Valeria Vine

valeriavine

Valeria Vine

Beats staying at home tormenting the cat!



Asia » India » Maharashtra » Pune August 11th 2014

I have a contact in Pune. Well, my mother has a contact in Pune. Well my mother has a friend who has a sister in Pune. Her name is Pushpa. And this Sunday Pushpa had arrange for me to have lunch with her and her family at the Phoenix Mall, one of the biggest flashest malls in Pune, so big and flash you could forget you were in Pune, and perhaps that was its attraction, as no one seemed to do any buying there, just lots of walking around imbibing the alternate reality of malldom. Kiran was Pushpa’s daughter and she and her friend Shinie had come to pick me up to meet her parents at the mall. We made pleasant chit chat in the car but once out of her brick red Ford Ecosport I ... read more
2014-08-11 06.23.27
2014-08-11 17.04.31

Asia » India » Maharashtra » Pune August 1st 2014

I’m here to “do yoga” – to study at the RIMYI for 4 weeks. I’ve been training to be an Iyengar yoga teacher since 2012 and with any luck will be certified this October when I sit for the certifying assessment in Sydney. The first time Studying at the Institute is a bit of a rite of passage for any Iyengar yoga teacher – the moment when a young teacher gets blooded – becomes initiated into the bolsterhood – is inoculated with the Indian culture – drinks form the ancient rubber chalice of asana and gets a good telling off from the grand wazoo. I went with Lynn, whose apartment I’m staying in, to visit the institute even though I don’t have any classes until Saturday. I’ve actually been to the institute before in 2008 for ... read more
a statue on arrive of Ramamani Iyengar
Work life balance
on leaving

Asia » India » Maharashtra » Mumbai July 31st 2014

As I sit in the bus from Mumbai to Pune - I feel like I’ve been in a comedy of errors up until now. After not hearing squat from the Unicontinental, I booked with the Golden Swan from booking.com (great site BTW). They were going to pick me up from the airport so when I saw a nice man holding a piece of paper with my name on it at the airport I naturally thought it was the Golden Swan. On arrival at the hotel I realised that the Unicontinental had somehow been listening even though they had not been responding to my emails……. This is the moment where Pi Wei loses her shit after 20 hours of travel and what now seemingly amounts to abduction, as they hold me captive in their lobby insisting that ... read more
The sweet truth
2014-07-31 15.07.42
monsoon weather leaving Mumbai

Asia » India » Maharashtra » Pune July 27th 2014

About to leave to study at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (RIMYI) in Pune for a month. It's a bit of an Iyengar yoga teacher's pilgrimage and rite of passage. This will be my first time to study in the institute but not my first visit there. I went there in 2008 for the 90th birthday celebrations of BKS Iyengar which was a joyous affair but I think studying at the institute will not be quite along the same lines. Tying up my life has been pretty tricky and quite stressful. Leaving for 4 weeks means you need to make sure things (at work) don't fall apart while you are gone. No I'm not indispensable but I am responsible for making certain decisions in my business that no one else can do. In this day ... read more

Oceania » Australia » New South Wales » Wollongong August 1st 2009

I've got the house to myself and here are some solo adventures I've been having ..... with myself. Yes most people know that I come from a very spoilt culinary er... situation but that doesn't mean I rough it when I'm left to my own devices. Yes I've had the odd pizza or two, but I do work a rather full full time job. Pacific oysters have been my little treat of late and I buy half a dozen and slip them down as I cook. Oysters are not just an amazing flavour of the sea but a kind of experience. Because it's just lil' ol' me I spare no expense and splurge on the biggest freshest most glisteningly fat oysters I can find. I've posted these to show that some times beautiful meals are created ... read more
colourful dining
Bouillabaise
Look what I found in my

Oceania » Australia » New South Wales » Concord June 7th 2009

I actually found out that Dad had been admitted to hospital on the day after I arrived in Bali. I almost packed my bags immediately and headed back to Australia but held on a while in the hope that it would be just a short acute episode. Well it wasn't ..... and Dad was in ICU care for 14 days. During this time he was mostly consciously intubated, and communicated in writing. I may as well have been on a different planet, but after a week of ICU I was getting quite familiar with my new environs. In fact air travel is a bit like ICU as it too is a totally controlled artificial environment that humans depend on to sustain life. People in ICU also get jetlagged because in ICU there is no day or ... read more
Bankstown Hospital ICU 2
Bankstown Hospital ICU 3
Concord Hospital

Asia » Indonesia » Bali » Ubud June 7th 2009

the work begins................. I originally met Carol in India, when we both attending the 90th Birthday celebrations of BKS Iyengar. She is one of the few senior Iyengar yoga teachers in Australia and a really lovely person. She runs the Darwin Yoga Space and when I heard she was leading a retreat in Bali I jumped at the chance. Typical yoga day 6.15 -7.15 Pranayama/Meditation 7.30- 10.00 Asana 10.30 - 11.30 Brunch Free Time 4.15 - 6.00 Asana 6.30 - 7.45 Dinner 8.00 - 8.30 Meditation What a treat! I've met a great group of dedicated yogi/nis; I'm staying in the AMAZING Alam Indah which is an old family business and eating the most delicious food doing yoga every day! Paradise! Day 1 sequence Pranayama Meditation As... read more
Naomi
someone's feets
taking a closer look

Asia » Indonesia » Bali » Ubud June 4th 2009

It's not just Bali..... I notice this as soon as I reached Indonesia. People just respond with a smile. I am told that in Bali there is a smile for every emotion. Everyone just smiles - it could be the guard that checks the front seat and boot (this is done religiously now since the bombings) as you enter the carpark or some random person riding by on their bike who happens to catch your eye. And here in smile central, as I sit at the front of this little cafe having dinner I get this beautiful passing parade of men who've just been to the temple because they were wearing flowers in both ears, dots on their foreheads and BIG SMILES all beaming at me! Smiles must carry some kind of happiness charge because I'm ... read more
View from the Lotus Cafe
View from the Lotus Cafe 2
close up of the temple

Asia » Indonesia » Java » Jakarta June 1st 2009

I have definitely less photos of Jakarta but that doesn't mean I'm having any less fun here. I've replaced eating with shopping as my new obsession!!!!!! Well maybe I have them both running concurrently but Jakarta is definitely the place to indulge the latter. I love SHOPPING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i love it I love it I love it!!!!!! Jakarta is such a blast! I didn't realise how modern and vibrant it is. The people are really nice .... like really; as in opposite to fake, faking it, pretending to be nice, not being nice at all, not giving a damn. The service industry here knows the meaning of service. Retail is done smoothly and with panache; and what I mean by that is well designed retail spaces and a real variety of labels both local and international. it's ... read more
Pacific Place
Family photo
Chrystal Jade Teow Chiu Rest

Asia » Malaysia » Penang » George Town May 29th 2009

So sad to leave Penang. I've done so much. I've eaten soooo much. I think if I really want to laze about doing nothing I wither need to plan at least 3 weeks in the same spot or just have a home vacation. But staying with family who have given me a lovely place to stay and taken me to the best places to eat and shop has hardly been a stress. I feel thoroughly spoilt and yes THAT was the objective of my holiday! 4 years has been much too long and I plan to come back here more often from now on. We are off to Jakarta and I will be the first person to see Felina and Kevin's new Jakarta residence. If it wasn't for Felina I don't think I would ever think ... read more
Mee Goreng
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