Back to Reality...

Back from yet another beautiful outdoor wedding.  Sunflowers, golds, yellows, oranges, trees.. everything was so pretty and autumnal.  Unfortunately for the first time ever, my phone completely shut down and I have no pictures of the event :(  A Filipino sin!!!

So no pictures to prove it, but I did have a blast.  Way more drinking than expected (pre-wedding, wedding and post-wedding) and I made new fun friends in different area codes.  Majority of whom, by the way, were lefties!  And artsy.  I have to say ... as much as I get teased about how "strange" it is that I'm not doing the baby-mama with a house thing yet ...

... it is kind of nice to be able to freely go and party with the single folks on the fly :)   

On the flip side, my cousins have the most adorable daughters.  I had a blast hanging out with them as well.  There's nothing like going for a nature walk with chocolate wine in hand, slightly buzzed, while surrounded by a cluster of energetic and hilarious little girls that love to play and have a ton of imagination.  Insects and plants become a fun new world of discovery: "Auntie Angel you're the BEST!! We LOVE this nature walk!"  That, along with the buzz, made me real warm and fuzzy inside.

Aunt and Uncle are doing well.  Cousins are doing well.  Cousins' kids are doing well (even the newlyweds' little one, a preemie, is looking healthy - complete with a killer smile).  Houston distant relatives are doing well.  It's nice to see my Texan relatives happy and in good health.  If only plane tickets were cheaper!  Or the distances shorter.  

Now it's back to my local grind: the almost wholly bi-coloured pie-chart that's 40% work and 40% dance with maybe 20% social and personal time.  I have officially been given more responsibility at work, which will let me practice some leadership'ing.  And there will be no leaving Edmonton until it's salsa competition time in Miami - which is a tad mind-boggling when I think about it too much!  My vacation days will be in the negative, but thankfully my boss and my company have some flexibility there.  Plus I foresee a lot of overtime hours next year to make up for it.

Mind Farts
-i might have several personality doppelgangers.  this is maybe the fourth time that someone has told me that i remind them of their quirky Filipina best friend :)  or maybe this is a goofy Filipina genetic thing?
-Texan shots must be doubly strong.  either that or being vegan also means getting drunk faster
-rest really is important.  i was scared all these days off would affect my ability to keep up with practices, but my body actually feels refreshed from the break
-a measly 3 months of maternity leave is a horrible American joke
-humble pie.  try some.  step one: genuinely listen to people.  you'll find out where they have come from and what they have gone through.  one of the guys i met this most recent trip showed me the neighbourhood where he grew up.  i thought he was joking about the ghetto.  he wasn't.  another one of the guys survived freaking chemo and now does martial arts on the side
-want to cover your butt?  stay organized.  or at the very least keep verbal agreements documented and dated.  it's saved my ass countless times.  countless!

-stereotypical but still true: a man that is handy = hot
-seriously.  why can't i go to bed before midnight?  fail, Angel, fail.
-i'm going to try sleeping in a weird frog position tonight to improve my center splits (a tip from my dance teacher after class tonight)

A New Edmonton?

So we now have a vibrant thirty-something-year-old young mayor.  He had my vote.  As per usual, I didn't get a chance to do my research until last minute (a couple of hours before I went to vote).  He seems like a curious, intelligent and extremely well-spoken guy who loves this city and is a bit of a nerd (a quality I admit I have a soft spot for).  I feel an excitement in the air for this place :)  This oily, multicultural-y, industrial-y, crisp-air-y spacious place.

Had to nap after voting and was late for practice - whoops!  This is why I shouldn't nap and why I should just make myself get decent amounts of night sleep.  I just don't know where the time goes!  

I did have a proud timing moment this weekend: I was able to bake a lentil loaf (easy recipe from the Vegan Stoner), recycle a costume and make it to a Halloween potluck party in a record breaking time of 1.5hrs! While running on 4hrs of sleep.  Big accomplishment for me!  And thankfully, the lentil loaf ended up being liked and eaten (I hadn't tried out the recipe before).

It was refreshing to catch up with a miscellaneous collection of people at different stages in their lives. Always gives perspective. I admire others and their abilities to juggle work and family and hobbies and chores. Relative to them, my life pie chart consists of big chunks of work and dance.  It's embarrassing, but sleep and chores have crashed on my list of priorities.  I can maintain around 5 hours of sleep and laundry and keeping the dishes washed, but that's about it.  Maybe I can use the Christmas holidays to pay more attention to my condo.  And sleeeeeeep.
 

At least I did leisure travel recently :)

Instagramming my Hawaii pics makes me miss the place.  Can you tell I'm digging collages right now?

But at least fall in Edmonton is pretty - that helps!

Plus I head out for Texas in 1.25 days.   No Austin (a.k.a. Vegan Heaven) this time but I'll get to hang with my Texan relatives at my cousin's wedding and it'll be nice and warm.

Speaking of which, I should get some packing done ...

Mind Farts
-the winter tires are baaack!  here we go.  i'm ready for you, snow!  okay maybe after Texas.
-poachers killed hundreds of elephants in Zimbabwe with cyanide - it breaks my heart :(  i love these intelligent and beautiful gentle giants 
-just because i'm nice doesn't mean creeps get to be creepy.  i'm getting less and less tolerant of this behaviour (probably a symptom of being in one's thirties)
-i can't seem to get sick of veggie maki
-Gravity was awesome.  it's tough to make deus ex machina fit beautifully, but i feel it really worked here.  i used to want to be an astronaut when i was younger.  now i'm not as excited about physical risk.  i'd still want to check out space if it ever got as safe as plane travel though
-Hawaiian royal history is fascinating - i can't get enough of it.  and i love the old pictures and royals' distinct Hawaiian faces in contrast with their European clothes - it tickles my brain

Oyster Slaves :(

Another cool shot from Justin:

I truly am mesmerized by conveyor belt sushi.

No, the food line up was mainly seafood, but at least I was still able to score salads and tofu and veggie rolls while everyone else enjoyed their sashimi and shrimps.

Speaking of non-vegans, I did something non-vegan in Hawaii without even thinking about it. 

I bought pearls :(

The inspiration came after seeing some sweet octopus Tahitian pearl jewelry in a Na Hoku ad. Then I started thinking about how pretty colored pearls are.

Then I bought some simple colored pearl jewelry without thinking twice about where a pearl actually comes from.  I mean, I knew it came from an oyster but I didn't really think about the whole process.

Then I googled it today.  Vegan fail indeed. Poor little things. 

Maybe this is taking it too far (carnivores).  Maybe it's not taking it far enough (hardcore vegans). I do realize I seem to be getting more and more "anti-cruelty" and it's seeping outside of just my eating habits. Yes, I am changing.  No, I don't want to preach to people, but I also know I am in control of my own choices.

No more buying pearls. Yes I might recycle ones I already own or inherit, but that's it!  There are other shiny colorful things in this world I can adorn myself with :)

Yup, I Love Hawaii.

Just as expected.  Now I'm back in cool, crisp, autumnal Edmonton.  Goodbye, tropical breeze and ocean sounds ...

The wedding was intimate and beautiful.  And I love the way my best friend Cherry and her now-husband combined their last names! 

Some amazing photos courtesy of Justin, the groomsman-slash-ring bearer:

I still need to upload my own photos.

Trying to recover from the 4-hour time difference, lack of sleep on the plane as well as going through withdrawal right now. Tomorrow's 7-hour double practice will be a tad challenging!

So Sweet :)

At my first practice this morning I was greeted with an early birthday surprise after stretching.  I *heart* the people I dance with :) 

Haha and I love the card:

So perfect too - I burned off that chocolate cake with several hours of dancing.  

After the second and last practice for the day my body is deliciously run down.  It hurts soo good. My legs and torso have been bent in ways I never imagined possible.  Strange how I now use pain as a gauge.  Currently doing laundry and packing.  Verrrrry slowwww laundry and packing.

Can't complain too much about this past year.  Work is still challenging in a very good way, with coworkers that also like to work hard and play hard.  Dancing has doubled and I love training in two styles of dance that compliment each other so well.  There was a bit of travel and even camping thrown in the mix, and now there will be double destination October (yes!)

As I delve further into my thirties, more and more I notice people becoming surprised at my age once they find out.  I'd like to think they are saying I have good genes, but there are also references to my lack of a house in the suburbs as well as lack of 2.5 kids and accompanying baby daddy.  

I can understand that point of view.  All the same, I'm realizing now that I am capable of being happy in many different scenarios.  I was drunkenly told once: "as a career woman, you gotta grow balls and figure out what you want, not just at work but especially in your personal life."  I drunkenly listened but I do still remember. 

I want a lot :)  It's just a matter of sorting out in what order!  In my case, the "sorting out" part tends to get pushed aside by what happens to gallop into my path at miscellaneous life moments.  And to mix things up even more, sometimes I don't realize I want something until I encounter it in a mindblowing experience kind of way.  It's entirely possible that I will end up purchasing a pony and then discovering a new obsessive hobby that takes up 80% of my time and then have 1.5 kids and then maybe it doesn't work out with the baby daddy so I buy another pony and then write a book and then come across another baby daddy at my book signing and then finally end up in the suburbs.  By the beach.  Near a vegan restaurant.      

Some Dignity, Por Favor.

Just saw the NY Times photos of the terrorist attack at Westgate mall in Kenya. They were amazing photos but I am saddened at the photos of the bodies. You never see Westerners pictured this way when tragedy strikes our side of the world.

When was the last time you saw a white person portrayed this way after a horrific event?

What if that was your loved one laying on the ground in his or her own blood? And having the picture splattered all over world media?  The thought makes me sick.

Just saying. 

I am all for exposing the truth. Without pictures of Syrian chemical warfare casualties, would the emotional impact on the rest of the world have been less? 

I don't know where the line should be drawn. It is such a freaking fine line though. 

Keep Doing What You Don't Understand!

Feeling nice and loose, but need to stretch my feet.  The big toes are migrating outwards.. noo pronation noooooo!  This what I learned from a three-hour stretching workshop tonight.  High heels are not the best for me, but I am going to try to work around them with all this new info.

Before Pilates class last night I helped teach a beginner salsa class after work. I love the energy of beginners - it makes me recall falling under the salsa spell.  Awesome guy to girl ratio too! Nice to see more males putting themselves out there, despite the fear of looking funny or awkward.

If they do it to meet girls - hey, I can't knock it.  There are a lot of confident, flavourful women in salsa.

If they do it because they can't help it and don't really know why, then even better!

I say if you keep doing something and you're not exactly sure why, then all the more reason to keep doing it.  It's the universe trying to tell you something.  (Disclaimer: does not apply to murder, hurting others and stealing).

Reading ... writing ... dancing ... not eating animals ... not killing animals ... good karma ... these things feel "right" to me.  I've stopped questioning why and have learned to just go with it.

It's not all about fun and games either.

Does getting up early for practice feel great after a late night of drinking and dancing?  Do I have easy morning wakeups after staying up late reading?  Do I stay pain-free as my toes and legs are being bent in unnatural ways?  Do I enjoy being made fun of just because I choose to stick to a plant-based and cruelty-free lifestyle?

Not really.

But overall I feel the best I've ever felt.  I admit that one challenge is trying to find others that relate.  I can find many that relate to one or two of the things I am inexplicably drawn to.  Fellow dancers who love to read!  Fellow engineers who love to dance!  The one exception is being veggie.  Not many of those around here.  (I did however find a pseudo-unicorn - a male dancer who is trying to go more vegan.. but I don't know if "trying" counts)

There's gotta be a vegan mecca out there.

PETA says the Number One Top Vegan-Friendly City of 2013 is ... *drumroll* Austin, Texas!  Heyyyyy, I'm going there next month!  October will be double wedding month for me.  And happy happy joy joy - the bridesmaid dresses aren't tacky :)

Now I'm even more excited to go to Austin.  It won't hurt to scope out vegan mecca ;)
But first things first: double wedding month will kick off with Honolulu (which I already know I will LOVE).

Before I go lay in bed with a book (I swear one of my big pleasures is taking my physically worn out body to bed and lying there with a book until I pass out), I want to share something funky ... a talented friend painted a quick portrait of myself and another friend :)