R.I.P. Soldier.

When I heard that a soldier was gunned down in Ottawa, I felt a wave of sadness and anger at the senselessness of it all.  It got worse when I saw pictures like this (photos from the Canadian Press):

Just seeing how much these dogs adore their fallen owner broke my heart and made me want to learn more.  The more I learned about Nathan Cirillo (I even creeped his Instagram), the more tragic his death became.  Indeed, a lovely man: a typical Canadian guy and also an extremely gentle giant.  Into fitness, the military and taking adorable selfies but also a single dad and rescuer of strays.  Most of his pics are dog-related and his profile oozes with his love for his dogs and his son.

May your soul rest in peace Mr. Cirillo, and may your son grow up loved and knowing how great his dad was.  May your dogs stay loved and cared for despite eternally waiting for you to get home. 

As for the gunman, who at first glance seems like an overprivileged shithead with no purpose in this world, I feel sorry for his parents.  From the news, it seems like his mother and father were successful and caring folks who did not intend to raise their son to be the cause of so much pain and horror.

Excuse Me ...

... While I pretend I am a Bollywood Princess.

I love saris!  The deep, bold colours ... the intricate beading and embroidery ... the timelessness of the cut and draping ...
And now I finally get to wear one to a wedding between my friends - a Fijian and a Sri Lankan :)
Thankfully I have a coworker who has many beautiful saris (and is willing to lend me one as well as drape me) and this is one I picked out to wear.
I excite! (c) Borat 

Hello, Fall Weather.

Edmonton doesn't get a bunch of rain. A lot of sun, a lot of snow.. But rain not so much. So it's quite noticeable to Edmontonians when it's gloomy and wet. On gloomy chilly days like this week's, I feel an extra surge of protectiveness towards Hachi, because I imagine him in his days as a stray in the Nordegg woods. All alone and cold, wet and starving :(

Not anymore :)

Mind Farts

-I'm noticing feminism fails even by men who were otherwise ahead of their times.  Jose Rizal ... yogis back in the day ... inventors ... "geniuses" ... Is the concept of your mother/sister/spouse/female friend as a fellow human being *that* hard to grasp?  Come on now people

-Iyengar is pronounced "eye-yen-gar" and I am loving being a complete beginner at something again. I think I was made to be an eternal student

-On CBC radio, I listened to a clip from the dash cam of an American cop shooting a black man on his way to work who just happened to be gassing up his car. Absolutely chilling. What really made me sick was how the victim had to be polite and apologetic even under the horrific circumstances.  I'm sure he was afraid of being shot even more times or even worse, being blamed for the incident. You just knew he was raised to be wary of white cops.  Unfortunately the warnings were legitimate in this case. Thank God for dash cams 

-I cut potatoes and tomatoes with a handcrafted Japanese knife for the first time at the Springhammer movie release afterparty. Wow, I actually got tingles doing it. I've always heard Japanese knives were amazing but I didn't realize what all the hype was about until I tried one! You can actually feel the knife grip the vegetable/fruit before the blade slides through 

-Currently enjoying Stromae's music and its blends of sounds I relish - hip hop, house, electro, 90's R&B, African rhythms.  Plus each song is refreshingly different, which gives me multiple eargasms.  If only I didn't have to translate the lyrics (which, by the way are not mysoginistic or arrogant at all). Makes me wish I did French immersion in school

Dip of Shame.

I'm dumb for not realizing that honey isn't vegan. Finally googled it - of course while currently on a huge honey mustard kick - and realized my vegan fail. A huge sorry to all the squished and homeless bees as casualties of this yellow addiction of mine.   I even bought mini Tupperware containers just so I could keep dipping at work.

As soon as I finish all the honey mustard at my place, I am not buying anymore. I'll make my own using agave syrup if I have to!  

Hello Yoga, Nice to Meet You.

We've flirted and danced around each other but now let's talk!

Officially registered for a semester at the Iyengar (how do you pronounce that?) yoga studio near my office. 

Acro-yoga and Pilates have given me tastes of yoga but now I can really learn some pure technique and poses :) Now is my chance. Boo-yah!

Lucky Me.

I still have an open door to train and perform once I am healed.  Without pressure, and despite my abrupt sabbatical.  The dance director is good to me.

On that pleasant note, here is Hachi trying to keep his eyes open in the car today post-daycare.  Faiiillll.

Let the healing begin.

Some Shedding.

I received a harsh reality check as a result of this past weekend, where I danced all night in heels at a wedding.  I am now not quite able to point my right foot or relevé without pain.  I'm not even walking right.  And it's already Tuesday!  My frustration has led me to realize that I am not healing from my dance injuries at all.  My foot is actually getting worse.  This has resulted in me deciding to leave the Afro Cuban dance team indefinitely.

Now for inspirational quote time:

I don't want to be in pain and I don't want to be injured.

I want to be strong and balanced and frolicking.  There are other ways of doing this aside from dance so I can heal properly.  Enter acro-yoga, Pilates, kettlebells or even just good ol' yoga and bodyweight training.  Things have to change.  I want to be able to rock heels and dress up without physically paying for it later.

As a silver-lining hunter, I still see a positive side to all of this.  I have realized that I will not turn into a crackhead over being away from dance for a while. This frustration must be channeled productively.  And who knows, maybe as I heal I will become a better dancer in the future because of my focus on being injury-free.

It helps that I've been having a good time during my dance sabbatical.  Having a social life and not running on adrenaline all the time is relaxing.  Even my boss noticed that I am calmer nowadays.

And let's not forget a wonderful little energy-consumer of mine:  Hachi.  He's at doggy daycare today while I'm in the office :)  I know he will be happy and spent when I pick him up.  Here's how he looked after his first day at doggy daycare:

He could not even keep his eyes open during the car ride home!  I'm excited to pick the little guy up.

Anyway, I just needed to record that little milestone in my life.  Back to lunch and logic drawings ...