be content to sit in the creative space ... not sure why ... If some of the lynda.com fans feel so inclined ... you might want to send them an email in this regards or even an email to see if they might be interested in a FM 8 title... but at this point 8 is already out so who knows where that is heading ... One interesting connection I had was with a friend on someone I work with here. He came to see his friend and mentioned that he was learning about FileMaker on this web site called lynda..com and he was happy to meet me. It was great because I ended up finding out that he is a juggler and I got a juggling lesson. its fun! And also heard from another fan who has inspired me to post ...

So that proves my theory ... you need to put yourself out there ... the world does not come into your living room as I discovered once I gave up on watching TV and getting involved in the world and traveling ... it changed my live ... people change our lives ... which reminds me I need to plan some travel time for early next year.

One thing I would like to shar with you all is something I have been doing with some friends of mine. My friend has put together this web site where you log how many pushups you do every day... PushupCallenge Its great to see how people can be supportive and encouraging towards one another...

Hope you all have a wonderful day ... the rains have started here in bay area and it kind of like it ... good for sitting around a fireplace talking about life and other philosophical topics of the day ... have a great day ...

The smiles that make you wonder

I am sitting here in a café and watching teachers grade exams for their students… as I take a break from a very draining work effort… I notice that one of these teaches has a desktop picture of kids from a third world of some kind… of course I am assuming that this is the case … but it very much like one of those pictures where all the kids have nothing but hope and smiles on their faces… the kind of thing where you can’t even image where they get it from considering the conditions that they live in… and it puts you in a totally different world of appreciation of sorts. The appreciation of what it is that is important to us in our lives… And so I am transported for this moment as I looked at that picture to a place where hope and joy fills the lives of these young kids…

And at the same time I am thinking of the pain and suffering of all the souls right now – people who have lost everything and having to start all over again and those who are the casualties of war … and everything seems so amplified – the pain the suffering.

The other feeling that comes over me tonight is one like in the scene of “Jesus of Montreal” – I remember watching that movie for the first time a few months back … watching it unravel slowly and just kind of watching and – then all of a sudden the movie takes this amazing turn –which hit me like a bug smashed on a windshield … and the scene at the end of the movie where he connects with everyone and their suffering. We are all so connected I hope we can pull together as people of this world in peace.

Then you have this moment of joy in the eyes of young kids – and just their joy has translated to overcoming the pain in the world for this moment - for me tonight … and I am also connected to the power of putting yourself out there… stepping out and sharing these thoughts with the world.

So I stand in my apartment in Oakland overlooking the skyline of Oakland tonight and feeling entirely grateful for all that I have been given in my life and wanting nothing more than to help make a difference in the world and connect with more people in the same spirit.

So I thank those kids for their smiles… hope and joy is contagious – smile when you feel like it – you never know who will be touched by your smile.

Have FileMaker will travel

I have been thinking about putting together a website that lets people and organizations know that I am available to help them in any way I can - and with the skill set that I have. My interest is really threefold.

1) to get out there and help out
2) to meet new people - basically interact with more people.
3) to explore our world more

The first project I am seeing about getting some sponsorship with is this organization in South America - Medellín, Colombia called "Let the Children Live".

I would be willing to go down there and help Father Peter with his database needs - all I am looking for is a sponsor to help me with my travel and living expenses... I figure it might take about a month to help him with his needs.

I know this is informal but I am getting the ball going and hope to have some help with someone to help me coordinate - what places need my help and contacting sponsors, and all the logistics of it... I am a highly skilled FileMaker 7 certified developer.

If you would like to learn more about what Father Peter is doing you can find out more at this address.

letthechilidrenlive.org

Please contact me if you would like to help me if you would like to help

mailto: vince@fmnexus.com

Thanks

Vincenzo...

Hey Uncle Vinny

Hey there... I became an uncle last night ...

My sister gave birth to a new baby boy ... he is so adorable and cute ... wow!

I was watching my mother and how reflective and emotional she was as well... it was beautiful to see.

I am also thrilled for my brother-in-law and for my sister. That she has decided to take this initiation into life.

I am so happy for them and also happy to be an uncle. hummmm™

I have also been very interested in doing some cool things - tackling some goals and such. Found a cool web site that helps with this process - 43things.com and there is a sister site called 43places.com. What I find has been really helpful is to enlist a group of friends to support you in your goals...

One goal that my friend Brian has invited me to was to do 10,000 pushups in 100 days. For a while I had gotten started and it was going well but... then I "fell off the wagon" (so to speak)... but what I learned was very valueable so I am very glad for the process and glad to report that I am back on track to completing my goal...

Cool Beans !

Ciao for now - as I am off to start attracting other goals ... I love life :) enjoy your day...

Vincenzo

Inspired

Hello dear friends...

The change to summer has got me really thinking about what I want to do with my life - I mean what I really want to do with my life... I have some dear friends with whom I communicate with and who have been an endless source of inspiration ... and new and dear friends whom I have recently met who have also been a big source of support, love, guidance and caring for the things that really matter in ones life...

I was reading Steve Job's speech and realized that I have come to this conclusion over and over again ... and that is that we don't have enough real leaders in the world... and it is so rewarding to see that the real value of life is NOT in the achievement of lofty goals ... higher education, STATUS or some such things, but rather in the realization of who we really are ... and for most of us death can lead us to that understanding quickly ... as Jobs put it.

"No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent."

I guess one of the most moving things about his speech is that he did not emphasize the achievement of getting somewhere but he emphasized the importance of Intuition and following your heart. He went on to say...

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."...

I wish I could have been in that room when this speech happened... it must have been amazing... I also have met some people in my life that have been very affected by people who really believed in what they were doing ... I met Lynne Twist last year - she felt to me - very authentic and sincere ... and all the work she has done and continues to do... She told the group I was with that she was deeply affected by a speech she heard Buckminster Fuller give once and it changed her life... I was talking with a friend not too long ago and this I feel is what we are missing in a sense... real leaders in this world ... and who knows maybe we are coming into that era of some of these people really becoming leaders that inspire. Interesting how when one who can be heard by so many people, when they say something ... all the attention goes to the object of what they are saying ... but really the beauty of it all is that it should be directed towards our inner growth and unravelling of what we really are ...

I feel like my life has led me to believe in the BELIEVE aspects of life - you know the things (and this part is hard for me to describe .. my words fall short of the expression inside... and as I like to say ...

"All deep understanding, knowledge, and awareness ... leads to silence"

So pardon me if I may fall silent at this point )... or as my friend Raam once said ...

"The seeking of highs leads to the knowing of real"...

But that we are so often moved by people who inspire but yet we fall short of being or living that inspiration ourselves..

I invite you today to challenge yourself to find that which inspires you and close your eyes for a moment... take a verrrrrrrryyyyyyyyy long deep breath... and touch that which truly inspires yoU.

I feel that is what I am on a quest for in my life ... to share deep meaning, lasting value, awareness and growth in our lives. And of course to make a difference in this world.... To allow us to flourish, grow and know what it is that we are meant to do in this world that legacy thing!!!.

I thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this and maybe you'll feel inspired - as well to make meaningful changes...

Breathing deeply and just being ME ... and what possibilities might come from this fertile ground. And being grateful for this life and opportunity to realize more of what our true potential might be...

Bowing in honor of life - Vincenzo

Blogging Party

Well I haven't blogged in such a long long time... wow... I was invited to this party where people are over and they are blogging and just talking and haning out.

Yes I like California... great people, great food, good times... and so mujch more

UC Berkeley had an open house today and I say a car that did something like 1200 miles to one gallon... not very comfortable to ride - but heck it sure would save a great deal of moeny in gas ... especially at these prices these days $ 3.00 per gallon. Wow - but hey in Europe people paid prices like this for the longest time.

Wow that car could take me back to visit my folks in Montreal for under 20 $... hummm