How to "talk like a vegan"

Every now and then, I have moments of incredible gratefulness and grounded-ness. Recently been accused - "you're talking like a vegan" ..lol truth.

First of all, I need to man up and accept the fact that being an accountant and making the dough means i've got to sit on my ass for about 12 hrs a day. I need a job that is resume/CV-worthy asap. But until then, #gamefacetroll.

On the other hand, I have a constant need for passion and love...so, it's time to take my art to the next level too. I'm so excited to start teaching piano this summer! And I'll be stepping up the yoga practice with a goal to get my handstand perfected before heading to our family vacation in August. Serengeti handstand pic is goal one.

The ultimate goal is to be awesome at Kathryn Budig's workshop in November. I will eventually start sharing the yoga love more and more. Teaching is the best way to do this.
Working on my halasana and chakrasana now..

myfeet are ALLwrong. better pic next time :)

Now I just need a plan for all this drawing and painting I crave to create .... Any Suggestions? Hold up. Biz School Brain working. 

How to find community

There's literally a community for everything in Dubai. From Japanese anime culture to bridge clubs to surfers to alcoholics. And when it comes to religious communities; it's unbelievable that a Muslim nation can be this tolerable to diversity. I decided to check out the somewhat new Gurudwara in Jebel Ali since my friend had a business visit there last week and said the construction was beautiful. I've never been into one before and I know little to nothing about Sikh religion/culture, but what convinced me to check it out was the free food!

I walked in at around 1.30pm and got a FULL tour of the Gurudwara, the 411 on the principles of the Sikh religion, Gurus, religious texts/scriptures, and answered plenty of questions about myself along the way. It was interesting to see how dedicated people were to the religion and how rich the Sikh community in Dubai is, since it's completely run on donations. The place is HUGE with 3 floors and a fully staffed kitchen that runs almost 24/7. The food is free and they begin serving tea at 5.00 am after the first "keertan" and they continue with breakfast at 8, then tea, lunch, tea, and dinner.

After the tour, we got to sit down with one of the directors and have a nice Indian-style (on the floor) meal discussing religions and family and life. It was a nice break from the usual and a great meal with good people!

How to YOLO

You only live once. So, when your friend offers to make you some fun art, you say okay and pose! Thanks L xo

How to be inspired. Part 2

I just went for a long, slow, mind numbing run this morning. While I reaped every last benefit of each drop of sweat, I couldn't help but miss my yoga mat. Is there a defining moment when yoga stops being a way of fitness and takes over your entire lifestyle? It's happening to me.

When I say yoga is taking over my lifestyle, I mean it happened (is happening) very unconsciously. Everything I eat, say, do, relates to how it affects my practice and ultimately; life. This is hard for others to understand. Especially my parents, and possibly a lot of you. But then again, if you have found a comparable passion, maybe you do understand.

Generally speaking, I come from a carnivorous, booze guzzling, dancing, Bible quoting, over-educated bunch. You think I'm joking but my next post is about to explain. I hope they, and you, can remotely understand the necessity to break the pattern.

In other news, my yoga teacher is back from Mysore looking like a lean, mean teacup-size version of herself. Happier than ever and sharing with us all the love and light straight from the source of Ashtanga. And I've already caught the India bug. Okay, see? I already sound full-hippie. The fact that she lost 4kgs (10lbs) in a month is just a footnote at this point. How beautiful is this....

This is a photo shot by Christine Hewitt. She is an AMAZING photographer and I'm so inspired by her art. Check out her tumblr.
I can't wait to get my camera out and do this shit around Dubai. Get ready for some yogi-art coming your way :)

How to Auto-friend

Hi everyone! Happy Easter weekend!!

It's just been one of those weekends where I constantly want to escape reality. When is it ever okay to complain without sounding like a completely ungrateful b*tch? Thank God for those friends that are family when family just doesn't cut it.

Thursday night was a time for reconnecting with my girls and concert-ing at Yas. I've known these girls since I was a wee little poop and I haven't been in their lives since '98 or something along those lines since I grew up in Canada. We went to a catholic school together and our parents were BFFs. So we are something like auto-friends. Friends by default. Family. You know, the ones you can't get rid of even if you tried. They are perfect!

We met this Emirati dude at the end of the night who kept me company while my friend went to use the washroom. Apparently he was "high as fuck" and been smokin hash. Alright, so the UAE is probably one of the worst places to be broadcasting this. But he continued with confidence; he worked at one of the leading banks in Abu Dhabi and he got a thrill out of smuggling in stuff. He was so very very keen on taking us to some after parties.

Hmmm I don't know where to begin! We didn't go, duh! And I don't want to make this a judgemental post, so I'll leave it at that. I guess I just wanna share this with my Canadian/American friends because they think Dubai isn't filled with fucktards. But listen, there are fucktards and sketchos everywhere. Thats an auto-unfriend.
Laidack Luke and Mister Outlaw (local DJ) were both on point for the entire night! A huge thanks to my beau for the tickets and chocolate xo

Yes, you heard right.