Face full of Silver's spit...

After today's stunt at a horse ranch somewhere in the middle of nowhere (deep inside the Kananaskis country), I now understand why people often use animals to help mend people's illnesses or anxiety problems or psychological left-right brain battles. I have never felt more grounded, more me, than when I was horseback riding today.

This entire week thus far, I've been feeling as though I'm looking into this world from a third person's perspective. During today's horseback riding adventure however, I felt as though I was actually present, breathing and feeling and seeing things myself. The feeling's a little indescribable, especially since it's not an emotion easily understood. Let's just say that I finally feel a little more like myself after today's riding session.

A little while later...
... Ahhhh, so according to both google and wikipedia, this method of using animals to help mend someone is called 'Animal-assisted therapy.' Interesting concept. I'm definitely learning a lot more things about life and about myself in the past 7 days than I have in my entire life so far. Definitely helps put my life into perspective.

Feeling better yet? Not quite, but making extremely small baby steps, but I'd like to think they're still progress either way. Especially since I was able to think up of a story involving my horse Silver (why not Gold?) and perhaps my Knight in Shinning Armour. Cute, but still something worthwhile to reminiscent about.

This was my horse Silver, looking dazzling and a little snobby (haha), but he was still an amazing mare and the workers picked him out especially just for me. Feeling special? Quite. Even if he did think it was extremely funny to walk under heaps of tree branches that maybe he was able to avoid but I wasn't, all because I didn't let him get a small scratching session with a tree. I did however, give him a full scratch down afterwards however... I am now also the owner of several more scratch marks all over my arms due to various tree branches.

Life has also become very, extremely cute, almost to a sickeningly sweet level too. I don't know if I know how to properly deal with this level of sweetness just yet. It's a little too much but it's not an unwelcome feeling.

Stilted silence

I think there are maybe only two primary reasons why awkward silences take place: a) awkward conversation between two equally just as awkward people talking about really awkward topics, or b) there's a massive massive elephant in the room.

Nobody wants to talk about the elephant in the room because it's awkward and hard to approach. If and when the topic is brought up, how should the conversationalist(s) approach it? Directly or indirectly? It may appear a little crude if people approach the 'unwanted' topic too eager or too straightforward, or it may be too much of a 'beating around a bush' kind of annoyance if the topic is broached on indirectly. Either way, nobody ever wants to be that person who starts a conversation about something that's completely unwanted. It's kind of like, wanting to ask that person if they started a strict diet regime or if it's something else...

The best way to go about approaching such a situation is to have endless amount of patience. In this case, there are two kinds of 'patience,' the obliviousness and the 'I want to but I can't.' Honestly speaking, being the oblivious party in this situation seem much more appealing than the latter. I find that the latter cause a lot of headaches due to its knowledge that something's happened but what? and not being able to ask or even talk about it.

What a moot and sombre blog post. Here's a video that I found from UpWorthy, a wicked site that I discovered through Facebook. Definitely worth checking out.

I know I don't say much but don't forget about me

Do you believe in the saying, 'One day your life will flash before your eyes'? Well, I think it's a little farfetched right? Why would anyone even believe in that statement when it is also accompanied with, 'right before you die.'

What would you do if that statement is in fact, very real. However, people who do survive near-death experiences are not always very forthcoming in talking about their experiences. For one, they're quite confused as to how it is that they even managed to survive it in the first place. Talking about it is supposed to help but not when their brain is in quite a state, filled with confused thoughts and that nothing makes sense.

Would you blame those who did survive such a traumatic experience and are currently very dazed and confused and even sad about their life and anything they're saying is not making any sense right now? That and the fact that they're also a little emotionally imbalanced.

To be honest, I could hardly blame those who did survive traumatic experiences and are currently in a bit of a state. Like all incidents, these things take time to understand and generally, the recovery time would take twice, or three times, as long to process.

The only suggestion I think that is worth handing out is to give it time and be patient. So all I ask is this: lower your temper, give them the benefit of the doubt and quite assuming things.

Amateur sporting event

Today is Canada's Heritage day, which means a public holiday. Yay! And I spend the entire day moaning because it is scorchingly hot, like ridiculously so. I also did some epic baking today.

I think it was two weeks ago where I first attempted to bake cookies using fresh fruits. My first try included blueberries oatmeal cookies and it turned out alright even if they were on the softer side. Today, I used fresh strawberries (and threw out 1/3 of it cause they were rotten...) and I made fresh strawberry oatmeal cookies and for the longest time while making them, I was really scared. The recipe said to add 1/4 cup of milk to the wet mixture. Immediately right after, it made the entire wet mixture a wet soppy mush and I was scared. From all of my 6 months worth of baking experiences, my oatmeal cookies' wet mixtures should not turn into a liquid-y mushy mess. Thankfully, once I've taken some of them out from the oven, they turned out quite nicely. They even taste a little like strawberry muffins :O

Onto other news...

As most of you know, I'm a big sports junkie. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that I'd glue myself to the television whenever the chance arises. I've been watching a lot of Phelps and team USA dominating the aquatic centre, the Japanese and Chinese gymnasts fighting it out in the gymnastics category, scandal filled badminton games, and then in the midst of all the excitement, watch the Canadian team win some medal recognition. Canadians are quite talented at achieving 4th place finish in case you're wondering.

Ever since the Olympic Games began 11 days ago, one thought's constantly been on my mind: why are big named professional players allowed to participate in an amateur sporting event? Case in point, the American's basketball Dream Team and women soccer teams.

The American basketball Dream Team consists entirely of players who are considered as crème de la crème players and make a living off of playing in the NBA. This team should not even be allowed to compete at the Olympics in my opinion. At first, I thought maybe the age restriction for men's soccer players also applies for the men's basketball players, but when I went and had a look, I was very much mistaken. The age restrictions for men's soccer team is that there can only be a maximum of 3 players over the age of 23. After just a quick glance at the substitutes for the American's basketball team, there are already 7 players who are over the age of 23 and that the entire team play for popular NBA teams.

What is up with that? I really don't get it.

Then there's women's soccer. Every single team participating has a ranking with FIFA, an organisation responsible for the organisation of football's major international tournaments, notably the World Cup, a professional sporting event. The Japanese and American women's soccer team competed against each other last year in the final game of Women's FIFA World Cup. They will be playing against each other again in the Gold medal game at the Olympic games.

So why are they allowed to participate in the Olympic games then? Weird, I know.

Just some food for thought ;)


(and I'm tired so I apologise for any forgotten mistakes.........)

communitychannel's geekiness unparalleled.

Whoa. 2 posts in 2 days. I'm on a roll.

Anyway, to some of you, I might have mentioned that I had planned for a really epic trip with a buddy of mine to travel to Europe this past spring. Sadly, something popped up and it halted our planning rather abruptly. It also made the two of us really angsty and sad and frustrated, so much so that we didn't talk to each other for a month. haha In a way, we were kind of like teenagers and hating everything and everyone.

Anyway, I was bored just now (I'm one of those really lame people who enjoys hanging out in my basement, surfing and trolling on the internet on a Saturday night) and I was on youtube watching this video about the UK segment of this SWAP working VISA thingy when my eyes caught a video about a certain Natalie Tran someone being in the Maldives being decidedly creepy. Then I proceeded to watch a majority of her Lonely Planet travel videos. My favourite thus far is of her making home-cooked meals in a hotel room. It was quite entertaining really.

I do hope that sometime in the very near future, I will be able to make my dream of Euro-tripping a possibility. It would no doubt be amazing and then, me and my dream of becoming a 'travel blogger' (ya get real) might actually happen. Hopefully, when it does happen, my bank account and sanity won't disappear haha

Walking with Dinosaurs

This week, I started my second job (and then subsequently, my third one as well) and I am so far in love with it. This is my second time working with this program, so much of how things work is not longer a surprise to me. However, getting the chance to go to Drumheller is.

I love that place. Drumheller holds a very special place because no matter how many times I go there, and I've been there plenty of times, I still find walking through the entire thing a fascination. The unfortunate thing however, I have never once read any of the descriptions on display haha. So needless to say, I never did realise there is an 'Albertasaurus' on display. Or a 'Teddysaurus' for that matter. I just go home with heaps of pictures and souvenirs. And I bought a bib today, of all things. Plus several other 'very carefully chosen gifts.'

So yes, I went to Drumheller's Dinosaur museum today (I'm pretty sure it has an actual name, but that's just the name I've always called it...so.), and it was heaps of fun. Lots of pictures, and all the while trying to dodge ridiculously energetic children running all over. I also saw a Liverpudlian family looking rather bored, especially the little boy. You poor child.

My colleagues and I also stopped briefly at Horseshoe Canyon -a pretty epic place. Wikipedia tells me here, that 'it is a region of badlands,' and that it gets its name due to its 'horseshoe' shape. Was asked that on the trip and I was actually a little scared I might have given out the wrong answer haha thankfully, I didn't.

Here's a small snapshot of me, in blinding heat with the sun in my eyes, at Horseshoe Canyon.