Notes of a Desolate Libra

My friends Di and Alex got a farm in Prince Edward County with their two horses (Tianxia and baby) and I've been trying forever to visit them. Finally, I figured out that I would visit them before I go back to New York and also drop by the Toronto IWTA branch (with the amazing Sifu Carson Lau) for a visit and a little bit of WingTsun training.

What awaited me was a group of super nice WT students (and instructors), my two awesome (though elitist - lol) friends, tons of good  food, a farm-full of animals, and a WHOLE LOAD OF HAY!

Training in Toronto was great. The school setup and training program seems to be very different than what I am used to in NY or even CA. Everyone runs around and finds something then starts to beat each other up...  I mean... train very enthusiastically. Sifu Lau was super nice (as always) and showed me around as well as introduced some of his students to me. Unfortunately I was only able to train for one day, but I hope to return to train again or at least take a seminar with Sifu Lau!

Alex and Di's farm was 50 acres... I don't think I've seen that much LAND belonging to one person (that I know of) for a long time. Hay season was basically over but unfortunately they'd had some bad luck with farm equipment so I ended up helping them hay part of the field (very small part). It was quite a marvelous experience. I also got to (sort of) throw the bales of hay to the horses. By the time I left there, I was TOTALLY in love with Tianxia (oh be still my heart~).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Oh Sunny Days~"]

They also had7 (8?) Chinchillas (yea a week later I didn't remember ANY of the names except Leonidis - THIS IS SPARTA! - ok I'm a dork) and a whole load of other animal/insect guests. Di also stuffed me with her delicious/unbeatable homemade food (which probably is why I gained so much weight >_<) and introduced me to her vegetable, herb, and fruit gardens. Ah the life of a farm. We were picking our own salads (in the backyard) and I drank fresh pressed cherry juice.

Di and Alex and I met in my early college days... through a rather interesting event. The first time I heard of Di was when I was told "Di's having a shower with Kenshin." Naturally... I flipped out (so I had a little crush on Kenshin. Who didn't!?). Then it turned out that someone splashed some sauce on Kenshin (short for: the Rurouni Kenshin wall scroll) and she was washing it out. I think that sealed our fates and we've been friends since (Alex is a tack-on and the person who turned me into an alcoholic for a while in my college years :p). They are some of the most resourceful and interesting people I know... despite that they made me SLAVE on their farm!

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="320" caption="Sunset on the farm (over moo moos)"]

I think that experience on a farm is something everyone should have at least once in their life. It's very different (no kidding) from the city and also different from suburban life. It's quiet, serene, and sometimes offers you pleasant (and some not so pleasant) surprises. Like Di said, she could see the entire Milky Way in winter time and sometimes read a book under the full moon. How could you not appreciate life when you have all this beauty around you?

Other memorable experiences include:

1) Xinjiang restaurant - OMG!!! I've NEVER had Xinjiang cuisine but this is SO good! I'm generally not a huge fan of strong tasting and super meaty dishes, but I think the skewers (with the massive amounts of meat) were some of the BEST I ever had! They were spicy so I was half tearing, but I ordered seconds!
2) YMCA - I don't think I've been to any YMCA as... well... upscale as the one that they took me to. I am not sure if they're all like that in Canada, but I certain had fun the two times I was there, taking full advantage (sort of) of their beautiful Olympic size pool, sauna rooms, and spacy and clean showers.
3) Rental cars are mostly in RED... WHY!? Oh... right... national color...
4) There's nothing like seeing the sunrise/moonrise/sunset on a farm... and I CAN SEE THE MOON AND STARS CLEARLY!!! (ahem...)
5) Farmers are legally allowed to shot anything on their perimeters! (yes, I played with the gun xD)
6) Hanging out with the neighbor's cows (a.k.a. moo-moos).