O'Blog

Little slideshow of a little Rishi

noreply@blogger.com (rishio) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 01:56:00 +0000

In My Element - Taking a Shower

noreply@blogger.com (rishio) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:21:00 +0000

"One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things."

- Henry Miller

In case you missed the last part of the "In My Element" series, you can find it here:

In My Element - The Bed Platform

One of the most commonly asked question I get is:

"So where do you shower?"

In my quest for simplicity, the answer is that it turns out we don't need to shower so I just don't!

just kidding...

I usually park my car and sleep at my local YMCA. It's pretty nice actually because in the morning, I get up, walk over to the gym, take a shower and head to work. The YMCA I go to has really nice facilities. It's very well maintained, the shower is hot and full pressured (and full pressured showers are pretty important to me), and the best part about it all is that I don't have to maintain a thing. The other benefits of staying near the gym is that they offer a variety of programs - my favorite being the yoga classes - and on my way to shower I often stop and take a sweat trenched yoga course, or maybe a calm and peaceful meditation before I head off. My gym also has a really nice swimming pool with a glass roof that they open up in the summer and close down in the winter. If I'm in the mood I'll jump in the pool and the relax in the jacouzi for 10 minutes before I brush my teeth, shower and head off to work. Getting up and getting ready is actually something I look forward to these days - it's almost luxurious while at the same time being really healthy. I no longer have to get out of bed and try to convince myself to get the energy to pack my gym bag and drive off to the Y. My clothes are with me and yoga class is right on the way to the shower. The great thing about YMCA is that if you sign up for one, you get nationwide access to any YMCA. I've stayed at a few different YMCA's in my area and have camped out in various other YMCA's in other parts of California without any problems.

Another counter-intuitive benefit of staying near the gym is that I spend less on gas. You'd think that a person would have to spend more money on gas by living in their car. It's true that I actually do spend a good amount of money on gas because I enjoy traveling in my Element. In everyday living however, my office is close to the gym and the gym is just a few feet away. I don't have to spend much money on gas if I don't want to.

I don't always stay at YMCA. Living in a car gives me many options on where I can stay. Once in a while I'll camp by the ocean or at other times I'll be near city life. That said, there is a certain comfort in being able to go to a familiar place to sleep each night.

Being away from home always feels like home if there is a YMCA nearby.

Nobody knows. Nobody cares. Nobody plays but me.

noreply@blogger.com (rishio) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 23:22:00 +0000

In My Element - The Bed Platform

noreply@blogger.com (rishio) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 06:09:00 +0000

And so the adventure continues...

In case you missed the last part of the "In My Element" series, you can find it here:

In My Element - Introduction

Many people might imagine sleeping in an Element to be an uncomfortable experience. Some go as far to tell me I'll stop sleeping in my car as soon as my back gives in. This is simply ignorance. It's not what you sleep in that makes a difference - it's what you sleep on.

With that said, I'd like to make my case with the bed platform I designed for my Element which supports one of the most comfortable mattress I've ever slept on.

The first thing to know is that the bed platform had to be designed with organization in mind. Every square inch of space in the Element was not to be wasted since I was living in it so I had to maximize two opposing forces - bed area and storage space at the same time. More than that, I wanted the set-up of my bed to be minimal so I don't have to take time shuffling things around every time I wake up or go to sleep. Lastly, I wanted quick and easy access to all my stuff whether I was inside or outside of the car. I wanted all this done without making any complicated or un-reversible modifications with my vehicle.

The second thing to know is that the element is a configurable vehicle. There are 64 ways you can configure the rear seats - you can even remove them. One cool way to configure the rear seats is to fold them flat as shown below (picture from Honda's website).

As cool as it looked, it didn't serve my purpose because it wasn't the ultimate in comfort, required shuffling things around a lot, and didn't leave much in terms of storage space.

What I opted for instead was to remove the rear seats completely and design a custom platform for it.

My idea was to build a 4 by 4 foot flat platform that meet the front seats when folded fully back to provide a long, wide and flat sleeping area. Having never built anything with wood before - I searched around the net and found one guy in the Honda Element forums (theetimetravelers) who did something close to what I wanted and provided enough photos of his project to help me get started with mine..

I built the platform with basic Home Depot material including 5 steel legs about 10" tall, 47x45" plywood board with lumbar wood to add extra support, and 4 turnbuckles to lock the platform to the floor. Cost me about $100 in material:

On top of the plywood board I put the same kind of material you put under a carpet. The reason is simply to prevent the plywood from tearing the mattress I put on top of it.

Under the platform are two 42" long, 6" high, plastic drawers that can be pulled out either rearward from the trunk area or forward at the front of the platform to provide easy to access storage space whether I'm inside or outside of the car.

Here's the rear view:

Here's the front view (behind the front seats). The 1/4" piece of wood serves a purpose. It evens out the floor, provides extra weight distribution from the front legs, and acts as a stop to prevent the trays from sliding forward during hard braking.

Notice the attention to detail. I shaped the platform to nicely fit the shape of the element. The precise fitting with the natural curves of the Element adds an extra functional benefit of locking the platform in place without any additional hardware.

Lastly, the width of the narrowest part of the trunk space is 47" wide. I found a perfect, 3" thick, foam mattress that got excellent reviews and was 48" wide which allowed it to "fit like a glove." It's really firm and comfortable - good for the back. At 48" wide, it's wider than a twin but narrower than a full - enough to sleep two people side by side in many cases. Read about it here if you'd like:

Cabela's Deluxe Camp Bed

Here it is in my Element.

The tray slides forward or back. Here's the back sliding view. Sorry but I forgot to include a picture of it sliding forward..

With the platform installed, I have plenty of space behind the front seat to store more things! That's my new temporary storage, or trunk area!

Did you notice how the front end of the mattress was folded over on top of itself? I had to cut the foam inside a couple inches of length to make it foldable. Why the heck did I do that? Well consider that the length of the platform is 45" long which is a bit less than 4 feet - and I'm taller than that. As shown in an earlier photo, the front seats fold all the way back so I can rest the part of my body below my knees on them.. That was my original idea but it didn't satisfy me - I wanted supreme comfort for all parts of my body! Are you getting it??!

So with the front seats folded all the way back and the foam mattress flipped forward, here's what I get!

My head goes to the rear where there is a beautiful, large moonroof above me. How many of you have a glass ceiling in your room to see the stars!

The front end of the mattress rests perfectly on front seats. The very last bit of the foam mattress is amazingly held up by the headrest which is held into place because the two metal prongs stick right into the middle of the front seat. It's as if this car was designed with this in mind.

With bottom half of the rear closed. Notice how the mattress is flush with the bottom rear closed so when I'm laying down on it with the top half open, I get an unobstructed view of the ocean with it's fresh air rushing into me. I just have to figure out how to open the rear without getting out of the car..

The bottom half of the rear open. Easy rear access to my stuff.

Here is how it looks folded from the front.. That's me in the shadow :)

I'd appreciate if you left a comment in this blog so I have an idea if people are actually interested in knowing about this... Otherwise I'm just writing to thin air!

Fly Away..

noreply@blogger.com (rishio) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 20:34:00 +0000

Website Update

noreply@blogger.com (rishio) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 11:44:00 +0000

4:52 AM
Just updated the "About" page on my website...

Check It Out

Jana and Yury get married!

noreply@blogger.com (rishio) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 03:34:00 +0000

Sandlewood Hair

noreply@blogger.com (rishio) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 21:33:00 +0000

In the moment

noreply@blogger.com (rishio) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 21:21:00 +0000

Where the river flows

noreply@blogger.com (rishio) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:54:00 +0000

I personally prefer showers

noreply@blogger.com (rishio) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 17:04:00 +0000

True friendship is deeper than words

noreply@blogger.com (rishio) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 17:40:00 +0000

In My Element - Introduction

noreply@blogger.com (rishio) — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 16:02:00 +0000

“Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.”

- Miriam Beard

It's been brewing in my head for a couple years now. A journey that was to begin after completion of my 6 month travel in India - phasing me from one adventure to another.

This next journey, however, wasn't to be so far away...

In the beginning of May 2008, I bought a new car. I don't like to call it a car because it's not just a car. It's more like a room on wheels!

Yes - I'm living in my new, kiwi green, Honda Element - Crazy Pants!

So far I've been living in this fashion since the 13th of May and I plan to continue this experiment and journey for about a year. There is a lot to talk about in how and why I'm doing this - something I hope to elaborate on bit by bit in my blog. I'll start by saying this:

This was done by choice, not necessity, and I'm enjoying it so far. My goal was NOT to become a poor hermit abandoning society, work, friends or family to live the rest of my days in a primitive and isolated way. In-fact, it's quite the opposite. It represents a lot of research into how I can live a comfortable, un-intrusive, socially connected, healthy, pro-active, and balanced lifestyle with rich experiences in travel and work within my current means.

So far I feel like a rat let out of it's cage! I've never been this free to experiment and pursue my ideas of living without dependencies that hinder my journey or unnecessary materialistic cruft that serve only to complicate my life and hold me back from the true experience of everyday living to my fullest potential. It's a true education!

I ask you to throw away all your pre-conceived notion of car-living as I share my journey with you bit-by-bit.

It's time to light my candle

noreply@blogger.com (rishio) — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

New Slideshows Posted

noreply@blogger.com (rishio) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 17:47:00 +0000

Sometimes a little love is bigger than a lot

noreply@blogger.com (rishio) — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 11:08:00 +0000

Sivananda

noreply@blogger.com (rishio) — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 04:42:00 +0000

I was getting ready to leave Chennai and decided to have one last lunch at the place I normally go. While eating lunch there was an australian wandering around looking for a seat and I called him over to let him know that he can share my table if he'd like.

We struck a conversation and he was telling me about this clothing material he makes in India for his business and how it is based on biodynamic farming founded by Rudolph Steiner (google it if you are interested...)

Anyhow, I'd been working quite hard in India for more than a month on a few projects I needed to catch up in. I was burnt out, unshaven, sick with long hair. I asked him if he knew any nice yoga ashrams. I've been looking for a nice place to do yoga and meditation for the last part of my India trip with no luck. A person on the next table tapped on my shoulder and told me that I need to go to Sivananda (www.sivananda.org). I listened with a skeptical look in my eye..

"Is it any good?" I've found many places in India where either the yoga was meditation or it was taught by people who really didn't know yoga. He gave me a firm look and told me he's been doing yoga for 35 years and I won't be disappointed. I felt humbled by the firm, confident look in his eyes.

So instead of leaving to Pondicherry, I decided to head over to the Sivananda center in Chennai. The ricksha driver took me through the crowded streets of chennai and veered a left. The breeze felt cooler and cleaner as we headed towards the ocean. The crowded and dirty streets of Chennai seemed less crowded and less dirty. I had a good feeling...

I arrived at the center and paid for a room to stay in for a few days. The payment included all food with meditation, yoga programs, chanting all in the package. The funny thing is that the center was really small and there is only 1 room! So I was the only guest...

I was hungry when I got it and asked about food. They told me they were headed to a wedding and asked me to come along. I hopped into their jeep and went to a fancy hotel where I had fancy food and had my picture shot with a bride and groom I didn't know.. And that was my first experience of yoga at Sivananda!

Anyhow, after we headed back I had them drop me to a salon for a haircut. I looked horrible - unshaven, weak, and very tired. I'd been sleeping around 3am everyday and eating very little. I felt more tired and weak than I have ever felt before. The barber took me in and cut my hair and he looked at me shaking his head.. He told me I needed some sort of oil thing on my face and relaxation. I didn't quite understand and was too tired to argue so I said okay. Next thing I know he takes me in an isolated room and examines my face under some sort of large microscope. He tells me that my skin is healthy but he knew I was using the computer too much and could see the darkness under my eyes and bla bla bla.. He then gave me a choice of different treatments such as some weird fruit mix thing to put on my face. I felt all weird and declined. He somehow managed to convince me to stay and lay down and told me to trust him. So I laid down on the table and closed my eyes.. He told me to relax and for the next 45 minutes he did all sorts of things to my face.. He put layers and layers of things and some fancy movements with his fingers that felt nice on my face. I have no idea what it was.. I grew tense at some points and he told me I need to relax and not think and soon I found myself drifting away. The last thing I remember was that he put something cool on top of my eyes and left the room.. He came back later and did more things and told me to open my eyes.. WOW.. that felt good. He showed me to a mirror and i kind of jumped back because I looked and felt all fresh.

I paid my bill, thanked him, and went off on my way.

I came back to the center and took part of a group chant. Every teacher took turns singing a spiritual song in which we all participated. My upper body swayed back and forth as I could feel the vibrations running through my body. After that I had a nice dinner that was cooked by the cook at the center. It was simple and healthy - felt like homemade food.

After my first healthy dinner in Chennai, I chatted with the teachers and they told me that I should head over to the large Ashram in Kerala if I want to stay for a long period of time.

I tried out yoga and meditation the next morning from 5 - 8:30am. I was blown away, it all felt just right. Convinced that I wanted to spend my last couple of months in India doing yoga and meditation I've now booked my train ticket to Kerala to join the ashram by the sea. I'll be heading there an the 30th and will stay there for 41 days. There is a saying that it takes 41 days to develop a healthy habit. It's funny because I think it takes just a couple days to develop an unhealthy habit..

Anyhow - the point of all this is that I'm shutting off all my technology heading off. If you don't hear from me or see updates on my site for a while - that means I'm doing just fine...

Ice cream by the sea

noreply@blogger.com (rishio) — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 12:36:00 +0000

Gandhi playing with the kids

noreply@blogger.com (rishio) — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 10:48:00 +0000

Pondicherry Petals

noreply@blogger.com (rishio) — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 05:13:00 +0000

"Everybody Stand Up"

noreply@blogger.com (rishio) — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 07:35:00 +0000

Lively concert in Pondicherry by Susheela Raman

Lady in Red

noreply@blogger.com (rishio) — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 10:10:00 +0000

Madras Alleys Slideshow

noreply@blogger.com (rishio) — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 10:52:00 +0000

A person named Zane wrote to me: "I liked the images, but I have to question the music. What was your thoughts on why that music was appropriate?"

Hey Zane,

To be honest, I would have preferred a song in Tamil since that is the language they speak - but I didn't have one that fit and wanted to get the slideshow and my website redesign up and running before the 1st of January.

This song was the closest that I had which represented what I felt walking in the Alley photographing the people there. It was as though the bubble I've been living in was bursting and there was no comfort zone available for me to hide into. An interesting observation was the independence of happiness and financial wealth - these people actually seemed pretty happy even though they were very poor and living in a dirty environment.

Makes me wonder who the rich really are if richness was measured in terms of happiness.

Rishi O'

What were you saying about your bed?

noreply@blogger.com (rishio) — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 08:15:00 +0000

Story Movements Slideshow

noreply@blogger.com (rishio) — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 13:35:00 +0000

Turn up your speakers to get the full music / slideshow experience..