Chi of Shaolin

(CLICK FOR VIDEO SNIPPET)

This group really deserves special recognition. They’re a transplant from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The show was entitled Chi of Shaolin: Tale of the Dragon in honour of the Year of the Dragon. Not only a magnificent display of juggling, martial arts, and acrobatics.. it really told a story. That of a wanton thief who makes a vain attempt to steal from one house too many. He might have been successful if he had not taken the time to gloat right after his victory. After a severe beatdown from the owner of the prize, he is found by a kind group of Shaolin monks in his broken state. They revive him, and through their love and teachings he refurbishes his soul and begins to understand the true meaning of honour and compassion.

I was truly captivated by this entire performance. This show had it all. Action, Drama, Romance. There was drum juggling, kickass fight scenes, but in the midst of it all I proceeded to witness something I will not soon forget..

The longest, most perfectly executed, one-armed hand balance I have ever seen in my life. An act of strength and dexterity that Luke Skywalker himself would have been in awe of. I would not have believed such a thing possible if I had not seen it with my own eyes. The force was definitely strong with this one.

And the design was perfect.

She was a chameleon, outfitted to blend in with the colours of the tree. During her very statuesque one-armed handstand atop of the tree she would shape and twist her body to mimic the branches.

Simply brilliant.

So how does the story end.. it is a glorious victory for mankind. The thief humbly returns the sack of jewels to its owner. At which point, the owner graciously accepts his offer and apology and welcomes him into his home. I have a strong feeling that they became friends.

The Lion Dance

It has become plainly evident that China does not mess around when it comes to ringing in their New Year. They don't celebrate for just one day, they party for the WHOLE WEEK. Once the parade ends, The Lion Dance continues, even to the very next day. I spent quite a bit of time with these guys following them around like one of the groupies. The dragon prances down the streets from shop to shop, dancing and performing at the entrance to the rhythmic beat of drums and cymbals, and then snatches what appears to be a red envelope hanging from the doorway with the mouth of the beast as if mimicking to swallow. I believe that it is meant to be some sort of good luck charm that brings fortune and prosperity. Then they'll trot their way inside and comically harass the shopkeepers a little more with some more playful antics and dancing, and then repeat the process down the road until all of the shopkeepers have been properly assaulted with a healthy dose of dragon love.

Happy Valentine's Day

I do not have a significant other, so I would like to dedicate my Valentine to my devoted fan base of up to and including 10 readers...

I love you all!

*and to the lurkers out there that read my journal but never show yourselves.. I don't mind.. I love you all, too :)

Chinese New Year Parade

I can go on and on about this festival. It was so awesome, I wish I could just hit the rewind button and do it all over again. I really can't think of a moment in recent memory when I have had a better time. My only regret is that I couldn't take any more pictures because I ran out of memory on my camera card from taking so many pictures. Extending beyond the entertainment at the plaza, and set as the main attraction was the Chinese New Year Parade.

Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award

I've decided to take a quick commercial break from my journey to accept this award nominated to me by the lovely Sarah Elle Emm. I wanted to go ahead and do this mainly for three reasons.

1. Sarah Elle is so cool.
2. This pie looks mmm mmm delicious,
3. Duh, who doesn't like awards!

After reviewing the info on her site, these are the rules of acceptance..

So, Here goes nothing:

1. I'm ambidextrous

I use both hands for just about everything but often one or the other for different things. I mostly eat with my left,. I write with my right so the paper doesn't curl, but I sometimes draw with my left.. etc etc. I dunno I'm weird.

2. Before I became a drifter, I was destined to be a programmer.
Yep that's right, before I started breaking laws I was cracking code. I was a super genius. Now, I'm super dumb :) I wrote my first computer program when I was about 10 years old on one of the earliest personal computers.. The commodore 64 .. which back then was cutting edge technology (oh, how times have changed) and still holds the record for best selling PC of all time. It took me about a hundred lines of code just to make a friggin' ball bounce (and it wasn't even round). Me in a nutshell..extremely introverted, very quiet, never outdoors.. now I am the complete opposite. It's funny how life can pull a 180 on you. Nerd turned Rebel Without A Cause.. who knew.

3. My favorite cartoon was The Thundercats.
If you don't know who they are then yes you have been deprived. Only the most awesome cartoon ever made. Cheetara was one sexy feline, but even though she had all of that going for her she is still the runner-up, because everybody knows that Panthro was the man. The best of both worlds.. smart AND strong. Not only did he build the Thundercat Lair AND the Thunder Tank, but he had a cool pair of nunchucks and knew how to use them. Panthro kicks ass.  Thundercats! hooooOOOOOO!!

4.  Part of my childhood, I grew up in a junkyard..
..that also doubled as a pig farm which, if you can imagine, was quite renown throughout the neighborhood for it's harsh odors. To say I grew up poor is an understatement. Quite a humbling experience living crowded in a small camper surrounded by loads of worthless crap. Believe it or not you learn a lot on a junkyard. These were the days of high adventure. Very interesting times to say the least.

5. I have a HUGE ponytail fetish.
I have no idea why but they turn me into putty. Yet, for some reason women don't like to wear them. They always say it makes them look too plain or something. That's too bad because I think they look great. Something about that whip action.. oh yeah..

6. For a brief period I was home-schooled.
Whether this made me smarter or stupider who knows. All I know is I got to show up to class in my jammies.






Hey now, I can't reveal all of my secrets. Gotta leave SOMETHIN' to the imagination. Besides, I can't really think of anything else that doesn't involve some sort of incriminating evidence so I think I will quit while I'm ahead. I mean jeez, seven whole facts, that's a lot. I feel like I just got off of the couch at the shrink's office or something. Anyway,..

O.T. is an incredibly gifted writer with a beautiful mind. She has a wonderful talent for deep thoughts and introspection and has always been a huge encouragement to me even through the bad times. No one could ask for a better blogger friend. Simply put, she has stolen my heart.

Adrian is a very motivational blogger and fellow Bucketeer. Not to mention all around cool guy. A cool place to drop in on from time to time for a little dose of inspiration and insight.

Katrina has a great blog cataloging her journey in one of the most difficult battles anyone can face.. the battle of The Self, which in my opinion she does quite elegantly. It takes guts to take a good long look in the mirror and decide you want to fight the demons that are holding you back in life. Her journey to achieve balance is a noteworthy cause. There is no doubt in my mind that she will win this bout with a TKO (Rocky Theme: da-daa-DAAAAAA)

I would like to once again thank Sarah Elle for this nomination, you can find her at her lovely blog..

When you get the chance, swing by their sites and if possible drop a comment. Bloggers LOVE comments. They are like tiny little morsels of joy that brighten the day..

..and last but certainly not least I would of course like to thank my fans.. all 10 of you :) You could have been on any blog in the world but instead you're here with me. I appreciate that.

mwah! I love you all! *kisses trophy* mwah! *waves*

Okay then.. back to my journey :)

Sincerely,