Another Level Unlocked.

I don't know what it is, but I've making some happy personal progress in my calisthenics classes.  Something's clicking!

My handstands, albeit still not 30 seconds long or anything like that, are more consistent and increasing in hang time (or should I say stand time?).

Best of all, today I was able to pull myself up from a dead hang!  This is something that I've always wanted to do since my 20's, after learning to do chin ups and pull ups (from standing, not dead hang) during my climbing days.  I can't stop smiling about it!

June 11 Update: PROOF!

Ocean vs. Mountains? Ocean :)

I ... salsa danced ... in heels ... last month!

And my ankle was fine :)  Good thing I didn't get rid of my dance shoes!  I visited a good friend on Vancouver Island for a weekend and her husband took care of the kids while her and I acted like our former salsa-crazed twenty-something selves again.  We went out dancing two nights in a row and I'm ecstatic that my ankle survived everything :)  PLUS I got to learn more kizomba.  I've danced it before with really good leads but I could never remember the actual basics on my own because I never danced it enough.  It's so lovely.

And so is the island!

Ocean, giant trees, no mosquitoes ... it's a dream spot.  Another girlfriend joined us after the salsa overdose and we all overdosed on Japanese food.

Jasper is also lovely (I still love the sea more but the Rockies also rock). 

I spent the next weekend there for the Banff Jasper relay race.  Hell noooo I didn't run it but I helped out (Scott's team killed it and placed 5th overall).  My past experiences with running haven't been great fun but I've decided to dabble in it again recently.  I'm on week 5 of the C25K (couch to 5km) app and I'm surprised at how long I can actually run when I pace myself.  I guess pacing IS key after all.  Also, I've discovered that I like it nice and warm when I run.  We're talking 23 degrees Celsius and above warm.  Many people seem to enjoy it much cooler but not this lady. 

Mind Farts
-sometimes pacing helps in life as well - it's so easy for me to get enthusiastic about so many things that i forget there are limited hours in a day
-calisthenics level unlocked: backwards rolling!
-i found a Victoria version of Edmonton's Veggie Garden (hole in the wall vegetarian Vietnamese/Chinese resto): Lotus Pond ... delicious and busy!  even my carnivore salsa friend enjoyed it

Birthdays and Guns.

Enjoyed a birthday brunch with good girlfriends (two of whom are February babies) at Moth Cafe, a new plant-based eatery in town (Woohoo! Another one!  There was even a lineup in the cold).  Seriously one of the best Banh Mi's (Vietnamese submarine) I've ever tasted!  Yowza.

Last night, I was at an 80th birthday party.  The birthday celebrant, who is the father of one of my best friends, is quite the inspiration.  At 80 he's still able to laugh a lot, chase after his grandkids and shake it on the dance floor.  Very much sound of mind, he still drives.  His mobility surpasses that of many sixty year olds!  It warms my heart to see someone completely obliterate the "over the hill" stereotype :)  I even gave a mini salsa lesson in regular high heeled shoes and my ankle stayed strong, which confirms how much I've healed in all the time that's passed since I last put on actual dance shoes.

The majority of the past week was spent in Tulsa, where I got a good dose of southern hospitality.  What a bunch of polite folks!  Back in the day when I travelled in the US a bunch, I remember noting the same thing about Kansas City (not sure if that's still considered the south though). 

Oklahoma seems to be the land of tornadoes, guns and churches.  Even the airport had a church.  You know you're not in Canada anymore when you see signs asking you to NOT bring your gun into the building.  I also experienced my first tornado drill there (as opposed to fire drills).  Speaking of fire drills, I burnt toast for the first time ever and managed to set off the hotel fire alarm while trying to enjoy my continental breakfast.  I couldn't even hide it.  I just stood there with a silly deer-in-headlights smile, the smoking black toast still dangling from the tongs in my hand.  Whoops.  [Cue in "Angel can't cook" joke here.] 

Of course one never gets much sightseeing done on a business trip so on my last day there, instead of relaxing with this (I never ever had a shortage of post-dinner leftovers) before my flight ...

... I had to get up off my butt and squeeze in a quick museum tour.  I chose the Philbrook Art Museum because it seemed smaller than the natural history museum.  This would allow me to catch my flight on time.  Sure enough, I covered the whole art collection and despite unforeseen delays due to Uber map glitches (I wonder if it was a cyber attack), I had a stress-free commute to get my bags and hit the airport (with a taxi this time).  The Philbrook Art Museum is in a donated mansion and it was very peaceful and pleasant to wander the rooms and even the garden.

For just 9 dollars, one can relax in this lovely place.  I'd love to read a book in the garden, which has a generous amount of benches.

Hi, 2018.

R.I.P. Auntie Joy.  She ended up passing away last year :(

Aside from not being to create new posts, I can't even access the Blogger app on my phone at all anymore (Boo to you Blogger! Update your app please!).  So it's been a loooong while since I've posted!  It's already 2018.

The first half of 2017 was a lot of shift work at site, so my fun time in town occurred on my days off.  All in all it wasn't too bad!  A shift rotation of 8 days on and 6 days off provides a nice life balance.

I'm back at the office now - for the most part.  I fly out tomorrow for a couple of meetings but that'll just be a short US visit.  Being back at the office has its perks: I can consistently schedule activities on nights and weekends.  Hachi continues to be a wonderful therapy dog and it's humbling to see him bring joy and unleash smiles wherever he goes.   Dogs are magical. 

Activity-wise, I've abandoned kettlebells for mostly calisthenics and a sprinkle of dance (dancehall) whenever I can.  I still haven't gotten back to salsa dancing in Edmonton but I managed to actually social dance for the first time in years during my first visit to Ottawa.  I irrationally was a bit concerned that I'd forgotten how to do it but it is indeed like riding a bike :)  Muscle memory kicks in and all is well.  Ottawa is a great place to visit!  The history and museums kept me busy while visiting a good friend who just had her second little girl.  Ottawa also made me wish I had furthered my French speaking skills.  I did well in my high school French classes, but I didn't do anything about it after high school.  It's never too late anyway.  I'm positive there are tons of adult French classes in town should I ever decide to build on my French. 

Calisthenics is still a lot of fun for me.  It really truly is an adult version of playtime :)

Well off I go to pack and get things in order for my trip.  Warmer southern US weather here I come!

Miracles and Madness.

Now that the Blogger app isn't getting updated for the iPhone, I'm not able to write posts on the go, hence the sparse amount of posting as of late.  I might have to start searching for a different blogging site! 

Wow, I'm down to my last shift soon and then I'll be back in town full time.  I can't believe it's already May!  Here's a picture of some of the shift crew (representing at least seven languages in total - what did I say about Canadian diversity?):

All in all, it's been a good experience.  I've been able to familiarize myself with high/medium/low voltage equipment and their inner workings and operations.  Friends and family like to ask me about my experience as one of the few females on site, and I always say it's quite alright.  Sure, there are comments about my size ("little lady") and even how I smell (good, I think?).  There are offers to help when I'm carrying something heavy (like my own self-imposed giant luggage).  I'm easy to remember and spot.  Really, the most stressful thing for me is having to backup-park the truck.  Which is pretty minor anyway considering there is a rearview camera.  I actually don't have much reason to complain.

I'm happy to report a mini-miracle.  The matriarch of one of the first Filipino families to welcome my family to Canada suffered a stroke recently.  Things were looking bleak.  Two shifts ago, I visited and she was completely unconscious and doctors weren't very hopeful.  There was even the option to pull the plug, which was understandably an extremely traumatizing thought for her son to even have to fathom.  My parents did notice that she seemed to have more colour and movement compared to when they first saw her, so we had a small hope that she would actually get better and maybe even wake up.  Her hand felt warm and strong when I held it, and her fingers had the dexterity to search for a rosary that slipped through her fingers.   

I visited her on this set of days off and she was awake!  It was amazing.  She still can't speak or swallow very well, but she looks us in the eye with recognition and responds by nodding her head "yes" or "no" to questions.  It will be a long road of rehabilitation and recovery, but just to see her awake is such a relief :)  This tiny woman is a trooper!  She welcomed us with such warmth into her home (it was the first home in Canada that my family stayed in) and she helped out my parents so much with starting out in a new city/country/continent.  I'm so glad she's still here.  I found a picture of her with me at my high school prom (she makes me look tall, but she's actually 4 foot something and the epitome of adorable Filipino aunt):

Hang in there, Auntie Joy - we're rooting for you!

This set of days off was an eventful one.  I planned to do some major purging and cleaning at the condo but was promptly interrupted by a car collision when I was grabbing some vegan pizza (Papa John's garden pizza minus cheese plus sides of garlic sauce yummmm) with my sister.  Some guy ran a red light and was strangely dazed and very passive when we confronted him.  Maybe he was really depressed or really high or really shocked.  Fortunately no one was seriously hurt.  Things could have been way worse!  We could have been pedestrians.  Or he could have hit a cyclist.  Or Hachi could have been in the car.  But in this case, the worst part consists of my sister having some whiplash.  And my formerly unscratched and undented car is now horribly dented on the driver's side.  I can't even open the driver door.  However, I magically was able to escape pain-free.  Again.  I realize that I now have been T-boned twice and rear-ended twice without obtaining whiplash.  Strange gift I have.  Thank goodness for insurance, which is covering my sister's physio and car repairs. 

The Oilers have made it to the second round of playoffs and it is madness in the city.  It's good crazy rather than bad crazy though.  I am quite enjoying all this city pride and spirit.

Mind Farts
-pistol squats.  i can do them consistently now!  calisthenics is a wonderful thing
-read The Accusation by Bandi.  it's the first piece of fiction to come out of North Korea from a North Korean author that STILL lives there.  he/she has to use the code name Bandi (firefly) to avoid persecution.  fascinating short stories about the middle class but also very disturbing.  a society that is supposed to be based on equality should not have so-called middle class citizens freezing and starving to near-death

My Canada.

 
Taken from Pinterest

I am back from another shift, trying to recover from a re-caught cold and catch up on a ton of laundry from my trip.  CBC is currently airing a public funeral service for 3 of the 6 men that were killed at the horrific attack on the mosque in Quebec by some racist psychopathic idiot.  The funeral service looks very full and the capacity of the arena it is being held in is 5,000 people.  I saw in the crowd faces of many ages, many ethnicities and costumes of different faiths.  The prime minister spoke, municipal and provincial government leaders spoke and various community faith leaders spoke.  I am very touched by the show of solidarity across the whole Canadian spectrum.  This is what the world needs to move towards.  There are so many different kinds of "us" here.

Really, this diversity and tolerance is one of the biggest things that comforts me about this country.

Even at the site up north that I work at, I encounter so many different people from so many backgrounds and we are all just trying to get through each day safely while being able to earn income for ourselves and our families.  I have colleagues who celebrate Chinese New Year, colleagues who celebrate Diwali and colleagues who fast during Ramadan. 

I Get It, Dad.

Work has me flying back and forth between Fort McMurray and Edmonton quite a bit for the next three months or so.  It's surprising how fast a human can adapt to a new set of conditions.  My first shift was 8 days and by Day 2 or 3 I was feeling like I had already gotten the swing of 4AM wakeups, camp buses, camp food and 8PM bedtimes.  While I'm at site, there's so much new stuff to learn and work with that the hours fly and before I know it, I'm bussing back to camp to eat dinner and workout.  Camp life is not too bad ... I was able to eat my fruits and veggies, use the gym facilities and finishing reading this book during my free time:

So much delight in this story.  Reminds me of the detached, matter-of-fact narration and topsy-turvy events in movies like Royal Tenenbaums and Amelie.  

I have to say, I now understand why my mom used to make my sister and I help clean the house and make sure there was delicious food to eat a couple of days before my dad would get home.  Because when I got back to my condo late at night in Edmonton after my 8-day shift in Fort Mac, I was HANGRY!!  Just a grumpy tired hungry sleepy ogre who ended up crawling into her bed.  Lesson learned.  I am definitely not driving home from the airport at 10PM while still in 8PM bedtime mode.  Instead, I'll be snacking on the plane and then taking a cab home.  I don't even know how my dad did it for two decades while having to deal with jet lag as well.  I've definitely gained a new respect for how my parents operated while my dad was out working at camps and my mom made sure the household was in good working order.    Now I am enjoying my days off before I fly out again.  The days off aspect of this rotation is quite lovely.  I don't even have to go to the office at all.  I can instead enjoy hanging with Hachi and getting delicious amounts of sleep and exercise and socializing and Netflix and books.  It's gorgeous outside too:

Somehow recent weather patterns have caused a beautiful frosty white coating on the tree branches plus it's been foggy lately too.  So winter wonderland-y.