Art

In true procrastinator fashion, I finally made it to the Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) last evening after work to catch the Monet to Dali exhibit before I leave for my vacation (yippee!) and before the exhibit wraps up on September 16. I waited in line for about half an hour before I feast my eyes with beautiful art. VAG was busy last evening because Tuesday evenings are by donations (which means that I make the suggested donation of $10 instead of paying the full admission fee of $20). As I was all by my independent self (yep...single people like me do things alone just so that we don't miss out on the fun), I was able to view the art at my own pace (which was fairly quick since I had to meet my dear cousin for yummy Jamaican dinner after my visit to VAG).

I am far (oh so very far) from being an art expert - although at times I wish that I had taken Art History so that I would be more knowledgeable about art. As I was looking at these masterpieces, I thought to myself "what is art?". Well, in my humble opinion, art is a piece of work that captivates, evokes emotions and tickles the curiousity of the audience. I am drawn to potraits/sculptures that shows emotion - (hmm...no wonder the Mona Lisa is so talked about - everyone is wondering who she is, what she is thinking about, etc.). I also like art that contains irony - i.e. things that don't seem to fit together in normality - the crazier the better (the likes of later works by Picasso and Van Gogh).

So....if you have yet to visit VAG, I do recommend this particular exhibit - it is always inspiring to be in the presence of beautiful things. Finally I get to see with my own eyes why a Renoir, Latour, etc. is worth millions of dollars. I felt privileged to receive such a fine visual treat (well for the price of $10 or 2 1/2 soy lattes).

Patience is not my virtue

My grandfather coined my name which translates into "as you wish". Well, if that's the case, shouldn't I get whatever I wish for? Hmm.....still waiting for the fairy god-mother to grant my wishes....

Not so bad being a single girl when....

A day like today makes it not so bad to be single. I had a totally carefree day today. It started off with a cup of invigorating black tea in the morning and mindless hour of tv viewing on the subject of fashion. Then got dressed and off to an hour of massage therapy. After a luxurious hour of a badly needed massage, I went to the cafe for a peppermint tea and a reverse almond chocolate cookie. A visit to the hair salon followed after my mini break. At the salon, I enjoyed a glass of mimosa while getting my scalp massaged and my hair cut and styled. After all the pampering, I should be of to meet my best lady friends for dinner and drinks later this evening. It would all be a perfect single girl's day if it's topped off with a kiss from a hot boy tonight (yes, I can still dream).

Pause & assess

I went to the chiropractor yesterday for monthly maintenance cracking and while getting checked out, the chiropractor found a lump above my right collar bone. He was a little concern about finding a lump where there shouldn't be any lumps and instructed me to head to the doctor's office the same day. Since my appointment was in the late afternoon, I was not able to make it to the doctor's office the same day. I did not think much of it initially but my chiropractor's concern slowly crept into my mind which started me thinking what if - what if I am terminally ill. It sure caused me to pause and took a quick assessment of my life at the moment - how satisfy I am with the way I have been living my life? do I have any regrets? am I at peace with myself and my surrounding if I have to leave earth now? Surprisingly, I am at peace - of course, there are many more experiences that I wish to have had but I have done pretty well so far. I do what I love doing all the time - which is yoga. I have made choices that landed me on the high moral ground which seem to be a rather lonely place but it sure is peaceful - I have no guilty conscience and have done no harm (at least intentionally) to others. I am ok if I do have to breathe my last breath as a physical being and very thankful for all the experiences that I have had and the people that I have met along the way.

This morning I made it to the doctor's office - very calm (true to my personality). The doctor checked me out and assured me that the lump is in an area where he wouldn't be too concern with. So, for now - I am good (at least in terms of my health) and hopefully continue my journey in life - experiencing new things and loving myself more and more as each day goes by. [Damn - I look pretty hot in lingerie - haha]

Silly me

My life is typically a comedy of errors and what happened last Friday evening was an example of such.

I had all week to pick up a gift for a friend’s yoga studio opening on the weekend but as a professional procrastinator, I left the gift-shopping duty until the day before the opening which meant that I was in a mad rush to shop for the gifts after yoga class on Friday evening. After picking up a bottle of champagne (as part of the gift) on my way home from yoga, I stopped by home to drop off my yoga mat and my other purchases of the day as well as to change out of my yoga outfit before heading out to shop for the second part of the gift, an orchid plant. Feeling quite warm from my brisk walk (i.e. mad rush), I changed into a casual summer sundress and put up my hair in a clip (since it was already frizzy and messy after a sweaty session of yoga). I decided to try my luck at the neighbourhood grocery store for the orchid plant. As I was lost in my own little world while perusing the aisles for the perfect studio opening plant, I was approached by a male shopper. To much of my surprise, the male shopper proceeded to shower me with compliments on how beautiful I looked in my dress. At this point, the thought of being punked started to cross my mind – this sort of thing do not happen to me, especially when I wasn’t looking my best that day. After checking around for possible Candid Camera crew, I graciously thanked my admirer. Some small talks and lunch invitation extended by my admirer led to exchange of number. Instead of accepting the admirer’s phone number, I gave him my phone number on a piece of paper (because I knew that if he gave me his number, the likelihood of me summoning enough courage to call was very slim due to a chronic condition of social shyness). After I turned down his invitation to hang out later that evening, we parted ways and I continued with my shopping.

As soon as I was back at home, I realized that unintentionally I had given my admirer an incorrect phone number – a moment of dyslexia had resulted in me incorrectly writing down the last digit of my phone number. (I had done this before to my capoeira instructor and I had given out an incorrect phone number by mistake on several occasions - I had a tendency to mix up part of my work phone number with part of my own phone number). Oh well - silly me.

A note to my grocery store admirer: I sincerely apologize for my mistake and thank you for the badly-needed ego boost that you have given me.

Dashed dreams?

After years of reading and being drawn into the romantic world created by Jane Austen, I am slow and slightly melancholy to learn today that my beloved author, Miss Austen, died a spinster. Someone who penned such beautiful tales of romance with depictions of strong-minded heroines and equally impressive dashing heroes (with the likes of Mr. Darcy) actually never herself a wife to a handsome, intelligent, kind and loving husband? Does this mean that my hope and dream of perhaps someday meeting and spending forever after with my "Mr. Darcy" forever remain an illusion and never translate into reality? Darn, this is a revelation that I sought not of.

If only....

If only guys are drawn to me like dogs and babies do, I probably won't be sitting at home on a Saturday evening blogging. Dogs of all kind, big and small, often run towards me, wanting to play. I, of course being a big sucker for dogs, often stoop down to their level to pet them and play with them. Babies often seem to be extremely curious and interested in me too - they can't take their eyes off me and they often wanted to interact with me. As much as I enjoy the attention from dogs and babies, I do sometimes wish that I could have the same captivation with men. (Ahh....I think it's about time the Universe start granting my wish...what do you think?)