Rubbing elbows, connecting hearts w/ Jim Carrey, Eckhart Tolle & More :)

On Feb 4, 2012 at the Saban Theater in Beverly Hills, I got to rub elbows and more importantly connect heart-to-heart with beautiful folks passionate about having movies, music, media & more carry messages of positivity & transformation!



Founded by John Raatz & honorary founders Eckhart Tolle & Jim Carrey, the Global Alliance for Transformational Entertainment http://gatecommunity.org launched their 2nd public event that day. It started with a daytime event focused on story-telling - how to tell compelling stories of transformation that are just as entertaining as they are inspirational. The evening event featured a long-list of best-selling spiritual authors to actors & more Hollywood folks & creative artists from all disciplines! You can see here: http://gatecommunity.org/gate2



I was honored to be a fly-girl for the beautiful artist, Ash Ruiz, who wrote the theme song for the event "Only a New Seed Will Yield a New Crop" with Gardner Cole (co-writer of Madonna's "Open Your Heart" & my song "Write the Story") We were joined by my rockin' artist friend Ali Handal on Guitar & sound healer Christo Pellani on percussion & the bright shiny Terra Bundance on vocals.



Below are some highlights from that evening. If GATE speaks to your heart, please consider joining our movement of transformational change! http://gatecommunity.org



ECKHART & HIS CUTE SMILE

Right before the show started, I ran into the VIP room (with lotsa healthy yummies to eat) to use the bathroom one more time. In the tight hallway by the bathroom, I saw John Raatz (the amazing visionary behind GATE) & we both gave each other a loving but quick hello as I was rushing not to be late & he was busy escorting Eckhart. As I was going to close the door, Eckhart walked by, popped his head in for a second & gave me the sweetest joy-filled smile I'd ever seen. I closed the door laughing thinking this was my first perfect interaction with Eckhart :) His book Power of Now has meant so much to me as those of you know who have heard my song entitled just that. Somehow he is soooo present that a simple smile has such a powerful impact. It was the sweetness that tickled my heart – thank you Eckhart!


ANNIE LENNOX – CALLING OUT ALL THE FEMINISTS

Though we artists dreamed of singing the big finale “Imagine” with the awe-inspiring Annie Lennox, we had to settle for her personal message on video – but that was still very cool to hear her passion for GATE. She called out to all the women & said we needed to reclaim the word “Feminist” and not shy away from it. I know I am one of those women that shy away from any word that incites separation, but I believe she was speaking from her heart about other women standing up with purpose to support our fellow women around the world who are being persecuted, mistreated & devalued. I’m definitely a supporter of all that & more!



JIM IMPERSONATES ECKHART, ECKHART IMPERSONATES JIM

I have never ever been to an event that was so packed with talent, insight & passion for positive change especially Hollywood – not to mention how long the event actually took. It wasn’t till past midnight that Jim Carrey hit the stage. The funny thing is he came out as they introduced Eckhart Tolle. Jim glided to Eckhart’s chair & took his seat ready to dispense insight at the microphone.



Just then, Eckhart Tolle enters the stage & does a goofy “Jim Carrey-esque” gesture as he comes to reclaim his seat & get Jim Carrey off the stage. Eckhart gets started & says that Jim had been teaching him many different faces, faces of ego as he started to make funny faces at us. It was 1am & so we were all delirious & the fun just escalated from there. Unlike Eckhart’s videos where he is just so zen, still & somewhat serious, this evening Eckhart joked often…like this being his first time doing a gig at 1am or after a dog in the audience let out a weird shrill, he said “Oh a midnight vampire….(we all laugh…and then he continues) that’s okay – they need to hear this too”

THE VIOLIN THAT MADE ME CRY

The tiny power-house, transformational music artist Lili Hayden brought the house down & broke open hearts as she did mine that evening. Following the rockin’ rich sound of Eric Lumiere, Lili started with a very vulnerable vocal intro & then let her violin talk, wail, & more. Her body undulated, her passion oozed from her instrument, the rock band followed every rise & fall, and she quickened more & more & more & more till your heart couldn’t take it any more…I swear it was a musical orgasm & Lili left it all there on the stage. Surprising to me, tears began to fall at the sheer passion, fire & love that her music set into the ethers & into our hearts! Just awesome :) She is sweet too – she sat in a row in front of me & she turned around to mime to me how much she enjoyed my singing & I mimed back to her that she broke my heart open!



I COULD’VE GOOSED JIM CARREY

Jim gets us all cracking up as he acknowledges these unappreciated flowers on the stage. He goes on to plant his face into the flower pot for 5-10min as he continues his talk. Amongst the laughs, he shares a really important point to all the creative folk…make sure our transformational works of art are entertaining & fun & something people just want to watch because it feels good. Great point!

After he spoke, we were in the wings backstage waiting to go out to do “Imagine” as the big finale. I remember being so excited as I saw him go to his seat in the audience earlier & now there he was standing right next to me, well his back to me chatting with John & other stage crew. I thought I should really say “hi” & how much I love his work, but of course the polite Asian in me said don’t bother the man. So instead I spend the rest of the time thinking – oh his butt is right there, I could goose him! Don’t ask me why, but that’s where my silly mind went…I promise it was an innocent thing or more like the prankster in me coming out. The good news, I did NOT goose Jim Carrey! The better news, next time I will say “hi” face to face :)



ALL THE PEEPS

We were well into the program when they announced that there was still a crowd of folks circling the block wanting to come in! So awesome – music artists, filmmakers, writers, visual artists, poets, authors, producers, teachers, watchers/consumers/fans of transformational entertainment, & so many more bright empowered folks were in attendance like their staff led by David Langer & all these other beautiful ones I got to hug & connect/reconnect with…the irreverently loving & lovable Dannion Brinkley, the ever-joy-filled visionary Barbara Marx Hubbard (I told her “Barbara you’re getting younger & younger” and she said “Yes Faith I’m going backwards :) ”),Carla Johnston - a dear friend/producer of upcoming transformational film "The Truth," Kathy Ryan – a sweet fan & incredible yoga teacher now using my music in her DVD, the oh so warm yet cool Wade & Baba from Funkamentalz, the radiant reporter Leela Vox and my new hommie from my hood new thought artist Kelly Corsino & her sweetie John Rozenburg, of course my Ali (Handal) & her hubby Andrew Goldenhersch with those magic fingers that entertained all as they entered!
MARIANNE WILLIAMSON TELLS IT LIKE IT IS…

I got in a quick squeeze with Marianne during the first break. She invited me to one of her Monday night sharings & I got to tell her about baby Kai. It was a brief reconnection, but still so nice. It’s sad but I can’t remember the last conference or event we did together – it’s been too long. Anyway, she was on fire that night! She honored & celebrated GATE and all the folks who showed up and then called Hollywood on its stuff….the violence, the disturbing images that we send out into the world especially the Middle East that seem to step upon their very cultural beliefs. For a second, it felt like a really rally speech & a call-to-arms as she got everybody up on their feet. Marianne reminded us the road would not be easy (though I personally think we can always alter things by setting our intention & even more showing up in the flow of grace & ease), to hold the course, stand strong & see our mission through!



SHARING THE NIGHT WITH MY BOYS



This was the first night we left Baby Kai with our nannies, so I shared the night with my other boys…that’s my darling husband Nolan and my best music buddies, Harold Payne & Gerald White. This event meant so much to my heart as does GATE & its whole mission, so it really warmed my heart to have dear friends there to share this evening of amazing inspiration & just holding hands with my hubby as we watched it all unfold was just the best!



GATE was kind in gifting me some seats as typical me, who is excited about stuff like this, started promoting the event & organization to everyone I could. Anyway, it was the neatest to see all the chairs with names of Eckhart, Jim Carrey, Jean Houston, Marianne Williamson, Edward James Olmos, Gary Zukav, etc. Then my name AND Gerald & Harold’s name…poor Nolan was a “guest” Harold leaned over early in the evening & said “Hey, I think we’re sitting in front of Don Miguel Ruiz (a very loving man & teacher to so many)” They moved him closer to the front row shortly after that.


MY PRINCE MOMENT, ONE OF MY FAV MOMENTS

So I honestly do not listen to a lot of music (shhh don’t tell anyone). However, I do LOVE LOVE LOVE Prince! No he wasn’t at the event but he inspired one of the fav moments of that night. On our first rehearsal, Ash brought a track of Ali’s rockin’ guitar part. There was a funky breakdown section & organically we just both started doing a “huh” grunt & move every four beats (like how Prince would). Then we’d say two times “huh, huh”. Then three times “huh, huh, huh” and so on. How excited I was when Ash actually included as part of our performance. Look at the pics below & you can see my joy! What a highlight to work, play, co-create & serve with Ash who is all about just opening his heart & being in his joy onstage – it was such an organic, pure, real, fun performance & sharing from our hearts to the audience!

LOUIE ANDERSON

Louie was really a highlight of the evening - totally funny, not trying too hard, just real & loving :) The best was watching him backstage sitting in his director's chair laughing his butt off during Jim Carrey's sharing! Sweet sweet man & funnier than I've ever heard him!



Thanks to all the sweet photographers/friends who captured the magic of the evening: Kelly Corsino, Nolan Hee, Terra Bundance, H20 Water with Intention, & Ali Handal

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Faith-s-eNews--Baby-Kai--6-19-Denver---5-Deal--New-Album--U-CAN-Sight-Sing.html?soid=1101457427717&aid=NHyJIVUG3Ak

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Faith-s-eNews--Baby-Kai--6-19-Denver---5-Deal--New-Album--U-CAN-Sight-Sing.html?soid=1101457427717&aid=NHyJIVUG3Ak

My latest Video eNews

Check out the latest news from seeing my baby bump, hearing a baby song, talking on Egypt & the role of women, 3/5 Aloha Goddess Luncheon, Hawaii 5-0 connection, 3/12 New Thought Music Festival & more! click here to read more

Feb eNews - New Thought Music Fest, Aloha Goddess Luncheon & More

Here's link to my Feb eNews :) Enjoy!

Happy Valentines from My Heart to Yours

Happy Valentines from My Heart to Yours

Aloha!

Here's a link to my Sept Video eNews:
http://app.talkfusion.com/fusion2/view.asp?NTk0MjY0_3706246

My sharing includes: an Oprah update, my new book/cd + my upcoming Aloha Goddess Retreat

Enjoy - it's the first of more video sharings to come!

Hugs & love,

Faith

How I Became a Veggie Head & Raw-at-heart

So how does a meat-eating local girl from the islands becoming a veggie head & raw-at-heart? Well this is my brief story mostly to share tips with those of you interested in exploring new territory in your eating adventures. Again I’m just a newbie but since you asked here I go – the first part is my backstory into becoming a vegetarian & then exploring raw living foods, and the second part (which you can so just jump too) is practical tips/ideas/references.


thnx to TopMomBlog.com for this pic of my fav raw dish ever from www.Aulac.com

So I’ve always loved animals!
As a kid, I had a dog named Prince, 10 guinea pigs named Stardust, Moonglow, Comet & more plus a nameless mynah bird, and yet there was always this disconnect that the food I ate used to be living, breathing critters once. On a trip to Philippines I even got to witness my Gramps & other relatives slay our dinner – a piggy & a goat crying on the side knowing he was next. I had to carry the pig’s head in a big silver bowl to my Grandma. Can you believe by the time it was cooked & served all pretty on the dining room table, I conveniently forgot all about the slaying part & dug into the delicious pork adobo dish?! [disclaimer: this is so about my own personal experience, not a judgment on meat-eaters or veggie heads]

As I’ve grow in my own spiritual practice & my knowing in the oneness of all life, I’ve always wanted to be vegetarian but knew I would not undertake that switch until it could be done with grace, peace & all that good stuff. What’s the point of becoming a vegetarian or making any big change if it’s done with negativity, judgment, stifling rigidity & all that not so fun stuff? So I patiently waited for that perfect moment to present itself & it did in Jan 2009.

Somehow I started the year not eating any meat, not as a conscious decision or anything, it just happened that way. I love the mystery/synchronicity of the internet – it’s certainly been a big part of some of the most life-changing connections I’ve had in my life (that’ll be another story). Anyway, on a website or email somewhere I read about something called The World Peace Diet by Will Tuttle http://worldpeacediet.org. The title intrigued me deeply while my more shallow sarcastic side said “C’mon a world peace diet? What a cheesy concept? Puhleeeeze!” The lil’ kid in me always open to possibility won out the skeptic & I downloaded the eBook & began reading it. Did you know all these folks were vegetarian: Pythagoras, Leonardo Da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi (hey where are all the ladies)? Also one of the lines I liked from the World Peace Diet “It’s funny how we want transformation without having to change.”

It’s been a while now since I read it but I do remember feeling pummeled by loads of information as the book continued. Sometimes I felt angst maybe even anger coming from the author why we NEED to be vegetarian. However within this heavy-handed commentary on the seeming wrongs of being a meat-eater, some insights that I resonated with began to emerge. Ideas like…

• the disconnect between living breathing animals we see & appreciate out there, and the chicken mcnugget on our plate that we take in here (I’m pointing at my belly)
• the way we unconsciously move through this beautiful act we call eating/feeding our body necessary nutrients & “fuel” to do all that we do in life (we eat on the run, don’t make time to acknowledge/appreciate the food, etc.)
• the environmental, spiritual, physical, even emotional impact of eating animals

It also reminded me of a related aha moment that happened at a HUB event in late 2008 One of the speakers/HUB member Michael Beckwith said we do not love in general, we love in specific – meaning if I say I am loving or I am peaceful, then this should be reflected in all areas of my life, including my dinner plate. I finally realized my own personal disconnect. I had written songs on peace, a whole album about my passion for living everyday peace & sharing this message - knowing this is truly the only way our planet will experience true peace, one person at a time. And yet here I was eating everyday, unconscious of or maybe in denial of what it takes to get some yummy sushi or my island fav, kalbi (Korean short ribs) on my plate. It’s not to say that there are not more conscious/sacred ways that cultures have approached getting their meat, but let’s face it – most if not all the of the meat we consume come to us from factories/companies whose main focus is not on health & wholeness for consumers or the animals. If that were the case, I might have to re-consider this whole vegetarian thing. Honestly it is not set in stone for me. This might sound silly, but I have even questioned eating plants or any living thing. So that would leave me with air & I think there actually are breatharians(?) – let’s not go there :)

Let’s just say I felt compelled to bring my eating into alignment with my core values. So that’s how I became vegetarian & I did it cold turkey - except for one slip up in January when I was starving after a Sunday church gig & ate some pasta at a farmer’s market & didn’t know there was meat in it. Thank God for my hubbby, Nolan, who said, “Don’t freak out honey. You didn’t know.” So that’s been my mantra around being vegetarian: not to freak out, not to have it be some rigid thing in my mind and yet another thing to judge myself by. With this more graceful approach, I’ve never gone back to meat.

By Feb 2009, I don’t remember what exactly brought me to eating raw foods (probably an article/ website online), but Nolan & I signed up to receive a week’s worth of raw vegan foods from www.Rawvolution.com to give it a shot. We committed to doing it for two weeks, so this meant no meats of any kind, no dairy or eggs, and all uncooked, unprocessed & organic veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, etc. I continued into a 3^rd week at about 90% raw. This experience surely helped me to commit to a vegetarian lifestyle. It was challenging given that even salads were not a common part of our diet. I must say it was a joyfest for my tastebuds – so much that it was sometimes overload for me because of all the different flavors I had never experienced before & the intensity of those flavors. In that short time we experienced superhero nail strength, energy boost & I noticed my hands were not shaky as they always had been. In fact I didn’t really know my hands were shaky until I recognized how stable they were after going raw. Plus of course about 5-6lbs of weightloss.

For Lent this year (2010), inspired by Nolan, we committed to 46 days of raw vegan living foods. During that time we found soooo many more awesome raw food choices, restaurants, snacks & so on. Some folks may love the bold, hard-core nature of the Rawvolution menu, but for us to make it through what we thought was going to be a long-ass time, we sought out all the yummiest raw foods we could find which is what led to my list of favs below. I’ll also include references to other websites & folks that have a way deeper understanding of raw food & that can answer all your questions.

We did not experience the same superhero nail strength like before, but here were other experiences we had:

• feeling lighter (in all ways)
• more connected with life & nature
• great weight-loss (Nolan 15lbs, me 12lbs)
• more energy for me
• my complexion was more smooth & clear (I’ve had acne since I was a kid)
• our skin felt baby smooth all over (even like our heels & elbows)
• less energy & more sleepy for Nolan at times
• de-tox at the ending for Nolan
• certainly more awareness/appreciation for food, eating & our bodies
• time slowed down, felt more flowy & relaxed

So on Easter we completed our 46 day raw adventure & the funny thing is the hardest part for me was that final day, dreading my old life or old mental battles around food thinking should I eat that? I could, but do I? & blah blah blah. Driven by my old-school mentality of “let’s party” & “celebrate” because we did accomplish 46 days raw, I had a not so good pasta dish, then a soy chai latte at the airport in Calgary & ended with a veggie Papa John’s pizza at night in Long Beach. My body rebelled & I was down for two days with a froggy voice, congestion & the yuckies.

The bottom line for me is: what I think, how I feel & what I believe around my food choices is as important as the actual food choices.

I remain a veggie-head & raw-at-heart with about an 80% raw diet. The sweetest thing is my mind is in agreement & above all, I’ve committed to having peace, grace & even fun be a part of my experience around food. This keeps the tummy & the soul happy!

Peaceful eating to you…make time to enjoy, celebrate & appreciate the foods that fuel our vibrant lives :)

FAV RAW FOODS /DRINKS

Ablsolute FAV Raw Restaurant: AULAC. We love Fried Chicks, Curried Rice, Da bowl, Humanese soup (ask for it to be blended), & Blueberry smoothie http://www.aulac.com Fountain Valley, CA) (

Easy & Yummy BREAKFAST DRINK to start each morning: Juice organic oranges, blend with ice, banana, & a handful spinach (Thanks to Siena from www.makenamusic.com – she has a raw cookbook coming out soon w/ amazing recipes!)

Simple extras to make SALADS Super: Organic Broccoli/Carrot slaw from Trader Joe’s, Pine nuts & Avocado (I bring these two on the road with me to dress up salads)

Chocolate Shake & Cheesecake from http://www.planetraw.com (Santa Monica, CA)

Coconut water – fresh & cut open at Whole Foods

Kale shake & raw tacos at http://www.sunpowernatural.com (near Universal Studios in southern CA)

Siena’s homemade fudge – contact her for this & more recipes/advice at www.makenamusic.com

Raw chocolate coconut fudge www.awesomefoods.com (2^nd to Siena’s homemade fudge)

Cheesecakes from http://earthcafetogo.com/onlinestore (boxed - sold at Whole Foods & other stores that carry raw food or order online)

Pizza, Burger, Tuna w/ salad from http://www.goodtogorestaurants.com (Huntington Beach, CA)

Bliss Mix http://www.royalhimalayan.com/berriesnuts.htm (order online or make your own mix)

Raw chocolate covered nuts & raisins from Gone Nuts at Whole Foods or order online

http://livesuperfoods.com/snacks/LIV006.html?Screen=USL&Code=LIV006

Best “sandwich” & chips http://www.greeneryrawcafe.com (San Diego, CA)

Raw Tokyo Salad at http://www.mothersmarket.com (in southern California)

Chips, salsa & guacamole & more http://www.gorawcafe.com (Las Vegas, NV)

Ginger Snaps from http://www.goraw.com also sold at Whole Foods

Cheesy Kale Chips http://www.blessingsaliveandradiantfoods.com/kaleinkrunch.html also sold at Mother’s Market (www.mothersmarket.com)

MORE RESOURCES

if you google “raw” you’ll find many sites, these are just some personal folks/friends I’ve met along the way

http://zenhabits.net/2007/08/how-to-become-a-vegetarian-the-easy-way/

http://www.pamsterling.com – receive a free info packet about becoming raw when you sign-up for her enews & watch her youtube videos for making quick raw meals

Contact Siena Lee at www.makenamusic.com so she can let you know when her recipe book is done or listen in to her ongoing GirlMeetsGirl podcast with Toast Tajiri

http://www.meetup.com – search for vegetarian or raw groups in your area

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/rawinspirations - Laura Fox, Raw Food radio show

http://www.thetravelingvegetarian.tv/category/blog – blog from music artist/vegan & a new friend from Nashville

http://www.vegetarianhealthinstitute.com