Picture of the Day: Hello Dog

A dog carrying a blue, white and red bag

While walking around downtown Montreal, I saw this statue of a dog carrying a blue, white and red-checkered bag which immediately reminded me of the durable nylon canvas bags in Hong Kong!

I have no idea why the dog has a bandage under his left eye, why he is carrying this bag, or what he is doing!

But I have found out the canine is a creation of Montreal-based illustrator Felipe Arriagada-Nunez, who is also known as @chien.champion on Instagram. 

Arriagada-Nunez explains on his Instagram that a series of sculptures called Bonjour Chien, or "Hello Dog" has a narrative about movement, culture, sport and memories, creating a sense of belonging, and building an idea of home.

While the artist, the son of Chilean immigrants, doesn't explain much about the scarf-wearing dog and its blue, white and red checkered bag, I'd like to think it is related to moving, carrying one's possessions around and establishing himself somewhere new. 

It's not easy to pick up and move; sometimes it is out of necessity, on a whim, inspiration or opportunity. Each move takes courage, and in turn helps us grow and learn more about ourselves. 

Canadian is Top Dog at Westminster Show

Linton with Penny and their prizes as Best in Show

Did you catch the 150th Westminster Kennel Dog Show the other day? Penny, the statuesque Doberman pinscher beat out an Afghan hound, an Old English Sheepdog, and a smooth fox terrier for the big prize.

What's especially cool about Penny is that she's from Toronto, Canada.

Her handler, Andy Linton, was very pleased -- he last won -- also with another Doberman pinscher called Indy back in 1989. 

This win with Penny was especially sweet, as Linton was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease a few years ago. "I had some goals, and this was one of them."

Linton kisses Penny on their win

He has explained in interviews what it feels like to have the degenerative disease that affects movement and speech, which can impact his confidence and physical coordination when competing.

"Some days you just don't feel like moving. You're stiff and stuck in a place," he said.

But training four-year-old Penny kept him motivated.

"She's really helped me out considerably, over the last year especially," Linton said.

Originally from Brush Prairie, Washington state, Linton started out being a surfer in Southern California, not a dog handler.

But in the 1970s he started learning how to train dogs for competition, and showed his first dog in 1974 at the Beverly Hills Kennel Club. 

In 1989 he won the Westminster Kennel Dog Show -- the World Cup for dogs -- with Indy, a red Doberman. But it was quite tense days before the competition.

Penny posing with the New York skyline

When the dog arrived from California to New York, Indy almost died of bloating, with a grossly dilated stomach.

She was rushed to the Animal Medical Center where the vets knew they were dealing with a dog in competition and so they fed the dog intravenously through her legs than shave her coat. Afterwards she rested and the rest is history.

"It's pretty weird to do this 37 years later, after I've done it before," Linton said. "It's kind of an emotional moment for me."

Indeed -- what an accomplishment especially with his own personal health challenges. Highly respected by his peers, Linton has proven he is not a one-hit wonder, and plans to continue working with six dogs as long as he can.

As for Penny, after a tour around New York, including a photo call at the top of the Empire State Building, she returned to Toronto.

"Penny's going to retire from showing and become a certified therapy dog, because she loves to be pet so much," said her owner Theresa Connors-Chan. "And hopefully she'll be a mama."

Remembering Jane Goodall

Goodall was fascinated with animals at a very young age

This morning we heard the sad news that primatologist and passionate advocate for animals Jane Goodall died in Los Angeles. She was 91 years old.

My memory of her dates back to 2007 when she visited Beijing as founder of the Roots and Shoots program, where Goodall inspired the next generation to care about the environment where they live through local conservation projects.

This was my blog post on November 18, 2007 when Goodall was 73 years old:

In her youth she dreamed of going to Africa

Dr Jane Goodall has arrived in Beijing for a week-long visit to China.

Known for her ground-breaking research on chimpanzees in Tanzania, Goodall now travels the world some 300 days a year, spreading the word about environmental and animal conservation.

And she specifically focuses her message on young people, which led to the establishment of Roots & Shoots, an education program in 1991. There are now more than 800 of them in 98 countries, with over 300 R&S in China.

Some of these groups, ranging from elementary, secondary and university students came from Shanghai, Dalian and Tianjin as well as Beijing to show Goodall their environmental projects.

They ranged from planting trees in Inner Mongolia, to conserving rain water, feeding bears in a zoo with a pinata filled with fruit, and making crafts out of aluminum cans.

The famous scientist was dressed warmly in a large red coat and her silvery hair tied back loosely in a clip. When she arrived at Beijing City International School Goodall received applause from the students and they practically mobbed her, trying to take pictures and getting her to autograph pieces of paper.

She handled the attention quite well, and visited each of the booths and praised the students for their work.

The event then moved to the theatre where she gave a speech encouraging the audience to continue their conservation efforts as they are the next generation.

She said they were like roots and shoots, like the name of her program, growing and taking root and then breaking through tough barriers to grow.

She studied chimpanzees for decades

Then she told a story about a chimpanzee who was taken from his mother when she was shot dead. He was nicknamed "Old Man" after enduring 15 years of tests scientists conducted on him.

He was left to retire in a zoo on an island with three other female chimpanzees. A zoo keeper called Mark was to look after them but was warned not to get too close because they didn't like humans.

So he fed them by throwing food at them. He later noticed they got excited and hugged each other when he rowed the boat towards them. So Mark gradually brought his boat closer and closer to them until he could hand a banana to the Old Man.

He then stepped onto the island and nothing happened to him. Later on, he and Old Man made physical contact, grooming each other.

Old Man even had a baby chimpanzee with one of the females.

One day Mark was on the island but he tripped and fell on his face near the baby. The mother was horrified and came to rescue it, but not before biting Mark on the neck, thinking he wanted to harm her child. The other females followed her lead, also biting him on the leg and arm.

When Old Man came, Mark thought the chimpanzee would surely kill him. Instead the animal pushed the three females away so that the zoo keeper could get off the island and row back to safety.

Goodall said that if a chimpanzee, after all the years he was treated badly by humans, could bridge the gap and look after a man, we humans who are even more intelligent, should do the same, if not better.

It was a message that resonated with the audience and hopefully that will spur them on to continue their green efforts.

Goodall taught us to care for our community

But the fight for funding, especially non-profit organizations in China is tough. Only foreign companies step up to the plate and make contributions as there's no such thing as tax breaks for charitable donations. Non-profits do get some donations in kind by local companies, but those are few and far between.

The Chinese government is looking at creating a charity law. But this needs to be established soon, otherwise the momentum for non-profits like Goodall's will quickly fade when in fact they're making a huge impression on young people who are eager to make a difference. 

Rereading her story about Old Man, I can already imagine her talking about it in her soft voice that left everyone rapt with attention. 

A few weeks ago she was interviewed on CBC Radio and the host asked her how to have hope in the world when there's so much destruction, war, climate change, and so on.

Goodall replied that one can start by caring about their own community, finding something they want to save or conserve, and looking for others to help out.

When she was young she intently observed what animals, and in her case, chimpanzees did, and from watching them, she gave the rest of us more insight into their lives.

What she was doing was in a way mindfulness, being in the present and focusing on what was happening around her.

I've read she was most comfortable being with animals -- and actually her favourite is not chimpanzees but dogs for their unconditional love.

We are so lucky to have had Goodall in our lives, to remind us to look after the animals and environment around us, and that every little bit of care for them helps not only them, but us do better. We all have the capacity to help, love, nurture and care.

Therapy Ponies Ease Pre-Flight Stress at YVR

Magic (left) and Tinkerbell (right) with their handlers at YVR

Anxious about flying?

Vancouver International Airport (YVR) has therapy dogs or ambassador dogs to help soothe pre-flight jitters, as part of the airport's Less Airport Stress Initiative (LASI) program that started in 2017.

And now YVR is trialling miniature therapy ponies, making it the first airport in Canada to do this.

"At YVR, we're always looking for creative ways to bring new solutions and amenities to the travel experience, so when we thought about what's the next evolution of the LASI program, introducing therapy ponies... was a great fit," explains Eric Pateman, chief experience officer with the Vancouver Airport Authority.

Magic is three years old, and Tinkerbell is 17, and they are from Green Acres Therapy Horses, which trains the ponies to be experienced in high-traffic public areas like shopping malls, schools and seniors' homes. 

The trial period this summer will see how Magic and Tinkerbell do in the stressful airport environment and the feedback from passengers, though so far it's pretty positive. If all goes well by the end of the pilot, Magic and Tinkerbell may be hanging around YVR more often, along with the therapy dogs from St John's Ambulance.

Therapy llamas a Portland International Airport

Other airports have used different kinds of therapy animals. San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has a "wag brigade" that has calmed passengers since 2013. The team includes 27 dogs and one hypoallergenic pig named Lilou.

Meanwhile last year Portland International Airport started having therapy llamas and alpacas in its terminals to ease passengers' stress levels.

Guess these llamas and alpacas don't spit on humans! Otherwise that would add another stress level to people in the airport!

HK Immigrants Gather at HK Fair

A semi-outdoor area featured numerous stalls to buy items

Today was the fourth annual Vancouver Hong Kong Fair and I finally checked it out for the first time. Just like last year, the fair was held at The Shipyards in North Vancouver and I'm glad I went. It's the closest thing for like-minded Hongkongers to meet up, share and enjoy their culture.

I was on a tight schedule with a concert to attend in the early afternoon, so I took the bus downtown just before 9.30am and caught the seabus at Waterfront station to get there at 10.30am before it opened half an hour later. There was already a small line for ticket holders that already formed though the signage wasn't very clear.

Back copies of Apple Daily were for sale

The fair opened a few minutes after 11am and they scanned my QR code and gave me a bright pink bracelet before I could wander around the outdoor fair in a covered area. It's a good space, and I was glad I went early because I can see how it can get crowded very quickly.

There were all kinds of stalls selling handmade beauty products, cookies like salted egg yolk shortbread, treats for dogs shaped like egg tarts (my cousin's dog wolfed them down later), Chinese books, jewellery, Lion Rock T-shirts and tote bags, Hong Kong-themed coasters, key chains and artwork.

One stall was run by activists who are raising money to help people back in Hong Kong. There was a stack of Apple Daily newspapers, and included the copy of the last publication of the paper for C$50. Manning the booth was former Hong Kong radio host "Giggs" Edmund Wan Yiu-sing, who was jailed for 32 months for sedition and money laundering who are raising money to help people back in Hong Kong. 

Curry fish balls with peanut sauce

Another section was food one could buy and eat there, like curry fish balls, various sweet drinks with sago in them; I tried one with durian, coconut milk and sago. Hong Kong milk tea was also available as well as mango mochi.

Recently re-elected NDP MP Jenny Kwan was at the opening ceremony and gave a bilingual speech explaining that she was originally from Hong Kong and grateful to be in Canada. She promised she would help ensure the Canadian government would approve all Hong Kong immigrants' applications for permanent residency. She got a big round of applause.

In an indoor space was the cultural section, where UBC Cantonese had a booth, an area showing the black and white photographs of legendary photographer Chan Kiu, who passed away in Vancouver last year at the age of 96. There were pictures of Vietnamese refugee children eating from basins, the funeral of Bruce Lee, and Queen Elizabeth II's first visit to Hong Kong.

There were also mahjong tables for people to play the game, or learn how to make paper lanterns. An interactive exhibit featured various places in Hong Kong with photographs matched with scents from those areas.

MP Jenny Kwan spoke in Cantonese

I also got to meet up with some people I had met before and catch up with them, and get to know what others are doing in Metro Vancouver, from holding Cantonese summer camps to drawing workshops.

After about an hour and a half, I made it back to the seabus with two minutes to spare. As I was leaving there were more people lined up to go in, and even more spilling out of the seabus. Now I know why people make an effort to go because settling in Vancouver isn't easy; at this event they feel strength in numbers, and feel understood and appreciated.

An Enjoyable Walking Route at North Point

Under the highway overpass is a place for people to exercise

In the last few years I lived in Hong Kong, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic, my friend and I did a lot of walking along the harbour. It was a way of decompressing and also feeling like we accomplished something, counting the number of kilometres with some sweat. I also wore down a few pairs of runners.

Towards the end we could walk from Kennedy Town to Sai Wan Ho on a path hugging the shoreline, though there were some sections where we had no choice but to walk inland before the path continued again along the harbour front.

A colourful path directing cyclists and pedestrians

Recently another section opened up -- right by my hotel in North Point. Called the East Coast Park Precinct, the path going west is under the highway overpass which is interesting. It's jazzed up with bright colours, some exercise machines, motorbike hills for kids and a really tame climbing hill.

There are two paths that periodically converge or separate; one of which juts out periodically so people can take pictures of the harbour or stand or walk and enjoy the view.

This morning I checked out the path and saw a number of seniors taking advantage of the path, some young professionals using the route to walk to work in the car-free zone, some squeezing in a run before work, or walking their dogs.

I walked to Fortress Hill, the next district west of North Point and did a loop around the giant vent shaft which is part of the Central-Wan Chai Bypass, before turning back.

In the end I walked about 4km and broke in a bit of a sweat even though it was a chilly 15 degrees.

A mini hill to climb on the left for kids

What a great way to start off the day, seeing this development continue to piece together the shoreline so that people will eventually be able to walk all the way around Hong Kong Island -- if they so wish!

Picture of the Day: Dogs and their Sticks

A golden retriever carrying a large stick

Just before the rain came down this afternoon I took a walk in Pacific Spirit Park and I have a habit of counting how many dogs I encounter.

Today I managed to time my walk just as many canines and their masters were in the forest too.

He proudly sauntered ahead 

And a handful of these dogs were very proud to carry their sticks -- not twigs, but actual large branches like this golden retriever.

He had no problems carrying it in his mouth and he would saunter ahead of his master and me and then stop and turn around to make sure his owner was walking up before continuing his way ahead of the pack, so to speak.

On the way back I encountered a black shaggy dog that was lying down and resting. In front of him was a massive chunk of wood that looked very heavy and he needed a break from carrying his trophy for his master.

His owner meanwhile, praised him for his hard work and let him rest before continuing on...

Picture of the Day: Bob Ross Ornament

Bob Ross Christmas ornaments!

Yesterday I checked out a T.J. Maxx outlet and Christmas is in full swing in the discount department store in Palm Springs. There's an array of ugly Christmas sweaters (flamingos wearing sunglasses, the Grinch, and Scooby Doo), Christmas-themed pyjamas, gift tags, wrapping paper and even Christmas toys for dogs.

And then there are Christmas ornaments. 

One that caught my eye was a figurine in the likeness of Bob Ross!

I remember as a kid watching his TV shows where this hippy-looking guy with big hair would paint scenery from his imagination and they would always involve trees.

He was known for repeating the phrase, "let's adds some happy little trees" and using a thick brush would add dabs of wet oil paint on a relatively dark background and then bit by bit the blobs in different shades of green would become trees.

Watching his show was like witnessing magical paint suddenly become a painting. And it was his soothing voice that people today remember about him too. And that big round curly hair on his head.

While Ross has made a resurgence in popular culture thanks to him being spoofed in TV programs, films and even video games, it's was quite the surprise to see him as a Christmas ornament, holding a big brush in his right hand, and hugging three Christmas trees.

I wonder -- who has bought and put him on their Christmas tree?

VIFF Review: Flow

The wordless animated film features a black cat

What happens to the animals when a tsunami hits their environment? That's what the animated film Flow finds out in a co-production by Latvia, France and Belgium. There is no dialogue in the 84-minute film, though the animators take a bit of liberty with the animals' abilities.

Viewers first meet a cute black cat in what looks like a forested area, but after being chased by a pack of dogs, there is a herd of deer trying to outrun a massive flood of water that the cat gets caught up in.

The animals navigate flooded areas by boat

The feline encounters a boat and meets a capybara, a secretary bird, a lemur and a labrador, one of the dogs earlier. Together this rag-tag group, but in particular the cat realises through the challenges they encounter that they need each other to survive in a post-apocalyptic world.

The film is gorgeous -- some scenes look very real with the reflection of the water and the abandoned buildings, while the animals look slightly cartoonish, but that only makes them more endearing. There are several amusing points in the movie to lighten the mood and change the pace, but overall it moves along and isn't a drag.

It's interesting there are no humans in the movie, though there are many things they have left behind, like buildings and statues that have outlived them; the animals seems to adapt quite well to these places.

One of the animals the cat meets is a capybara

Hope to see Flow in wide release and curious to see how children in particular think of the film.

Flow

Directed by Gints Zilbalodis

84 minutes

2024

Traversing the Endicott Arm

Lots of tiny icebergs floating in the Endicott Arm

This morning we woke up to the ship moving at a slow pace because it was in the Endicott Arm, a narrow fjord, about 85km southeast of Juneau, Alaska. The scenery constantly changes, with some areas showing lots of trees, others a deep crevasse that reveals a waterfall from the melting snow above.

The mountains have been eroded by glaciers

After breakfast we wandered to the front of the ship on deck 15 and there were many people standing there taking in the sights. It was so warm outside, around 16 degrees and sunglasses were a must. Floating in the aquamarine-coloured water were small icebergs and if we were lucky we saw some seals sunbathing!

However, as the ship approached they quickly slipped under the water. This happened a few times along the way. No one seemed to spot any wildlife, like black or brown bears, deer, or mountain goats. The Endicott Arm is still part of the Tongass National Forest, one of the largest protected areas in the United States.

The Dawes Glacier in the distance

Then at a certain point, the ship began to slowly turn around, and that's when we saw the Dawes Glacier. However we didn't get close to the glacier, nor could we see any chunks of ice falling into the water, which is called glacier calving. 

When we finished lunch, I had a good walk around the deck and once in a while we could see whales in the distance -- far far distance! They did not jump up, but rather came up for air and went back down again. Nevertheless it was still really cool to see them, if only just a bit of them!

Yesterday I managed to see a very cute five-week old puppy that will grow up to train for Iditarod racing. Two puppies were brought on board the cruise ship to meet some passengers. This female puppy looked very shy, and is a mix of husky, border collie, setter and hound. While huskies are best known, mutts can also run fast too! 

A cute future Iditarod racer

Apparently when full size and racing, these dogs can consume as much as 10,000 to 12,000 calories a day!

Palm Springs: Strange American Products

Any interest in trying this popcorn?

Ah Americans always come up with the most curious products to entice consumer to buy. Usually products that you don't need at all.

A visit to World Market is a case in point.

It sells all kinds of items from homeware and kitchenware, as well as wine and food. The food ranges from Japanese Kit Kats to pasta sauce, Ghiradelli brownie mix, coffee beans and Hello Kitty cup of noodles.

Keep wine cozy with this sweater

In the discount area there was a bag of Oreo-flavoured popcorn. I've heard of cheese-flavoured and salted caramel, chocolate and cinnamon, but Oreo-flavoured?

I was not intrigued enough to purchase it, even though it was 55 percent off. And if you really wanted to, you could make this yourself by crushing the Oreos in a food processor or manually crushing them with a rolling pin (the cookies in a Ziplock bag!).

The other strange product I saw for sale was a mini Christmas sweater -- for your bottle of wine.

Yes -- did you know your bottle needs a sweater to keep warm? And an ugly Christmas sweater to boot?

There were ones with a dog embroidered on it, and one with a cat too. The canine one says "Happy Howlidays", while another sweater says, "Cheers to the naughty list".

Perhaps that includes having a red nose?

World Market also has a stationary section. There were Snoopy notebooks, but a colouring book dedicated to cats' behinds?

It's called The Cat Butt Colouring and Activity Book, which features 45 pages of cats in various scenes, from an intergalactic feline's butt in space, to decorating a cat butt cake. 

Are cats' behinds a thing?

Apparently there are other cat butt colouring books like Cat Butt Christmas and Cat Butts in Space!

Are cats' butts a thing? I had no idea until now...

The things you discover at World Market.