Uh Oh. What Have We Done?

Thanks a lot, Ragnar Tornquist, creator of the beautiful and addictive video game that is Dreamfall Chapters.  Despite the crazy freezing weather, my sis and I went out to see if we could upgrade the graphics card on my current home PC by ourselves.  Turns out we needed to get not just a new graphics card but also a bigger power supply.  After a few grunts and hand scrapes, we proudly installed both components ourselves.  Almost.  The fantastic techs at Memory Express helped us figure out that we missed one connection. 

We hurried back home to plug everything in again and install the right drivers.  As we booted up the game, we gasped at how beautiful and smooth everything looked. We giddily nearly lost our minds.

Terrified of our addiction, my sis and I forced ourselves out of the game to do four hours of "productive" work (me = office work, her = homework).  And sure enough we gamed the rest of the night and finished Book Four of Dreamfall Chapters.  And so now we are able to go back to functioning in real life as we pine away for Book Five.

I admit, I'm a bit scared of how awesome video games now look on my computer.  Gaming can be a Pandora's box that is tough to close.

A Dose of Campus.

I started climbing at the new campus climbing gym last night for the first time in a looooong while.  My palms and forearms were sore after only an hour. It's time to build up some protective calluses and strength again!

If you are university alumnus, you get a climbing discount. So I went to the campus mall today to get a new university ID card. Seeing all the students and the studying flooded me with nostalgia. Ahhh, to be a student again ...

At least now I can kind of pretend! I have my own U of A ONE card again :)

I must've been pretty stressed in engineering school because I'm 99.9% sure my ID card photo now looks way nicer and smilier than my photo back then (which might have looked more like a mugshot).

It's Been Grand, 2015.

Thanks for being a great year.

I have no reason to be ungrateful.  Despite the dramatic dip in oil prices, I'm still working at a job I enjoy.  I am able to spend the holidays with my family.  I traveled a bit this year.  I got to catch up with dear family and friends near and far because of wedding activities.  I continue to keep my mind and body busy and searching. 

I was a bit lame last night and went home earlier than planned so I could get up early this morning for an Ashtanga yoga New Year's Eve event, which consisted of 108 sun salutations. It was worth it - I am happy to say I did all 108 (holy good workout batman!) and now I'm at the office wrapping up. This may be my tamest New Year's Eve yet.  I see it as a replica of a big chunk of my year, working many hours and also doing more yoga-ing. 

This holiday was one full of relaxation and marathoning Hannibal (wow, made me glad to be eating plants) and plans to marathon Star Wars (man the Force Awakens was fun to watch!).  And a sprinkle of work of course.  I even FINALLY did some condo cleaning. Finally!  Maybe one day soon I can invite people over without feeling like a hoarder.

Now off to enjoy the last of my 2015!

Mind Farts
-bumped into my massage therapist at the yoga session this morning and realized i'm long overdue for a massage
-i did however finally use up my pedicure gift card from last Christmas and it was sooooo relaxing.  i totally understand why women go to the spa  - why don't i do this more often?
-confession: guilty pleasure of 2015 = K-dramas
-also watched the Big Short. loved it.  funny and refreshing learning experience about the American 2008 housing crash
-vegan = cheap easy drunk
-mad props to the Edmonton Public Library!  i've been borrowing books like crazy.  i've even been picking them up at the very same branch my mom used to take me and my sister to when we were new immigrant kids.  talk about coming around full circle!

WHYYY

Photos from Edmonton Journal/Instagram/Facebook

Look at how stupid these pictures are.

These men along with a 13-year-old (whose name Canadian law is currently protecting) that shot down two Mac's convenience store employees at two separate locations on the same night in Edmonton this Friday.  The employees did not put up a fight and were executed for no reason.

One employee was a 35-year-old father who just came from India to be with his wife and child.  The other was a 41-year-old man from the Philippines who was also trying to support his family, sending money back to the Philippines.  Now they're dead just before Christmas for no reason whatsoever.  

Photos from CBC

I don't know how to wrap my head around this.  I understand people resort to robbery because of poverty/messed up upbringings/etc. but there is absolutely no reason to kill innocent people that pose zero threat and with zero cause.  How can one even feel any pity for people who murder senselessly?  What gets me is that these criminals are re-offenders.  Including the 13-year-old.  How do we even rehabilitate people like these?    Something is not working in the justice system.  

R.I.P. Karanpal Bhangu and Ricky Cenabre :( 

Now THIS is Living.

I am currently listening to Tao Porchon-Lynch speak and I can't stop smiling. I would love one day to be like her as I approach 100 years of age. 

She still teaches yoga and has won numerous dance competitions (she started learning ballroom at 87.. With partners decades younger).

She's vegetarian and still has a childlike wonder about everything, especially nature. She will even avoid killing bugs (like me!). 

She still drives. She still drinks fresh juice and eats Indian food. 

She is more flexible than most people I know.  She has more health and joy in her life than many people I know.

She HUNG OUT WITH GANDHI.

She exemplifies why I have no desire to accept the status quo, blindly eating and sitting ourselves into oblivion, without a thought about what it does to our bodies and minds.  Or giving up on learning something new just because of age or any other so-called "restriction."  Too many people nowadays give up too early.

Eff that!

Some Christmas Cheer!

Quite nice not to work at all this weekend and do some fun socializing and relaxing instead. 

Mind Farts

-it's confirmed: Hachi is a completely different dog at daycare! Very calm and angelic at home but a hyper maniac at daycare. No wonder he's so tired when he gets home!

-one of my favourite compliments is being called strong :) a nerdy bookworm will always love hearing that.  thanks yoga teacher!

-even though I am still trying to figure out how to maneuver being a lonely unicorn vegan in this city, it is comforting that many of my friends are considerate enough to prepare things I can eat or make sure to warn me about things that I shouldn't eat - much appreciated!

-i am really digging the library these days.  I can't resist, even with all the overtime hours at work.  This month alone I've already read about yoga, Ray Charles and Sarah de Vries (one of the many women murdered at the Pickton farm. Her sister Maggie de Vries did a great job authoring the book ... A lot of painful and raw but eye-opening truth in there)

A Heavy Hearted Morning.

This morning I saw the smallest casket I've ever seen. A funeral for a little child is a whole new level of sadness. It just seems so unfair that he didn't even get a chance at life.  

Rest in peace little one.