New Year Eve is here. Wow. This year has passed really fast for me. There are so many things going on. But let's talk about it somewhere else since this is for the doggies.

Today we got a lot of volunteers. By 3 o'clock almost every dog had been walked. I was there for 3 hours and walking 4 dogs. That means each dog got almost 45 minutes outside which was great. My legs were so sore that they could fall out now.


I got there around noon and started with Dooley. He was volunteers' favorite. (And he got another walk by the time I left.) He was usually calm but it didn't mean he was easy. I think he was like a quiet stubborn child, ha ha. He was independent and dealing with things in his own way. Don't bother to convince him to do something else. Early during the walk we faced two deer coming close to the trail. He was barking and trying to go after them into the wood. Well, I don't think so, Dooley.

I was planning to walk Alice next but while I was putting Dooley back into his run, another volunteer was taking her out. So I went for Molly. Though she was a little tough to deal with she was the first dog I walked after all. I think Molly had finally learnt not to pull so hard. Today I was so impressed in her behavior that I gave her 3 full trails of walking. She still loved hugging people with her muddy paws as always.


Here is my new playmate, Kelsey. He was Molly's neighbor. Kelsey was really smart. He listened and was curious about everything whether dogs, treats in my pocket or the brush I carried. He might try to get closer to other dogs. But it was simply his curiosity. He didn't try to attack them. He always had a huge smile on his face when his eyes met mine. Just like Alice. A big bright innocent smile. (Unfortunately, he was very interested in sniffing or tasting my iPod Touch so I was not able to get a good shot of his grin.) Then if he found a green grass area, he would just roll around happily. And the best of all, he really knew how to play. He liked you to chase and catch him. He was amazingly fast and I had never been able to reach him even once. Kelsey could stand still and then in a split second he would hop like a bunny. He also liked playing tug of war. He needed to learn how to fetch a ball. He'd love it.


Lucy was basically Dooley in half-sized Molly. (This was not Lucy as in Lucy and Ricky my friend and I walked a while ago.) She hardly looked at me since had her own world and always buried her nose down to the ground. (But I think her eyes were very pretty.) She pulled from time to time, suddenly took off or made a sharp U-turn without signaling quite often. It's like "Oh I think I just smelled something a moment ago. And I need to double check that. Now."

Ally's run was empty today. She went home last week. She got 2 adoption applications pending 2 weeks ago and I just learnt this from FOHA newsletter yesterday. It must be Sunday evening when she got picked up. I was on the edge wanting to adopt her all week. I hope she got a loving family. Wish you the best, Ally.

It's kind of sad that two of my most favorite dogs got adopted 2 weeks in a row. But it's best for them to have home. I guess finding your dream dog is similar to finding someone you love whether it is your first love, love at first sight or a crush. Sometimes things go unbelievably smoothly. Sometimes amount of effort is needed to work things out between you two.

Happy New Year! And don't forget to help FOHA if you can.

Many of us are celebrating the holidays with family and friends this week. It is one of the happiest time of the year. But at the very same week there are someone somewhere in this world suffering or experiencing the toughest time of their lives.

These are news I came across during the past few days.

Grandpa Died Trying to Save Girls in Fire.
A Texas Teen Died from Heart Condition Leaving a Message Behind

My coworker lost her friend, a single mom with 4 children, to cancer just one month after the diagnosis. Fortunately that all of them are in their 20's-30's. But she will no longer be a part of a next chapter of their lives.

Just like when my sister and I lost our parents in 2007 and 2010.


So when are we ready to give our lives ?

Is it when we feel we have lived a full life ? What is our definition of a "full" life ? Everyone definitely has their own definition. What is yours ? Are you living it or do you feel you just exist ?

The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time. - Mark Twain

Merry Christmas, everyone. FOHA opened during Christmas and since it's a 3-day-off weekend for me I decided to walk the dogs both Saturday and Sunday. There were a lot of volunteers on Christmas Eve and many dogs had been walked when my friend and I got there. So we walked only 2 dogs that day and I walked 3 more on Sunday.

On Saturday my friend and I started walking dogs separately. And since all my favorite ones had been walked I had to pick a new one and I got this sweet fluffy girl, Ally. Her run was in the back of the line so I had never noticed her before. I wasn't sure she was new. Ally was a sniffer and super easy to walk though she liked going through branches and bushes off the trails quite a lot. Then the leaves, grass, dry seed, you named it, would get stuck in her lovely fur. Then I had to comb them all out before putting her back into the run. It seemed she loved to be pampered. A couple times she was mistaken about my jogging that it was a race and started "galloping". Luckily she wasn't a great runner, ha ha. I liked her so much that I walked her again on Sunday.

Then we walked Riker and Troi, a brother and a sister. They needed to be walked together. Walking a pair of dogs required some good coordination between the dogs, the dogs and you or you and another volunteers otherwise the leashes could get tangled up or everyone could walk into each others pretty easily. Just like us! Riker was completely light brown while Troi was brown with black on the top of her head and back. Riker was muscular, independent and a born leader. He led us wherever he wanted to be. Sweet Troi was slender compared to her brother. She always waited for him to take a lead. She was also a sniffer but she usually put her nose up high in the air. They were great pair to be walked or put in the play area together (because they would actually play!). Unfortunately I didn't have a chance to take a photo of them.

I had a chance walked Alice on Sunday. She was always good but today she often stared at other dogs passing by. And surprisingly we passed a lot of them today. I basically had to distract her by blocking her view with my legs. Most of the time she obeyed and kept moving. And as always she gave me her Boxer smile every time I looked at her . I hope I get a good shot of her smile soon. You will love it.

Dear Molly was still a puller but when we were on the second trail she was so well behaved and just jogging along my side. But don't let her see other doggies she would get very argumentative (barking nonstop basically). I think she also liked hugging people. Her paw prints were all over my shirt and she managed to lick my face again. (Got one from Alice earlier too!) I am glad someone took her old collar out. She scratched her neck a lot last week but just a couple times today. Though another volunteer and I were wondering if she had allergy since her eyes looked a little bit watery and droopy. But she still looked happy as you can see here.

Earlier this week we got FOHA newsletter saying that Joi had got adopted and would go home this saturday. So right after my swimming class I went straight to the shelter knowing that the office opened at noon and I could spend time with Joi before the family would pick her up anytime that afternoon.

Joi's new home was a family of four with one other dog. They brought their dog to walk with Joi last week and both seemed to get along. They arrived while she was running around in the play area and I was picking up her poop. ha ha. I learnt that Joi was 3 years old and was at this shelter for about a month. The two girls were really excited. Joi's new name would be Tori.

Then the time she had to go had come the staff replacing my leash with a new one. A family got a new shirt for her as well. She looked cute and belonged while running to the family car. It's kind of sad but it's great that she finally had a home. Living with a loving family is definitely better living in a shelter.

Then I walked Alice, a sweet aunty doggie. She was the most well behaved one I got today. (Keep reading. You will find out soon!) We walked 2 full trails and I played with her off leash. It seemed she liked to have a person running into her. I made her jumping around and giving me her boxer smile a couple times.

Doodley was already walked but he kept looking at people with his big eyes.

Mickie was my trouble maker today. (I didn't have a chance to take his photo.) Again he was sitting quietly while I was opening the door of his run and getting the leash around his neck. And there you go. He pulled me through 30 minutes walk...run. I felt bad every time I pulled him back because the leash would tighten his neck and he had a hard time breathing. He made me fall on my butt today because he suddenly took off while we're standing on gravels greeting a couple who came to give treats to dogs at the shelter. Then while we're waiting for another volunteer bringing a dog out from the building, he unexpectedly took off to the opposite direction and my finger was bleeding from a leash cut. My blood was basically dripping. I probably spent 15 minutes looking for a band aid. Thank you FOHA staff for helping me find one. One of the staff said to me that he would be surprised if Mickie didn't make any trouble. But I bet he was great. He knew how to chase and catch a tennis ball. I just need to know him better.

I was planning to walk Molly today since I missed her last week. Of course I hesitated since she was also a puller and a runner just like Mickie. She was even bigger than him. I walked her two full trails and rested along the way. But she probably wanted to continue walking so bad because she jumped all over me with her muddy paws on my shirt and my arms licking me face.

I looked totally messy from head to toe at the end. But it was fun.

This week there would be seven dogs going home. That means we can save seven more dogs whose life was at risk. Please visit FOHA if you're interested in adopting one.

If the shelter opens during Christmas weekend, you will hear about these doggies from me. Until next time.

I had watched part of "Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision" long time ago. As you know Lin was the designer of Vietnam Memorial War and just 21 years old at the time. And this was one of the most controversial design competition of all time.

Today I had a chance to watch a whole documentary in a theater with others including Mr. Robert E. Simon, a founder of Reston. Maya sent us a strong message about doing something that is important, meaningful and never compromise your vision once you fully understand the subject and your interpretation.

I personally have an urge to get myself to do what I should do for a while. I am good at something but I am doing something else which most of the time are told by somebody else. Why ? So watching this really gives me a push and encouragement.

If you have never watched this documentary, you just have to.

Below are my favorite speech and quotes from her. You can google search and find more from there.

On Vietnam Memorial War Project

"If you can't accept death, you'll never get over it. So what the Memorial's about is honesty... You have to accept, and admit that this pain has occurred, in order for it to be healed, in order for it to be cathartic... All I was saying in this piece was the cost of war is these individuals. And we have to remember them first."

"I deliberately did not read anything about the Vietnam War because I felt the politics of the war eclipsed what happened to the veterans. The politics were irrelevant to what this memorial was."

"If we can't face death, we'll never overcome it. You have to look it straight in the eye. Then you can turn around and walk back out into the light."

"It was a requirement by the veterans to list the 57,000 names. We're reaching a time that we'll acknowledge the individual in a war on a national level."

"OK, it was black, it was below grade, I was female, Asian American, young, too young to have served. Yet I think none of the opposition in that sense hurt me."

On other subjects...

"You have to have conviction and completely question everything and anything you do. No matter how much you study, no matter how much you know, the side of your brain that has the smarts won't necessarily help you in making art."

"You have to let the viewers come away with their own conclusions. If you dictate what they should think, you've lost it."

"I try to give people a different way of looking at their surroundings. That's art to me."

"Architecture has the potential to influence how we relate to each other and to the environment. My interest in art, may seem less socially motivated - art doesn't serve a specific purpose, it is not yet "functional" yet I think nothing bothered me more during the controversy over the Vietnam Memorial than to be misunderstood as an 'elite artist' only concerned with the 'look' of her work - it saddened me to think that some couldn't see how art relates to people that it is meant to communicate with people - or that an artist fights to retain the integrity of the work so that it remains a strong clear vision, that can affect people."

It's such a productive Saturday. Swimming, walking the dogs and having dinner with a friend.

Today I walked 3 dogs, Joi, Alice and Ricky after my swimming class in the morning. (I was able to swim 2 laps, 1.5 on freestyle and then floating on my back across the pool which I never did before. Yeah~.)

I found it might be a good idea to let Joi running non-stop in the play area before walking her. She was a runner. Don't underestimate those short legs. She ran like a rabbit and went through every single puddle on muddy trails. At the end she turned half-white (on the upper part) and half-black (from the tummy down including her chin.) I tried my best to clean her up but...I think bathing might do the job.

Alice was so cute despite her Boxer look and her towering height. I let her off the leash in the play area since we're friend now. She was jogging around the area like a royal horse. Her head was up. Her body was straight and only those long elegant legs were moving. Then I playfully chased or blocked her way a couple time. She just looked up, smiled at me and jumped around happily. No pulling or speedy running while I was walking her. Such a sweet dog.

Ricky was my tough one today. I think he's a American Saffordshire Terrier. He got shiny black color and was very shy from the look. It turned out that he didn't let me (or anyone) touch him at all. No wonder nobody had walked him. I suspect he had been abused before coming to the shelter. A couple people tried to pet him while we're walking. He went crazy. Poor thing. So it took me forever to get him on the leash because he was back away every time I extended my hand out. The staff seemed to be aware of the problem. She let me get to his run from the back where usually only the on-site staff are allowed to go in in order to clean the runs. It's much easier since the back door was bigger and all the dogs can see outside from the back. Ricky pulled a bit but not a runner. Thanks goodness!

The funny thing was his walking buddy named Lucy! My friend walked her. (If you have never watched the TV show "I Love Lucy", you will have to! You gonna love Lucy's silliness.) And if you think that we could chat while walking them, I can tell you right now that...um not really. Ricky and Lucy just went wherever they wanted to go whether to sniff or else. They walked in a zig-zag pattern and our leash tangled up a couple times.

I didn't walk Molly, Mickie and Gulliver since they had been walked. Sweet Deuce needed to wear a harness for an unknown reason. My friend walked Dooley for a second time so I walked along with them. And he ran today. Way to go Dooley!

There was a volunteer training today. I am so glad that people hear about this shelter and decide to come and help. There were a number of runs empty. Based on FOHA newsletter there were about 4-5 dogs had been adopted during the past week. Jolly, the little Yorkshire Terrier, was one of them.

Visit FOHA if you're interested in adopting a dog, a cat or volunteering.

Hope you have a great week.

"Why should I quit?" Bernice Bates, a 91-year-old yoga instructor, asks. “As long as I can do it and be a help to someone else, I’ll just stay as long as I can. I get a joy out of seeing someone learning.”

Source: MSNBC

This guy was my latest project and just made it onto my New Year greeting card a couple days ago. I got an idea when I was called a water rat a while ago since I paddled a lot during the past summer.






The card can be purchased at Greeting Card Universe and Zazzle.

Early this year I made this Santa and his reindeer friend. These guys appear on my greeting cards at Greeting Card Universe and Zazzle. They are print-on-demand sellers. Check it out if you're interesting in getting a unique card for your family and friends.

And FYI, my cards (and other products) at Zazzle are a bit more quirky. :)

I wish the winter will be like this forever, sunny, pretty sky and no harsh wind.

Today I walked Joi, Molly, Dooley, Alice and Gulliver.

Joi was energetic and carrying a big smile on her face as usual. One of the senior volunteers told me that she got Joi from Fairfax County by a giving up owner since Joi was too active. Poor little thing. We ran along 2 trails and I let her off the leash for about 10 minutes. I think she didn't walk at all.

Molly was rough today. Maybe she got used to the shelter environment where dogs bark all the time. She barked back without hesitant. She ran and pulled a lot but there were many times that she decided to walk side by side and stayed close to me. I also walked her along 2 trails and let her ran around in the play area since she had a lot of energy to spend.

Dooley, a one-year-old chubby and short male beagle, is an independent hunter. He basically ignored me and explored the world on his own. He sniffed everything. He loved going off the trail and went into the unknown. Sometimes he would sniff and lift one of his front paw up like a horse as if he was ready to attack whatever came to him. If there were other dogs around he would stop and looked at them quietly from a far. He didn't run, play or bark at all. (Lucky me. After running with Joi and Molly I was totally out of breath.)

Alice was more active than last week. She ran a lot this afternoon and didn't show any fear going after other dogs. But to me she was more playful and more friendly. Quite often she looked up at me and then smiled or slightly jumped up and down when I bent down to talk to her.

Gulliver, a medium-size black doggie with brown eyes, was waiting patiently when I tried to figure out which dog would be my next walk since Mickie and Deuce were already walked. I had to say he was a very quick minded dog. (I hope I use the right word.) He often ran full speed, then suddenly stopped and turn around to sniff something. So there were a lot of running with unexpected stops with him. We ran into each other a couple times. While we were in a play area, there was a family of 6 came in to greet him. He behaved nicely, wagged his tail, sniffed at everyone hand and smiled (or panted I wasn't sure).

There were at least 4 families coming to the shelter office to adopt a dog today. One of them was with Joi at the time I left. I hope she is adopted and finally has a home again.

FOHA official website.

Oh man, I am totally tired and my legs are sore. I need a nap!

Until next time.