A piece of paradise...

....just an hour away from Central.

Top floor beachfront home with 25 feet high ceilings, 3 bedrooms with 1240 feet of NET usable area, central air-conditioning and designer fixtures.

All for sale at a mere 1.78 Million HK Dollars.

Unbelieveable? Tempting?

Very. Extremely.

But there's always a catch, isn't it?

Access by ferry only. Only an hour away from Central, back to your own private development with twenty low-rise, three-storey apartments. No shops, no groceries, no nothing, except mother nature right at your door step.

Nearest shopping and/or dining? Fifteen minutes away by ferry in Cheung Chau.

Electricity, phone, broadband internet and gas are all functional, so no worries there. But here comes the good part: you'll be using your own water supply that's part of the development's original infrastructure. Nice, cool, unpolluted water fresh from the source. Hmmm... now THAT sounds intruiging.

So, where's this place located?

Somewhere on Lantau island, with no car access.

I've been there once, when they first opened up some thirty years ago as some up-class island resort. It was really impressive, even to a kid like me, as I still remembered images of the place. Infinity pool by the beach, with impeccable service in a first class club house. Defnitely one of the up beat resorts of their times. But today, their resort / clubhouse has been closed for some years, and all that's left are the residences. Pristine holiday homes for some, and nice, quiet home away from the city for others.

Truly tempting but maybe a bit impractical for us. An hour's ferry is not much but having nothing around is an idea that needs a bit of getting used to.

Or is it?

Hmmm....

AM

A piece of paradise within Hong Kong!










View from balcony...steps to the beach and the ferry

What the heck?

Got a couple of mysterious visitors lately.

One a day, for the last four days. Appearing in different corners around our home.

At first, I thought we had a flea crisis, as I just smacked them really quickly, and they're just about the same size as regular fleas.

I started wondering when I found the third one, as the kids are on Frontline Plus, and shouldn't have that many fleas, if any. (And besides, I've combed them out really thoroughly and they have absolutely nothing on them!)

So when the fourth bug appeared, I restrained myself from smacking it right away, and took a photo of it first.

And here it is. Some sort of weevil or grain beetle type of thing. Not going to bother my dogs but definitely a mystery as to why they would be found here at home. I mean, I'm not exactly a clean freak, but I'm not a dirty, messy person either. And together with Lolita's diligent help, our place is really sparkling clean. It's even hard to find a strand of hair anywhere on the floor, not to mention any bugs.

So what the heck??!!

We'll be doing a full sweep of the place tomorrow. Everything has to be checked and re-checked. And then, boric acid powder in all the corners of the rooms.

Hopefully that'll do the job.

Well, at least they're not roaches.

AM

RIP, mystery bug no. 4:

It's always me...

....the scapegoat.

Whenever anything goes wrong, or even, doesn't go as planned.

The fault's on me. Always.

Ever wonder how many more arrows this scapegoat can take?

My dream garden...

Another plant to add to my dream garden...Manuka tree.

Drowned myself in a full day of Manuka honey and fought back the bug. Still a little bit tender around my right jaw but everything else is back to normal (or close to normal by now).

So, going back to my dream garden.....

OK, I got a garden once, when we first moved to Vancouver. Nice quaint house with a sizeable front and back yard. But it was back then. No idea of what gardening was and no interest whatsoever. So I asked a gardener to come in and take care of everything every 10 days or so. He did a really good job though, putting nice evergreen plants around the perimeter of the yard and planting colorful seasonal flowers in between. Tulips, petonias, and others whose name I'll never know. I had a really pretty garden, but I never really looked at it. Didn't know how to appreciate it. It wasn't for long anyways, for we moved into a condo shortly after a year in the house. Well, it's just too much for us, a house with so many rooms meant guests, visitors, relatives, from all around the globe. A two bedroom condo was much better, and we found one that has all the amenities and luxuries of a house, so why not!

And in the years that followed, I slowly realized how useful a garden could be. Especially when I saw how my friend Erika could put together a fresh organic salad simply from her own garden! I could never forget that juicy, subtly sweet tasting lettuce, yummm...

All that herbs that could be grown, organically, in my own backyard garden (if I have one now), all freshly harvested for each meal. Hmmm.....

Harvesting my own lavender buds, then drying them for an eye pillow or a moth repellent for the closets. Yeah.....

The fragrance of Champaca flowers, blooming....ummm...

Maybe a small mango tree - something extra yummy to look forward to in the years to come.

And now, a Manuka tree (if it can survive HK climate), so we will have our own "medicinal chest" in our own garden, in combination with the Lavender and other herbs.

IF I get to have my own garden again, that is.

But I'm not sure if I'll be getting one soon. A backyard garden in Hong Kong?

HA! Just keep dreaming.

AM

Let it pour, cats and dogs....

Woke up for dinner, and all is calm and quiet.

Where did that Typhoon go?

Luckilly, it's still T3, so there's still a possibility of it going up to T8.

So please, let it pour. Cats and Dogs. Pigs and Cows. Whatever.

Meanwhile, I'll sleep some more and try to shake off the bug. Just in case I may have to teach tomorrow, that is.

Nite Nite,
AM

Heady....

Got this terrible headache starting last night, and now I'm having a stiff jaw, on top of a scratchy, itchy throat.

Oh-oh.

Been splashing myself with Manuka honey all day long, and my throat's feeling a bit better.

But that headache. Pounding the right side of my head continuously, driving me nuts.

And that jaw. Sore and creaky. Swollen glands on the right side.

No mood to do anything, except to play around with my fingers and toes. When I'm done with mine, I'll work on Tinsel and Kimba's, so we'll all have nicely manicured paws and feet when we go out together.

Meanwhile, I'm keeping my fingers crossed, hoping for the Typhoon Signal No. 8 by whatever miraculous act. That would've solved my dilemma of whether I should be teaching or not tomorrow.

I'm just not sure if I'm "fit to teach" or not, considering that I'm just fighting the bug and am not really down and out. However, I just don't want to be the culprit if some of my students got ill later on.

Guess I'll just take a nap now and see how it goes. Maybe Mr. T8 will be here by then, solving my dilemma, right?

Nite,

AM

Oh gosh!

Oh f.....!

Didn't know what was wrong with me, but I have totally mixed up my schedule this morning, and ended up missing one of the classes. One that I'm supposed to teach. First time in my life, ever.

Don't ask me why. I don't even know what happened. I actually woke up quite early, and took my bloody sweet time to get ready, all the while thinking that I'll be teaching a 1:30pm class. Didn't know where that idea came from, coz I have been teaching 12:30pm on Wednesdays all along.

And when noon comes, I was all ready to go, still thinking that I'm way ahead of time. Then hubby turned around and asked, I thought you're teaching a 12:30 class?

I totally froze. Oh-no! What in the world was I thinking?

I was so darn embarassed when I called the studio. Lucky for me, another teacher, Vincent, is already in and could switch his class with me. So now I'll be teaching his 4:30 pm Vinyasa III instead. Phew!

But why? Early dementia? *sigh* I have no freaking idea.

Anyways, gotta run now. Teaching three classes back to back today!

Ciao,

Ann

90 Pesos....

..... for a Sisig lunchbox at the Manila International Aiport.

Ninety pesos out of the last two hundred pesos I had left, and I opted for the Sisig lunchbox instead of the Chicken Adobo.

I've had Chicken Adobo before and liked it, but I just wanted to give something new a try, and Sisig looked okay, something like the Taiwanese minced pork with rice. I asked the waitress if it's pork and she says yes, so Sisig it was.

The minute I opened the box, I knew I was in trouble.

This thing smelled. Of some gamey pork, or wait...maybe even.... pork intestines.

I started this internal debate as I toyed around with my chopsticks:

ME: Oh shit, this thing stinks.... I think I'm going to puke....

me: But you haven't tried it yet, maybe it's yummy?

ME: yeah right, it may be yummy but it stinks...and besides, I don't think it is pork...

me: no, just look closely, some of it looked like pork

ME: Yeah, tiny bits of pork meat with....pork skin....or...arghh..pork INTESTINES??

me: no la, maybe just pork fat?

ME: no way, it stinks, just like pork intestines, oh gosh, I can't eat it...it's sick...

me: but what else can you get now that you only have 110 pesos left?

ME: I don't care, I just know that I can't eat this, it stinks and I'll puke!

me: but it's such a waste to throw it away though...

ME: of course I know it's a waste, but I can't eat it...can YOU?

me: argh....no, sorry

ME: ok, so it's agreed, we'll chuck it....

me: ok, but...

ME: no buts, we'll just go over to Seattle's Best Coffee and grab a Panini then, they take credit cards over there, K?

me: Ok....

*sigh* and that goes my 90 pesos and my attempt in adventurous eating in the Philippines.

Sisig, no more,

AM

June 19, 2009: Dog Talk in Manila.

Never have thought that I would be giving a talk on Dog Behaviour, and never could have imagined doing it overseas either, but, it just happened.

My first Dog talk, and to an audience of practicing veterinarians in Manila, at the 37th Annual Conference of the Veterinary Practitioner's Association of the Philippines, with all expenses paid.

Unbelieveable? Tell me about it.

It was Pete who was originally being invited to present the talk, but he couldn't attend because of a family matter, and I was asked to substitute him. I've never been to the Philippines, and it sounded quite challenging, so I thought, maybe... as long as I can prep myself well and don't do a shitty job, that is.

And so, Pete spent two long evenings to drill me for the talk, reviewing what he has taught me previously, and asking all the possible questions he could think of. I had to say, those were some of the longest nights I've had, as my brain was just over loaded and my hands were sore from taking pages and pages of notes. It wasn't that I didn't know any of the stuff that we went through, but it was more of not knowing how to organize them and present them in a manner that would be interesting and captivating. As Pete said, I have the information, but I just didn't know how to put them together in a smooth and concise manner. And there's always a bit of underlying stress of knowing that the audience are all practicing veterinarians, who, supposedly, should know more about animals than I do.

Much thanks to Pete's patience and persistence, I was able to give a kick-ass talk and wowed the audience big time.

Couldn't have achieved that without all that drilling and prep work with my teacher. Seriously.

If I had to do it all by myself, I would probably got by with a satisfactory talk, but I would never have gotten such a great response. I started the talk sensing the hesitation from the audience, who were all veterinarians, probably from not knowing what to expect from a stranger and from a topic that is so new to them. I wouldn't blame them as I was the only person at the conference that wasn't a veterinarian, not to mention that all the speakers were distinguished members of the vet community and I was actually, really a "nobody" to them.

But I didn't really care. I've prepped well and I have nothing to lose, so I just dived in and gave my best speech. People were still hesitant at first, but I sensed the atmosphere shifting shortly after the first 5 minutes. Subtle changes in body language, from leaning back on the chairs to sitting propped close to the table. Head nodding and shaking in response to my questions, and slowly, getting relaxed laughs and chuckles to my jokes and funny movements. And the load of questions afterwards! I could totally feel the change in attitude, from hesitant / skeptical, to awe and amazement. Then suddenly, people were handing me drinks, heaping foods on my plate, and asking questions even while I was lining up for the buffet.

Wow. Another wow, thanks to Pete, my long-winded, demanding, bootcamp teacher. ;P

From dodging around with my fear aggressive Tinsel to handling wild stray dogs in a shelter, to Dog Talk in front of an audience of Veterinarians in 6 months. Hmmm....if it's not bootcamp, I wouldn't know what to call it anymore.

-AM

June 18, 2009: Leaving for the airport, just me and Teddy

HKIA: heading out to Manila

Rm 904, Hotel Heritage, Manila: my "shopping spree" - mangoes

June 19, 2009: *yawn* getting ready for the talk

37th VPAP Annual Conference: *inhale* OK, let's do it!

Manila International Airport: heading home!

Pain and pleasure....I like....

Craved for a nice decent piece of Toro last night, and suggested going to a mid-range kaiten sushi place in Causeway Bay for dinner.

We have just finished a yoga class in Tsim Sha Tsui and hubby was just feeling too lazy to "trek" his way to CWB, so he suggested trying this other place that I've mentioned sometime ago.

Big mistake - for him. Big treat - for me.

He remembered the name of the restaurant, but he has forgotten the occasion. I had mentioned going there for my birthday back in March, but in the end we settled for something else. I had set aside this place for another occasion - maybe his birthday.

Imagine, a place that I wanted to go for special occasions..... must be some place special or pricey.

In the end, not only that I had my cravings of Toro fulfilled, I even got to have really fresh and yummy Hirame usu zukuri, the thinly sliced Hirame sashimi, which is not too common in Hong Kong. Top that up with one of the best Anago in town, and I'm way over just being content.

And that expression on hubby's face when he saw the bill! The best representation of "pain and pleasure" I've ever seen. Yeah, it was good, and he enjoyed the food immensely. But it was expensive. At least double of what we would've paid at the mid-range kaiten sushi place.

Guess he would never feel lazy to trek over to CWB for some decently priced and decently made sushi from now on!

-AM

AYC afterthoughts...

Home sweet home. Finally.

Tired as hell, but completely dazed from four full days of bliss.

If I can't call that bliss, then I don't know how to describe it anymore. All that prana, hovering over the Convention Center. It's like, a yogic atomic explosion. And being part of it was simply blissful.

I'm not saying that everything about the Conference was perfect, as there were indeed somethings that could have been done better. Like having Cantonese and Mandarin translations during the practices. Bad idea. Nothing to do with the translators, as they were doing a good job, but on the spot translations during an asana practice just wasn't right. The whole thing got really choppy, stopping and going, stopping and going. Nothing much got done over the 2 hour practice, not to mention that it's just hard to turn inward when you constantly have two voices speaking to you. Bad. Real bad.

And there was the disappointment of not seeing some of my favorite yoga clothing booths at the conference bazaar. But that disappointment only lasted for a couple of hours, as I found another booth with some sale items in my size, and so my spirits were lifted right away. :D

And nothing, nothing beats studying with some of my most respected yoga teachers. Mark Whitwell, David Swenson, David Life, Sharon Gannon, Desiree Rumbaugh, Ellen Heed, Jason Crandell, etc, etc....

Thank you, my teachers, for a full four days of learning and growing. Thank you for enriching my life, just a little bit more.

Namaste,

Ann

Mark Whitwell 2009

David Swenson 2007

David Swenson 2008

David Swenson 2009

Desiree Rumbaugh 2008

Desiree Rumbaugh 2009

Hello from the HKCEC

The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, to be exact.

Yup. I'm currently tapping my heads off from my laptop in a bareshell apartment atop the HKCEC.

Day three of the Asian Yoga Conference, held here at the HKCEC, and we're lucky to have a vacant apartment to stay at. It is totally bare, with no furnitures and no amenities, but we're really enjoying the "convenience" it brings. Just throw in a fold up mattress, bring an electric kettle and some tea, and voila - our yoga retreat in the heart of the city.

Really. Can't ask for more, as it's only a three-minute walk to the conference. Imagine the usual 90 minutes commute if we're to come all the way from our home in Lantau. 90 minutes one-way, a total of three hours each day, for a full four days. I'd rather be sleeping on thin fold-up mattresses.

To be honest, having a mattress or not doesn't really matter much, as we would be so exhausted by the end of each day that we'd drop dead the minute we got home anyways. Just give me a yoga mat or something to lie on, and I'll be snoring in a matter of minutes. I literally slept in my stinky yoga tanks and shorts after the first day of the conference, dreaming that I was showering and smelling good. Imagine that.

Then how come I'm still up and about tonight? Hmmm... I guess I am in some sort of a natural high. My physical body is sore and tired, but my mind is wild and wicked. It always happens after practicing with one of my most respected teachers, Mark Whitwell. Mark's classes are gentle and flowy, but they could really stir up the pranic energy in you. I felt so buzzed during the practice, that there was this constant burst of energy flowing through my body. And that ball of fire, that prana, between my palms when I held my Anjuli mudra!

I am really enjoying the Conference so far, even more so than the one I attended last year. Physically, I was more in shape and more capable of doing the asana practices before, but this year, I'm getting a much better balance of philosophy classes and asana practices. Not that I'm not sore though....my arms are sore to a point of falling off anytime soon, but I'm learning just a lot more than just the "acrobatic" side of yoga, and that's what's so much more meaningful to me.

Sadly, tomorrow will be the last day of this year's AYC here in Hong Kong, and I'll only have four more classes to go to. One pranayama practice, followed by three intense physical practices back-to-back. I'm not looking forward to the physical practices, but I really can't wait to pay homage to some of my most respected yoga teachers. Teachers who have played an important role in my yogic journey. Teachers who are so knowledgeable, and yet, humble. Teachers, who, simply by being in their presence, drinking in their nectar of pranic energy, is a treat for me.

Om. Shanti.

AM

Sleepy head

*yawn*

Didn't sleep much last night. Been on the phone till early in the morning with "you-know-who-you-are"...

Bombarded with phone calls and errands all day today, driving in the heavy rain, running around town. And now, I'm half brain-dead and totally drained out.

I really need a good night's sleep...

Sweet dreams,

AM

Faces

Woke up with clear vivid images from last night's dream.

Faces.

Eyes.

Smiles, shining through their eyes, beaming through their faces.

The same dogs that I've met only for a few weeks.

The same faces that I've been seeing only for the last few weeks.

Yet, the eyes, the messages shining through those eyes, are so different now.

Yes, some will always remain shy or skittish, but all of them have been changing, to different degrees, no matter how small.

For some, different degrees of trust, confidence, joy and content.

And others, a spark of longing, inquiring, progressing interest.

Even the weakest, most timid dog, is starting to get this little trickle of courage in him. Making half-hearted "woofs" instead of crouching at the corner of his cage, burrowing his head into the floor. Finally acknowledging that he does exist, that he's not invisible, and that he, too, has a right to live and breathe.

I have to admit, that at one point, it felt quite disheartening for me to even think about going into LFS Kennels. It was just too sad and hopeless to me, as there seemed to be no way out for these dogs except to live out the rest of their lives in those pig pens. Kelly, the owner of the shelter, is totally up to her neck with the daily up-keep of the shelter, both physically, mentally, and financially. There's simply no time nor resources for her to host any adoption event of any sort. Her shelter has no name, no mailing address, and no internet presence. Not very many knew of her, nor her dogs.

It all just seemed so sad, so.... dead-ended.

But then, this last visit has given me a lot of clarity. Allowing me to see what I've been seeing all along, but were unable to see for real.

The changes in their faces.

Changes in their eyes.

Changes in their expressions.

All telling me that what we have been doing were not in vain. Not dead-ended.

We have touched the hearts of these dogs, these poor souls, and have taught them that yes, there is hope, there is joy, and there is more than the walls of these pig pens.

Teaching them calm, confident leadership through the leashes.

In turn, teaching them to be calm and confident themselves, so one day, if the time comes, that they could walk calmly and trustingly on a leash, into their new home, into their new life.

And yes, it's not a dead end after all. Other dog shelters may come from time to time, and those "Happytails" as I call them, will have a way better chance of getting chosen, so they would then be given the exposure needed to find a new home.

There's always two "faces" of a coin, after all.

-AM

Pretending to be eating to avoid eye contact, scared shitless..

Same dog, different mind-shift. Timid, yes, but curious and daring enough to look around...and look at that fluffy coat!

Friday, June 5, 2009: Happytails at LFS Kennels

Another day at the LFS Kennels with Cindy, Pete, and Dr. Joe.

Last of the 6 consecutive weekly shots for the dogs. It was just amazing to see how most of them have been coming along.

Healthier, happier, much more confident and trusting.

Everyone of them has been learning and growing, each at their own pace and level. Some came a long way, from complete hysteria with the leash to complete trust in us. Some were still a bit shy and reserved, but obviously improving.

It was so rewarding to see how just a little love and care could do such wonders. Just a minute or two of calm attention each week for a few weeks, could have casted such positive effects on a dog.

Happy to see how they have been improved, yet sad to say goodbye to them, at least for the next little while.

I know we will all miss them.

And I'm sure some, if not all of them, will miss us too.

All the best to them, and all the best to Kelly and her helpers.

Until we meet again, Happytails!
Ann


Following the Leader...waiting for their turn for some attention...


















The same dog who almost strangled himself on the leash some weeks ago, now completely calm and trustful, even when given his shots.














Just a little calming, loving energy can do wonders, look at that smile....


















"Never been loved so much, never been happier!"


















"I'm a sweet girlie-girl..."


















Wishing them all, Happytails!

Nailed it!

Yup. Nailed my first Pre-natal class tonight, with all three new students signing up for the package right after their trial class. The office was quite surprised as the students seemed quite excited and wanted to sign up for their next class right away. Glad they liked me, and glad that I have been given the opportunity. It's going to be quite a challenge, tuning in with pregnant moms, teaching them about pregnancy, childbirth and what-not. I know I will enjoy it immensely though, as I will be teaching the more philosophical side of yoga rather than purely the physical side of it. Guiding my students to explore the connection between the mind, body and breath. Guiding them to close their eyes and turn inward, instead of out.

Just when I thought I was starting to get a bit bored with teaching yoga. I mean, teaching yoga in Hong Kong to be specific, as it is getting to a point where it's just physical postures and nothing more. Lacking the essence, the true meaning of yoga, making it boring to practice, and even more so to teach.

And now, this new opportunity for me to explore deeper and to share my knowledge of true yoga with my students. Not bad. Not bad at all.

As for now, I'm going to reward myself for the day's hard work with the remaining half tub of Hazelnut Chocolate Gelato, before heading into a long hot soak in the tub.

And No, I'm not sharing. Not the gelato, and definitely not the bath.

-AM

Liquid Iron

I'm craddling my bottle of liquid iron like a baby.

So glad I've finally found it. So glad that CitySuper carries it.

I'm Iron deficient anemic from time to time, giving me dizzy spells and irregular heartbeat. Been having that so often that I could tell what the symptoms are already, which is why I've been so easily tired lately.

Liquid iron takes much longer to fully replenish the iron levels in my body as they are not as "potent" as the pill form, but I have no choice as the iron pills give me massive stomach cramps and difficulty breathing. Liquid iron is still a bit harsh to my tummy but it's tolerable when I drink it with some juice. It just sucks a bit when I have to keep drinking it daily for weeks or even months. But what the hell, it's still way better than gasping for breath for a full 2 hours after taking one of those iron pills!

Thank goodness they carry them here in Hong Kong too.... otherwise I will have to SOS my Vancouver friends for help!

Anyways, time to go back to some last minute studying.... teaching my first Pre-natal class tomorrow and I really need to refresh my memory....so naughty of me to procrasinate my studying till now. So typical of me too. ;}

Nite,

AM

Exhausted but addicted

Been really exhausted lately. Nothing extraordinary but normal daily chores, but I'll get really fatigued by 11-ish at night and would just fall asleep anywhere.

Tonight's a bit different as I have a little "refreshments" to keep me up and awake - a tub of yummy Hazelnut Chocolate Gelato from da dolce.

My sister brought me one of their Gelato cake some time ago and it was quite good, but definitely not telling the full picture as their Gelato is actually out of this world.

This thing is so darn good that I'm having trouble restraining myself from heading over to the fridge. I'm seriously considering finishing whatever is left in the fridge all by myself, this very moment.

There's this voice in my heart (not my head) saying that it's just a small tub of gelato and indulging just this once won't hurt.

But there's this voice from my head saying that discipline is discipline, enough is enough.

OMG....I think I'm going to have a major case of insomnia tonight - all that tossing and turning, moaning and groaning, over a half tub of gelato. And then, when I can finally fall asleep, I'll be dreaming of it. Hazelnut Chocolate....ummm....so creamy... so nutty.....

Maybe I should go sleep now and get my gelato fix in my dream.....

Ciao,

AM