Petshopboy Confessional.

The Eastern Bloc.

2011-06-26T22:52:00.000-07:00

Jan and I were on the SkyTrain with our luggage in tow heading towards YVR when I realised that I had left my bananas on the kitchen counter. I was concerned about it going bad and attracting food flies while away on our two-week vacation exploring Canada’s Eastern Bloc.

Having spent all my life in the most desirable city of Vancouver, I had my preconceptions and reservations about visiting Toronto; that it was everything Vancouver is not. I pictured Toronto as a place with no oceans, no mountains, no trees and very little nature. Instead, I saw it as a concrete jungle of drab buildings and congested traffic on 12-lane superhighways with flyovers over flyovers. Hearing people complaining about the TTC, the 401, and the Gardiner Expressway and watching news footage of the scorching heat waves in the summer and the bone-chilling winters further influenced my opinion of the city of Toronto as an uninhabitable place to be in. But then there’s Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec City to explore, too.

I love Canada as a nation, as it’s diverse geographically, politically, and culturally. During my time spent living overseas in Beijing, I came to a shocking realisation that I really hadn’t seen much of my own backyard. I, like most people I’ve met, had always looked beyond our own boarders when travelling to new destinations. To date, Edmonton is the only Canadian city I’ve been too outside of British Columbia. It was now time for me to explore what is within the borders of this great nation of mine. It’s best to keep an open mind, and so with that...

June 25th:
We took West Jet to Pearson International and met up with my friends Imelda and Sameer who kindly picked us up from the airport. We popped into a Thai restaurant on Church Street for dinner before meeting up with Joey, our CS host for the duration of our stay in T.O. He took us out to Woody’s to catch a drag show and for some drinks which was just what we needed to break into the nightlife.

June 26th:
Joey took us to Kensington Market where he had an art studio and gallery. It was also a car-free day so peds were free to roam around and discover this vibrant area of great eats, cool beats and fab art. I especially loved the grafitti and murals on the walls! It’s comparable to Vancouver’s Commercial Drive. We met up with Mel and Sameer in front of a street performer juggling fire and shortly after, we were on the TTC streetcar heading for the Toronto Island Airport. I was so fascinated by the old streetcar making a tight curve as it screeched oh so piercingly. It just seemed so ghetto but adorable at the same time.

Sameer is taking flying lessons at a flight school located on the island, so Mel, Jan and I just explored and took pictures while Sameer was up in the air. That’s when I discovered Porter Airlines with a cute racoon as its mascot in all of its billboard ads throughout out the terminal. After taking the silly 5-minute ferry back to the mainland, we strolled through the Toronto Music Garden and along Harbourfront Centre, scoring a bottle of Stella from a back of a Mini Cooper along the way.

The Distillery District has a special place in my heart. It’s history with its red brick buildings and cobblestone streets are well preserved and I fell in love with the character of the area. I just couldn’t put down my camera either as it was so photogenic. Naturally, we had to dine at the Mill Street Brewpub which didn’t disappoint.

After dinner, Mel and Sameer had us over to their nice apartment over looking Union station, the CN Tower, the CBC Broadcast Centre and Rogers Centre. Stunning views from the heart of the city. Jan and I took a nice stroll at night to capture Toronto in her sleep before retiring ourselves.

June 27th:
We made a bus trek out to see the Niagara Falls today and it was warm and beautiful out. Thinking about Harry and William with Princess Diana on the Maid of the Mist and living vicariously through others about their trip to the falls had made me wanting to see and experience this on my own. And now, I have. Donning on that poncho and getting wet through the mist was exhilarating!

Jan and I went up the CN Tower in the evening where I took many great shots of the city and the Island Airport.

June 28th:
On our way to Casa Loma, we were caught in a freak downpour. A beautiful day suddenly turned nasty in a matter of minutes and the heavens were water bombing us. We quickly took shelter at Second Cup and took this opportunity to have lunch.

Visiting Casa Loma was an amazing experience. I love history and walking though a piece of it was hours of fun. Taking a map Joey gave us for a graffiti walk earlier in the day, we slowly walked back to Kensington Market from Casa Loma. From Dupont Street to Bloor Street and then to Harbord Street to College Street, we saw some really great murals and graffiti on the walls.

Joey and nine other photographers were launching an exhibit called 10x10 Photography Project and had invited us to attend the launch of it at his gallery. My eyes were subjected to more visual stimulation. Amazing stuff. We went to a place called Sneaky Dee’s where I had some Greek salad and an Amsterdam Blond, then moved on to the Cloak Dagger for more drinks. I went for something local that I haven’t tried from Great Lakes Brewery; a premium lager called Golden Horseshoe. Mel and Sameer joined the rest of us again and I can’t recall what happened to the rest of the night.

June 29th:
Sameer and Mel came around to pick Jan and I up from Joey’s early this morning to head to Scarborough Bluffs because I wanted to see these natural formations carved out by glaciers centuries ago.

Visiting Fort York was next on the to-do list. No visit to Toronto would be complete without seeing the birthplace of the city and imagining what it must have been like during the Battle of York in 1813. It took a bit more imagination though as it was hard to see where the Americans came to invade with all the new condo towers and other development springing up blocking the view of Lake Ontario.

We also did the brewery tour at Steam Whistle Brewery located at the base of the CN Tower.

The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) had an exhibit on Henry Moore, the artist and sculptor of The Archer located at Toronto City Hall Nathan Phillips Square. Of course, I didn’t know any of this until I visited the AGO! There was also a Brian Jungen exhibit, a Vancouver based artist I came to know of when the Vancouver Art Gallery had an exhibition of his works several years ago. This time though, his works weren’t Air Jordans cut and re-arranged into looking like first nations ceremonial masks, but rather from car parts and deep freezers. His found art always strikes a chord with me.

June 30th:
Saying our goodbyes to old and new friends in Toronto, we set off to Ottawa via VIA Rail and met up with Jean-Pierre, our CS host in the nation’s capital. He also brought along another CSer, Caroline, to the VIA Rail station and we bonded quickly. After dropping off our things at JP’s, we were off again to discover everything Ottawa had to offer and went straight to the National Art Gallery to start. One of the first things I noticed about Ottawa was the fact that most everything was offered in both our official languages. OC Tranpo, the public transit in Canada’s capital, had “Stop Requested” on the bus with “Demandez d’arrêt” beneath it. “How cool!” I thought to myself and then wondered why the rest of Canada wasn’t as bilingual. If we were, then there wouldn’t be such a divide from the Anglophones and the Francophones.

We had pizza at a place called The Grand and then headed for the Beavertail stand directly across for this Canadian treat. I was so stuffed with pizza so I declined for the night. Unfortunately, I never made it back to the stand and missed out on it completely.

July 1st:
It’s Canada Day! Canada turns 144 years young and to mark the occasion, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William and Kate, joins Prime Minister Stephen Harper and other dignitaries on their first official trip to Canada in front of the thrones of patriots and royalists. The hill was crowded with people waving flags and people with maple leafs painted on their faces and an overwhelming sense of pride for this country swept me up. The world needs more Canada.

In the blistering heat of the summer, we trekked our way to the historic Laurier House, the place of residence of Sir Wilfrid Laurier and, after his death, to the Rt. Hon. William Lyon Mackenzie King, Canada’s two most notable Prime Ministers. A long walk to the War Museum followed but we didn’t have nearly enough time to see the exhibitions. Every gallery and museum was free admission today so we were zipping off from one place to the next.

Canada Day festivities continued throughout the day and into the night with a fireworks display.

July 2nd:
We toured the Parliament buildings en Français and looked at the many monuments on the hill commemorating the past Prime Ministers of Canada and what they brought to our nation such as Diefenbaker and the Bill of Rights. The library of parliament was stunning to see in person, both inside and out. Opened in 1876, it is the only surviving part of the original parliament building which burned down in 1916. A peak inside the legislative assembly and the many paintings hanging on the walls in the corridors of the Parliament was exciting. Scenes I’ve only seen on TV, right here, right now.

And then there’s the Rideau Canal; Canada’s longest ice-skating “rink” when it freezes over in the winter months. I watched in curious amazement as a small boat made it’s way up the canal, step-by-step as it filled up each chamber with water. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life!

Upon Lehli’s recommendation, Jan and I took JP to the Lac Lamey Casino Buffet for dinner which was just across the bridge in Hull, Quebec. From smoked salmon and prawns to the salad bar and the sliced fruits, the food was good and endless. We were absolutely stuffed by the end of it.

July 3rd:
Back on the VIA Rail, we were off to see Montreal. As the train pulled into the station, I had second thoughts about this city as we were meandering through some ghetto-like area surrounded by dilapidated buildings, smashed windows, and graffiti on its walls. It was the dump! Fortunately, that was just the station area. We hopped onto the Montreal subway at Bonaventure and took it up to Jean-Talon station where I had arranged to meet up with Carl, our CS host in Montréal. He put us up in a room which was bright and clean and introduced us to his swing dancing friends at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal. This was when I noticed that the Jazz Festival runs across the country at the same time! The jazz festival was just starting in Vancouver when we departed, and the jazz festival was on in Toronto at the time we were at the Distillery District in Toronto, and now here in Montréal!

We met up with Antoine and Dave in Montréal, the two other CSers who were all being hosted by JP at the same time over Canada Day celebrations. We went to see the Tam Tams at Mont Royal Park, a Sunday tradition which always draws a crowd I was told.

July 4th:
Jan and I trekked up Mont Royal again, this time to see the cross up close. Sadly, there was fencing all around the giant cross when we arrived, discouraging anyone to touch or climb on the structure. The view from the Kondiaronk Belvedere on the mountain top was more beautiful than it was yesterday as the grey skies were no where to be found. The birds-eye view of downtown Montreal with the leafy greens of the forest to frame the lower half of the frame created a striking juxtaposition for the minds eye.

I instantly took a liking to the romanticism of Le Vieux Port with its old colonial buildings, cobblestone roads, and the horse and buggy rides which Montréal Tourism is playing up. Jan and I took a pause here for lunch at a quaint eatery before spilling out to the streets again and stumbling upon the Notre-Dame Basilica. This historical Baroque structure stood prominently and proudly on the street which takes after its name and the inside was even more striking in its grandeur. It’s ornate attention to detail was breathtakingly beautiful that I couldn’t put my camera down.

Continuing our tour on foot of this magnificent part of the city, we walked along the harbour front to the clock tower. We were able to walk up to the top of the structure to have a look at the inner workings of the clock. Looking out from across the St. Laurent River, my eyes made contact to a collection of boxed residential units, precariously stacked on top of one another: Habitat 67. Finally, after all these years of only reading about it in books, magazines, and on the interweb, Moshie Safdie’s defining work of art before my eyes! The old grain silos of Pointe du Moulin was also of interest.

July 5th:
Ventured out to Parc Olympique today and took the funicular to the top of the Montréal Tower where there’s an observation deck. I absolutely love the architecture of this 70s futuristic looking stadium; it looks like a spaceship had just landed. It’s unfortunate that building this stadium proved to be a financial disaster for the city, racking up hundreds of millions of dollars by the time it opened in time for the Olympic games in 1976. By the time it was finally complete with a retractable roof and tower, the price tag for this “Big-O” cost just over a billion.

We met up with Antoine again at the Pie-IX subway station where there was also a BIXI station and took our bikes to the Formula 1 racetrack on Île Notre-Dame, which was the former site of the Montréal Expo in 1967. After cycling around with a BIXI bike with other cyclists on the track, we went to explore the expo grounds some more. What instantly caught my eye was Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic dome which was formerly the American pavilion.

At the end of the day, all this cycling from one BIXI station to another (to exchange bikes every 30 minutes to avoid usage additional fees) got us all hungry and thirsty. We went to La Banquise for a T-Rex poutine and eventually ended up at Bar St. Sulpice on Rue Saint-Denis. This place had a huge terrace in the back and was crowded with people. We were lucky to find a table without waiting too long. As customary to every city I visit, I went straight for the local brewery on tap and tried the Boréale Red and Blonde.

July 6th:
Jan flew back to Vancouver today only to set off on a new trip to Seattle and to San Francisco. After seeing him off at the Trudeau Airport on a wet but humid day, I hopped back on the bus and headed back downtown. Not knowing exactly where I was, I got off the bus and went for a walk around town where I happened to stumble upon the Cathedral-Basilica of Mary, Queen of the World. The rain started to light up and I continued my semi-aimless walk to McGill University. I eventually found myself at the Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art just outside the aptly named Station Place-des-Arts on the Metro. Speaking of art, discovering the many public art by renowned Canadian artists at stations along the Montréal Metro was fascinating. Furthermore, learning about the heritage of the metro system with the train cars running on rubber tyres with its brake blocks made of yellow birch amused me to no end. The wiki page on the Montréal Metro has a lot more information including how the brake blocks are injected with peanut oil to bring the train to a complete stop.

As this was my last night in the city of Montréal, I had invited Antoine and Carl for dinner at the Trattoria Piatto Pieno restaurant in the heart of the Little Italy district. The food was excellent.

July 7th:
Soon after dropping off my bag at Vincent’s place, my CS host for the Quebec City leg of the trip, he introduced me to his beautiful neighbourhood and to some friends of his playing the didgeridoo on the Plains of Abraham. Others were practicing their African gumboot dance in a pavilion in the park.

Later in the evening upon Vincent’s recommendation, I ventured out to an area just a few blocks down where the Cirque du Soleil were giving a free performance for locals. As this was my first experience to a Cirque show, I felt fortunate to finally catch them in action. This free annual event spread over a few nights drew in a respectable crowd as anyone could imagine with lights, music, and choreography to make the magic happen. This was an outdoor event in a space between two active overpasses.

July 8th:
I set off this morning on a walkabout an take in the sights and sounds of Quebec City. The cobblestone streets are all named after notable saints and just full of colour and history. The main thoroughfare so rich in character with historical buildings, merchants and activities emanated a positive sense of vibrancy and culture. With the Festival d’été de Québec about to kickstart, the city was buzzing with visitors from all over, especially with news that Elton John will be performing this year.

Wandering through the historic Château Frontenac and out onto the Dufferin Terrace, I made my way to La Citadelle de Québec where I had taken several tours to learn of its history. Just being here and thinking of the battle between Wolfe and Montcalm that took place here on the Plains of Abraham centuries ago that defined Canada was truly awesome. Three of the four Martello Towers built to defend Quebec City still stands to this day, two of which are on the Plains of Abraham, and one hidden away in a neighbourhood just north of the Plains.

Moving on, I took some time to visit Québec’s Parliament Building and the Fontaine du Tourny just outside of it. I then took in the festive scene along La Grande Allée and met up with Vincent at a later point to take part in some music and dance to end the night.

July 9th:
I set off on another neighbourhood walk today, this time to find the forth Martello Tower. There’s something to be said about stumbling upon something so historical in the middle of a residential area. I was happy to have found it. I then visited the National Museum of Fine Arts and spent some time on a park bench at the National Battlefields Commission. It was a scorching hot day and the sun was relentless so I took a trail in the shade parallel to Avenue Ontario to visit Saint Matthew’s Cemetary, the oldest remaining cemetery in the city and now turned into a park. I found peace here as I usually do when visiting cemeteries, but with the historical context in mind with old tombstones everywhere, even more profound. Saint Matthew’s Anglican Church on the same property is now a public library, a very interesting conversion in my mind.

No visit to Québec is complete without a trip down the picturesque Quartier Petit Champlain. It was crowded with people up and down the narrow pathway but the cute boutique stores that lined it was charming. There’s a funicular that takes up to the Dufferin Terrace for those who don’t want to take the stairs.

I bought tickets for Vincent and I to attend a concert by Stephen Marley and others at the Festival d’été de Québec then hung out with his friends outside the gates just hanging about along the walls of the fortress. Like the night before, music and dance filled the night out with happiness to share in the company of others. Oh, what a night!

July 10th:
Last night was a fantastic finish to a spectacular trip. Drinking bottles of La Fin Du Monde with Vincent on the balcony and looking out to the nightscape of Québec City was like getting high. With my bags in hand waiting for the cab outside in the wee hours of the morning, I took three photos which captured the mood exactly with daybreak just on the horizon.

Three cheers to another day in paradise.

Welcome to Collingwood Village.

2011-03-10T15:49:00.000-08:00

I made good on my second new years’ resolution today by signing the dotted line on a one-year lease agreement with CONCERT Properties. High up on the 18th floor, my views look out to the collection of buildings in the downtown core with the backdrop of our coastal mountains all around. From Point Grey to the west to the sweeping views of SFU on Burnaby Mountain to the east, and to the dominions immediately below me, I have the envious view of the birds eye.

This unit wasn’t actually on my radar when I visited the rental office. I came to inquire about some other units in other buildings in the neighbourhood when I was informed about this corner unit at The Melbourne. I snapped up this currently unoccupied airspace in a heartbeat.

Top Groupon Customer Appreciation Party!

2011-03-09T14:52:00.000-08:00

An interesting email arrived in my inbox from Groupon last week inviting me to a VIP Top Customer Appreciation Party. Apparently, I had bought enough Groupons in the past year to qualify as a magnificent customer, so I brought along Timela and Paul as my guests to what turned out to be a fabulous party on the rooftop pavilion at the Vancouver Art Gallery.

We were indulged in complementary beer, wine and appetizers while mingling with other top Groupon customers. Blank canvases on easels were set up for anyone with creative flair to dabble paint on and were later awarded as prizes for the draw. The current art gallery exhibits were all for us to explore as well; I particularly loved the WE: VANCOUVER | 12 MANIFESTOS FOR THE CITY exhibit where Vancouver was dissected, documented and displayed for her beauty as a whole. Things like Critical Mass, Vancouver Specials, and our attitudes towards freeway expansion were all laid out in a fun and captivating way.

It was also interesting to see what kind of demographics were into Grouponing. To my surprise, those who came to the party anyway were not just young college students but also Gen-Xers and baby boomers as well. And they were all so fun to be with!

Thanks for the invite, Groupon. My friends and I all had a blast! I guess it pays to be a Grouponer.

Greenest City Camp!

2011-03-05T13:38:00.000-08:00

The City of Vancouver and mayor Robertson’s Green Team put on a wonderful “unconference” to engage the public in talking about green initiatives we can all do to make Vancouver the greenest city in the world by 2020.

I volunteered at Green City Camp as one of a few roving photographers for this event which was held at the SFU Centre for Dialogue. It was great to put down the camera once in a while and listen in on some of the lively debates and shared ideals people from every corner of the city contributed.

Vancouver is awesome.

PJ's.

2011-02-05T11:51:00.000-08:00

Joanne made it her mission to take me out for some man-hunting and I complied. With the new year, I had made three resolutions for myself, in no particular order: Find a new place to live, exercise more and find a partner.

We were set to go to a place on Davie called 1181 but when we arrived that night, it seemed pretty dead from the outside looking in. Joanne quickly changed plans and dragged me into the bar next door; a place called Pumpjacks.

I’d never thought I would ever set foot inside Pumpjacks, given that this place was frequented by bears in leather; the big and burly hairy types to which I am so not attracted to. Though there were a few who fit that description when I walked inside, it wasn’t as bad as I had thought. I still felt the imagined glare on me from the regulars there, thinking how out of place I was. But then I met a guy to whom Joanne and I were sharing the table with and we started talking. His name was Paul and he grew up in Nanaimo as one of only a few Portuguese families there. He does a lot of volunteering work in Vancouver.

Joanne had to run off to work her night shift and so she left me there to carry on by myself. Paul and I moved on next door to 1181 for a change of scene. Echo joined us later. Into the wee hours of the morning, we forged ahead to another venue called Five Sixty, but when we got there, they were closing.

What can you do at three in the morning? I was knackered.

Me and You and Avenue Q.

2011-02-01T00:41:00.000-08:00

The off Broadway musical, Avenue Q, finally made its way north of the border and performed at The Centre in Vancouver this evening. I was amongst a sold-out theatre of fans of puppetry doin’ the nasty and was laughing all the way through the course of the performance. The soundtrack is a must-have addition to anyone’s collection!

Chinese New Year.

2011-01-29T23:58:00.000-08:00

Chinese New Year. I could never remember what day is falls on the Gregorian calendar. Fortunately, I have friends who do and invite me to take part in celebrating the new year again. Wesley, the same dude who hosted the Hallowe’en party at his place, had put on another house party to mark this occasion. Between the two parties, Echo and I noticed a trend here: a homogeneity of race. All but one of the dozens of people who came were of asian descent. Granted, this was a Chinese New Year party, but still... Wesley, if you’re reading this, do you have a response to our hilarious observation? ;)

Jan Gehl: Cities for People.

2011-01-24T23:58:00.000-08:00

Imelda and I went to a very interesting speaker event at the Playhouse Theatre this evening. Jan Gehl, a Danish architect well known in circles, gave a speech to an audience of city planners and architects about the importance of building cities for people. The key message I came away with from his lecture was on the three levels of perspectives: a view from the satellite, a view from a plane, and a view from the ground. Of the three, he had stressed that when designing cities, the view from the ground should be paramount, one that many architects fail to see from. Scale is important: the distance in which one has to walk from the street to the building, or the scale between buildings. He had used Brasilia as an example of how NOT to do things: a city designed by planners and architects who only saw things from a satellite view with a complete disregard of the human eye perspective on the ground. Buildings are spread too far apart from one another in a way that it discourages human traffic in the area. There’s no life within, contrary to brochures and blueprints of happy people going about their way.

I hope to participate in many more lectures such as this.

My Brother's Housewarming.

2011-01-14T23:57:00.000-08:00

My brother and sister-in-law invited the whole family over for their housewarming this evening. They had moved into a new four-storey building in Surrey and appeared to quite happy there.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T22:39:00.000-08:00

Echo and I celebrated the end of 2010 and cheered to new beginnings for 2011 at Hennessey. After a few drinkies, we were in really good spirits and spilled out onto the streets at which point I made an effort to carry her on my back to the Canada Line station at Broadway - City Hall. In hindsight, this was a very bad idea as I lost balance within metres from the door. After laughing and rolling on the sidewalk, we picked ourselves up, supported each other and made another attempt to the train station. I don’t remember how we got home.

Cheers to new beginnings.

Christmas Party.

2010-12-24T01:27:00.000-08:00

As a requirement to this evening’s Christmas party at Manuela’s, I had to bring something home-made to the pot-latch dinner and it had to be something uniquely traditional from my country of birth. But because she specifically specified that it may not be from your home country because, and I quote, “since we all consider Canada to be our home now”, I was at a loss as to what to bring to the table since, well, Canada IS my country of birth AND the only country I can call home to.

And so I sent the following email:

I'm absolutely in for your Christmas party on the 24th! If I drink too much Glühwein however, I may have to stay the night!

Aside from my apparent drinking problem, I have yet another predicament. Canada is my country of birth and I still consider it home as well. I made Canadian Butter Tarts last year and thought about baking something else this year from my big book of Kanadisch Kooking Kollektion. But if anything Canadian is forbidden, I guess I could pretend to have just come off the boat from Japan and create a holiday inspired gingerbread sushi. Or how about my Ferrero Rocher maki? Turkey-yaki?

Please tell me that you'll make an exception to the rule for me so that I wouldn't be the only one eating my new creations.

And like the time I went to see my doctor to write me a note excusing me from physical education class in high school, I was excused. Phew! Ferrero Rocher maki does sound pretty good though... I could just hear everyone at the party saying “Monsieur! With these Rocker maki’s, you’re really spoiling us!”

And with that, I slaved away in the kitchen for hours beating eggs, adding sugar, cinnamon, yeast, salt, vanilla extract, soy milk and flour, kneading the dough until it turned elastic. While waiting for the dough to rise, I had sliced and diced McIntosh apples, marinated them in a sugar and cinnamon mixture, and baked them in the oven for about thirty minutes. I took a tennis ball sized clump of dough and flattened it out into a shape of a beaver tail, flash-fried it on a cast-iron pan of canola oil, flipped it into a bowl of sugar and cinnamon mixture, spread Nutella on one side, added the juicy baked apples on top, and dressed it with a little bit of lemon juice.

And voila! Twelve Beaver Tails! The result turned out pretty good considering that this was my first time eating this Canadian pastry and making it too. With comments like “Délicieux!” and “Excellente!”, it was the talk of the party and most everyone asked for the recipe.

From poutine to beaver tails, we Canadians sure know how to eat healthy.

It wouldn’t be a Christmas party without playing Secret Santa, so after desert, we all huddled around Manuela’s ginormous flatscreen TV tuned to the Fireplace Channel and took part in playing wichteln, drawing numbers from a bowl and claiming our prezzies. I won a keychain Maglite with chocolate!

Thanks for hosting such a great party, MSG!

Lantern Festival.

2010-12-21T23:11:00.000-08:00

I went out tonight to the Chinese Gardens with the Vancouver Photography Meetup and friends for the Lantern Festival. While waiting for Tracy and Yuko to show, I ran into Jamie and James of the defunct Vancouver Social Club and their new child in a stroller. Jamie was all big in the belly with a second child on the way.

Lanterns were everywhere inside the gardens, as was to be expected, and really gave the place a different feel all together. Some of the more interesting ones were of the paper stars hanging from the trees and the lotus pods floating on the pond. The cranes around BC Place Stadium looks something like a crown. Having this reflected on the pond inside the garden along with the glass condominium towers nicely juxtaposed the modern with the classic.

PLAY! A Video Game Symphony.

2010-12-06T22:28:00.000-08:00

I can honestly say that the last video game I’d played involved moving around a hungry yellow face around a maze eating dots, lemons and cherries and trying to avoid the ghosts that would follow me around. This was when Google paid tribute to the 20th anniversary of Pac Man earlier this year with it’s interactive Google logo on the homepage. Aside from this one-off, I’d never really been all that interested in games, and for the life of me, can’t understand why or how others can spend so much time with RPGs, first person shooters, and the like.

With absolute certainty, I can say that my childhood upbringing has a lot to do with my disinterest in games; not having ever owned an Atari, ColecoVision, Nintendo, or a SEGA video game console. I was also a bit of a sore loser as a kid and not competitive in nature so it’s easy to understand why I may have avoided playing as often. That’s not to say that I’ve never been exposed to video games, however. I have memories of playing Duck Hunt and Mario games when visiting friends, or playing Tetris on a GameBoy during a family road trip. But with regards to the games that are currently available on XBox, PlayStation, Wii or on a computer, I just don’t see the point and dismiss those who play them as someone who needs help.

While my views on consumers of video games haven’t changed, an appreciation for game developers and musicians commissioned to write music for games had emerged when I learned that the PLAY! A Video Game Symphony was coming to down.

Learning about the names and faces of notable composers, many of whom are Japanese, opened my mind to appreciate their craft. PLAY! was an immersive experience attended by a full house of gamers. Three large screens hung above the choir and orchestra pit projecting videos of games from Super Mario Brothers, The Legend of Zelda, Halo, Final Fantasy, World of Warcraft, Kingdom Hearts, and many more, interspersed with live video feed of the orchestra and the conductor. The audience was encouraged to cheer, whistle, and applaud throughout the performance. And did we ever!

I was so impressed by tonight’s performance from start to finish that I went out and bought a CD/DVD album and a program guide as a memento of this occasion, then stood in line for autographs from composers Michael Curran and Geoff Knorr (Civilization V), Oleksa Lozowchuk (Dead Rising 2), and orchestra conductor Andy Brick. I was also given a free copy of a 2-disc album soundtrack to Civilization V while queuing.

I shall never forget about tonight’s wonderful musical performance.

As I sit here now browsing through eBay for the original Nintendo Entertainment System complete with the gun, Duck Hunt, and Super Mario Bros. game, I think this video game symphony may have been my foray into the world of video games, twenty-five years late.

VO: Lucia di Lammermoor.

2010-12-04T00:48:00.000-08:00

I went on a little outing in Steveston with Jaygan, Timela, and Jonathan in the afternoon. The breeze made for a chilly day but was still bearable under the heat-lamped patio where we ate lunch. I went for a stroll along the boardwalk with Jonathan afterwards to take in the scene of Steveston Village and captured the beautiful sunset as it slowly sunk under the Fraser River. The Blue Hour is one of my most favourite time of day for photography.

In the evening, I got together with Stephanie and Sonia for another evening at the opera. Tonight was for the opening performance of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor; a common storyline which runs parallel to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

80s Video Dance Party @ The Vancouver Alpen Club.

2010-11-20T01:26:00.000-08:00

So here I was with Manuela at the Vancouver Alpen Club for their 80s Video Dance Party. I’ve always enjoyed 80s night as the music of this decade is so awesome, lively, energetic, and great to dance to. To have a contest open to anyone who looked like he or she just got back from this decade of big hair and neon spandex was the cherry on the parfait.

Although the Pet Shop Boys, Erasure, Culture Club and a handful of other great artists were absent from the mix, there were plenty of other tunes including some early 90s stuff to dance along to with music video playing on the giant screen.

I met a few familiar faces here that I hadn’t seen in several years; faces from when I was a regular with the German Meetup Group. It was nice to see them again, along with the new faces all having a great time on the dance floor.

A guy wearing a really flashy t-shirt caught my eye. His 3D cube design on the front of his t-shirt actually flashed to the beat of the music and so I just had to see it up close. It was manufactured by a company called Flashwear and attached to the inseams was a little battery box that controlled the sound sensitivity. It was so cool and I knew right there and then that I wanted one of my own.

Sadly, it looks like this party is a yearly thing. They really should have this kind of 80s night every week!

Spoiled Silly.

2010-11-14T00:21:00.000-08:00

I sure spoiled myself silly today and loved every moment of it.

My morning started off with a good breakfast Ieda made for me. The omelet and tea was delicious and just what I needed to start the day: ENERGY! I was running late with my hypnotism session with Kemila so I darted towards the West End right after thanking Ieda for her hospitality.

What felt like an hour under the mystic spell of Kemila was actually twice as long in real time. I may have used the words mystic spell, but I assure you, this was no witchcraft. There are no casting spells, chants, or magic potions to drink beforehand. Hypnotism isn’t like what you see in the movies either where someone dangles a brass pocket watch like a pendulum and asks you to follow its movement using only your eyes. With Kemila, it was purely communication like you would with a friend or at a job interview, discussing things that I’ve been having issues with that I would like to see corrected or at the very least, guidance towards something workable. The problem I brought forth to share was about family dynamics.

I moved on to the couch after Kemila’s preliminary Q & A session and was asked to close my eyes and use my mind’s eye instead. As a very visual person, I painted pictures in my mind and described them out loud for her, falling into a trance easily, drifting in and out of consciousness and delving into the world of lucidity. I felt so relaxed with a blanket over me and cushions all around that when I came back to reality, I felt mentally cleansed.

From getting my mind cleansed, I went to the Miraj Hammam Spa on Granville to get my body cleansed as well. Using the gift certificate given to me on my birthday from Ieda, I’d booked a hammam and gommage session with a thirty minute massage. It was a wonderful experience breathing in the hot water molecules in the steamroom and then getting the rubdown encouraging exfoliation. Shedding away my old skin, I literally turned into someone new! The massage the followed with essential oils being rubbed on me was just as wonderful. Even the tea and biscuits served for me in the drawing room was delicious.

Not a moment too soon, I was out again exposed to the elements of Vancouver’s rain and walked across the Granville street bridge to get my hair cut for my last bit of transformation. The new me. I’m lovin’ it!

This evening ended with a company of friends at WINGS in Coquitlam, which was followed by more drinks and games with the XBOX KINECT at Java’s new abode.

What an awesome day! Must love myself more often. ;)

VAFF: One Big Hapa Family.

2010-11-07T21:35:00.000-08:00

For closing night of the Vancouver Asian Film Festival, I went to see Jeff Chiba Stearns’ Ode to a Post-it Note, a short stop-animated film about a Post-it note learning about its creator, followed by his feature debut film titled One Big Hapa Family.

One Big Hapa Family was a documentary which looked into his mixed-race upbringing, and what is means to be a “halfsie” in Canadian culture and society. Having been raised by his European father and Japanese mother in Kelowna, BC, the film tried to explain why over 95 percent of the Japanese marry outside their own ethnic group, the largest ethnic group to do so.

It was very well done, and the Q & A interview with the audience and Jeff Chiba Stearns was captivating. When Stearns went to thank his immediate family and asked them to stand up, I realised that they were all sitting in the row right behind me.

After buying the DVD getting a photo taken, we all moved on to the OPUS hotel for the after-party.

So what’s a Hapa, you might ask? Check out Jeff’s film studio at www.meditatingbunny.com to find out!

A Spooktacular Party.

2010-10-29T23:22:00.000-07:00

I met Wesley a few weeks ago by way of Echo when we all got together for drinks in Yaletown. Wes and I clicked instantly when we both learned about our love for the Pet Shop Boys and of 80s music as a whole. When he told me that he went to see the PSB in concert last year at The Centre and an extra ticket to which he couldn’t find anyone to go with, my jaw dropped and eyes widened in disbelief and jealousy. I SO wanted to go as well but couldn’t find anyone else to go with. I waited too long to purchase a ticket for myself that when the time came, seats were all sold out.

Anyway, we met up a few days later at Yaletown Brewery for a big dinner gathering of friends when he invited me to come out to his Hallowe’en party he was throwing at his house. He called it the Pajama Jam Party where you had to come dressed in a Hallowe’en costume or in pajamas. I came dressed as a bedside table with a lamp shade on my head, complete with a chain link light switch hanging down from my forehead. In other word, I was “The One Night Stand”.

The party was lively with a DJ mixing tunes to keep the energy flowing on the dance floor. Strobe lights were installed and very big speakers were mounted at several corners for big sound. He even had a video projector projecting videos on the wall and ran an open bar in the kitchen. At one point throughout the night, there must have been around forty people dressed in pj’s and costumes mingling with other vampires and jack-the-rippers. Then there was “Slutty Alice”, just like Alice from Alice in Wonderland, only sluttier. And those were her words. I joked about her falling down the wrong hole which cracked all of us up.

I made myself a White Russian at the kitchen bar to let loose and loose my inhibitions and then moved on to the dance floor for a series of free-flowing moves that just came to me with the music. I was doing this in my One Night Stand costume for a while until I got really hot inside and took it off. I wasn’t looking for attention, but people started noticing and girls kept coming up to be complimenting me on my sultry moves. I was even more lively whenever I heard the Pet Shop Boys!

The fact that I was there well past four in the morning is testament to how much I’d enjoyed the party. Wow Wesley. You sure know how to put on a house party!

Vision Vancouver Pub Night.

2010-10-20T07:10:00.000-07:00

Apart from the surrounding natural environment this beautiful city of Vancouver is well known for, there are many other facets that make this city incomparable to any other on Earth. From the formation of the Lower Mainland Regional Planning Board in 1949 to the subsequent creation of the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR), the pioneer planners of Vancouver laid down the foundation to pave the way towards a livable region we Vancouverites are blessed with living in today. City planners from around the world come to Vancouver in flocks to see how it all comes together here: mixed-use development of residential and commercial properties, central nodes and arterials creating unique communities, and a functional mass transit system as an alternative to the automobile. Unlike most other metropolitan cities in North America, we have no freeways cutting into or through the downtown core like a knife through the heart of the city.

Transportation was the theme when Vancouver hosted Expo ‘86, which gave birth to the world’s longest automated light metro system we call, SkyTrain, manufactured by Canadian-made Bombardier Inc. Together with a growing network of bike lanes, Vancouver has earned the distinction of, among others, one of the world’s most livable cities and being the greenest city in North America. This livable and sustainable model is what people around the world is calling Vancouverism.

If this city isn’t paradise, it’s the closest thing there is to it.

But we’re not done, nor are we resting on our laurels.

In support of Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson and his Vision Vancouver team, I went to the Vision Vancouver Pub Night which was held at The Charles, a new venue at the Woodwards building development. In addition to making the Burrard bridge bike lane permanent, literally clearing the way for a separated bike lane along Dunsmuir, and most recently along Hornby street, Robertson, an avid cyclist himself, is leading by action and creating a city I’m proud to call home to. I wore my “BIKE LANES MAKE ME HORNBY” t-shirt with PRIDE.

CBC Massey Lecture with Douglas Coupland.

2010-10-12T23:14:00.000-07:00

Just one week after meeting Douglas Coupland at CBC studios, here we were again, this time at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at UBC for this year’s CBC Massey Lecture where Coupland takes to the stage.

Player One: What Is to Become of Us is divided into five hours (chapters/sections) and the Massey Lecture will be touring across Canada in five cities, with the last chapter reading in Toronto. Chapter One, appropriately, was read in its entirety here at the Chan Centre in Vancouver.

A broadcast of this series can be heard on Ideas with Paul Kennedy from November 8 - 12, and as a podcast thereafter.

Ieda finally got her copy of Player One here and queued in line for her own signed book. It was a delightful evening.

CBC Radio One Book Club with Douglas Coupland.

2010-10-05T00:45:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I’d stumbled upon the CBC evening news crew doing a live broadcast from Central City Square, right across from work. Everyone from Gloria Makarenko, Tony Parsons, Claire Martin and Shane Foxman to the A/V technical team was there. The CBC was doing a travelling roadshow bringing the newsroom from 700 Hamilton to different communities in the lower mainland. Surrey’s mayor, Dianne Watts came out to do an interview and the SFU band played a few notes in the background during takes.

In my conversation with a crew at the CBC tent, I dropped Douglas Coupland’s name, out of which I had learned that he was coming to the CBC Radio One Book Club next month. I was pleasantly elated.

I went online to www.cbc.ca/books/bookclub and found out that the only way to attend this reading and live recording was to write, in 200 words or less, why I wanted to go. My first draft surpassed the 200 word limit two-fold. Here’s what I sent after my revision in exactly 200 words:

I just want to be in the same room with Douglas Coupland.

I missed out on an intimate evening with Mr. Coupland last year at Writers Fest where he discussed his new book, Generation A. It wasn't long before that I began reading his books, starting with JPod, a book I couldn't put down. I then got my hands on Generation X, Girlfriend in a Coma, Microserfs, and The Gum Thief. Currently, I'm reading Life After God.

Douglas Coupland plays a vital role in the fabric of this great nation, just like the CBC to which I am also an avid viewer and listener to. It was when I was conversing with a CBC crew member that I learned about Coupland at the Studio One Book Club.

To be in a room of literary fans and be able to experience the same level of energy shown when Jian Ghomeshi came to do a taping of ‘Q’ last year would be a delight.

According to Doug's Law, "Most of us have only a dozen or so genuinely interesting moments in our lives; the rest is filler." Meeting Coupland will certainly be an interesting moment in my life. I hope I win.

And I did win. Two tickets, actually; one for me and a guest. And naturally, I brought Ieda with me.

This studio recording of North by Northwest hosted by Sheryl MacKay interviewed Canada’s celebrated author, Douglas Coupland, on his new book of fiction titled Player One: What Is to Become of Us, a book he’d written specifically for the CBC Massey Lecture. Coupland read excerpts from Player One and answered many interesting questions from the hosts and audience, drawing upon personal experiences while answering them. And because he grew up in Vancouver and still calls Vancouver home, there’s a more personal level to his engagement with the audience and readers of his books who also reside or grew up in Vancouver.

I bought my copy of Player One here and had him sign it. While sitting down with him for a brief one-on-one interview with questions of my own, he also wrote down a short recommended reading list he thought I might enjoy by other authors.

I love books.

Goupon Day.

2010-10-03T23:32:00.000-07:00

I’ve been told by many friends that I’m Groupon crazy. Perhaps they’re right. Looking at my collection of unused Groupons I’d purchased this year so far, it would seem that I’m buying more Groupons at a rate far in excess of the rate I’m redeeming them!

So I did something about it. Recognising that I do have a mild addiction (acknowledging this fact is step one to recovery), I forbade myself to purchase any more Groupons until I’ve used up the ones I have that are expiring soon. And what better way to do that than to devote an entire day going out with friends doing only the things I have Groupons for!

Timela, Tracy, Ieda and I got together for a hearty brunch at Deacon’s Corner and to kickstart our Groupon day, we went to the Vancouver Police Museum where I had five Groupons to redeem. It was sure to be An Arresting Experience™. And it actually was! I didn’t even know about this museum until Groupon featured it earlier this year. I learned a little about forensics, the history of the Vancouver Police, read about the many police dogs who died in the line of duty, the flags and uniforms over the years, unsolved murder mysteries and case files, and had a tour of the old morgue; a wall of stainless steel filing cabinets for bodies, one of which had the name “Obi Wan Kenobi”. Then there was the collection of hand guns seized by the police, and the autopsy table with real specimens of organic matter in glass jars. It was morbidly awesome.

After meeting up with a craigslister for the City of Glass book by Douglas Coupland, we were off to Mr. Pickwicks for some fish and chips and popcorn chicken down at the Marpole location. We had plenty to eat out on the patio table after redeeming my four Groupons.

In the evening, we were off to the H. R. MacMillan Space Centre to learn about astronomy and recognise some of the constellations in the night sky. I have a personal connection to this place. It’s been many years since I was here last, and to relive my childhood memories of coming here on a school field-trip was a trip down memory lane. Inside the Planetarium Star Theatre, Harrold, the projector in the middle of the dome, displayed a 360º celestial view of the night sky as seen above several metropolitan cities around the world including London and what we may see when we look up under different seasons. It was like being on the Holodeck. Hahaha!

Night had fallen upon us when we left the domed theatre to walk out to the Gordon MacMillan Southam Observatory for an actual look at the stars above us now through the high-powered telescope controlled by a computer. Entering coordinates or cropping to the area we wanted to focus on on the 2D map on screen caused the whole roof of the observatory to move with the giant telescope to point toward the area in focus. This really excited the child within me all over again.

While I’d managed to use up a lot of Groupons today, I have many more Groupons to use. I can’t wait to organise another Groupon Day! Thanks Groupon, and thanks Tim for driving us around!

Three Weddings... and a Funeral?

2010-09-18T00:56:00.000-07:00

I came back from the wedding in South Korea only to attend yet another wedding on the 12th; this time at the Arbutus Club in Vancouver. And this banquet party was huge in comparison. There must have been over a hundred and fifty people in attendance; family and friends all together to celebrate the union of Imelda and Sameer. Su was the maid of honour and was sitting nice and pretty at the head of the table with the newly weds. Su

They’d hired a team of photographers who took pictures and HD videos with Canon cameras. There was a guy editing videos on a MacBook Pro on the fly as well. The high quality video of the actual wedding ceremony in the morning was made into a well edited, full featured film for the banquet in the evening. Amazing...

After chowing down on a buffet of delicious morsels, followed by drinks at the open bar, it was dance time on the dance floor! The evening wrapped up with more drinks and a colourful piñata being beaten to death. Little children gathered around the bride and groom, who each took turns beating the shit out of it, blindfolded, waiting to pounce on it’s innards. However, it just wouldn’t die. Someone commented that the piñata should be made in China next time.

After several more blows to this docile creature did it finally spill out what the young children were waiting for... candies. Except that there were more than just candies: candy fruit favoured condoms as well. The kids were going nuts, but so were their parents, I’m sure. It’s all fun.

The third and final wedding was on the 18th for Jay and Morgan, affectionately hereby now known as Jaygan. This was held at Milner Gardens at beautiful Qualicum Beach on the island. As Jay was Norm’s best man when Norm and Lucy got married last year (also in September), it was only appropriate that Norm be Jay’s best man. It was supposed to rain this weekend but the sun came out instead, casting its ray of light on us all. Echo, Ieda and I stayed at the newly built Beach Club Resort with a balcony overlooking the boardwalk along the beach. Couples young and old walked hand in hand while dogs ran after their master on the beach at low-tide. At the end of the boardwalk was a small gazebo where another small wedding was being conducted.

In the evening, Tim and Kemila, Echo, Ieda and I decided to crash someone else’s wedding party by gyrating on the dance floor. Although we had kept to ourselves and was clearly having fun, we were asked to leave by a hotel staff informing us that this was a private party and not a public club. No one else seemed to mind, but whatever... we acquiesced.

Three weddings in as many weeks. Whew! Now that it’s all done and over with, I think it’s time for a funeral. Here’s hoping that it wouldn’t be mine.

Seoul Searching.

2010-09-10T00:58:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know, I know. I just couldn’t leave that pun alone!

So here I was off to South Korea to participate in my brother’s wedding not knowing if they’d be someone to greet me when I arrive at Incheon International (ICN). In any normal situation, one would think that the basis such as exchanging names and contact numbers of people, information about flight arrivals and departures, and where and when to meet would have been covered. Not so when you leave it in the hands of Stanley. Even mom and dad, who took off on the first of September, the day before I did, didn’t know what to expect the moment they wheeled their luggage through the arrivals gate.

Emails to Stanley for information went unanswered. The best we could do was to send him information about flight numbers and arrival times along with a subsequent update on their six-hour delay due to hurricane Earl back east, and hope that if would get to him in time. It was under this uncertainty in which my folks flew out of Vancouver International (YVR).

Because I had procrastinated when it came to booking my flights until the last minute, economy class was all filled up I had no choice but to fly Executive Class on JAL (boohoo). And even still, I had to catch a connecting flight at Narita International (NRT).

As requested and granted, I had no one beside me on the first leg of the trip and comfortably sat by the window in my fully automated clam shell seat that transformed into a bed with a push of a button. My in-flight movie was Letters to Juliet a sappy spineless film which followed a well used Hollywood formula and concluded with a predictable ending. My bad. My inflight meal, however, was delicious! Foie gras and port wine jelly for hors d’Oeuvre and a fillet of beef steak with port wine sauce accompanied with ratatouille and fresh salad. With my meal, I had a selection of champagne, whites and reds to choose from. I went for the Louis Jardot Bourgogne Rouge Couvent des Jacobins 2008. For snacks, they served traditional Japanese osembe (rice crackers) and JAL’s original Sky Time Yuzu drink. “Airline food” have most certainly come a long way.

Arriving at NRT, I went straight for the internet cafe hoping to get information from Stanley. That was a negative. I spent the rest of my two-hour layover reading Douglas Coupland’s The Gum Thief in the airport lounge.

Arriving at ICN, disturbingly hot and humid at 29ºC, I was glad to see familiar faces. Stanley and his wife to be, Hyejung, escorted me out of the airport to the car waiting out front with her father at the wheel. We drove over to the Koryo hotel in Bucheon where I was reunited with my parents once again. Not a moment too soon, they’d asked me about my flight over which I gladly went into detail about until I was abruptly told to stop the moment I said the word champagne. It turned out that their economy flight on Air Canada served cup noodles for dinner and water for drinks. They had to ask for tea.

The wedding, which was on the fourth of September, was nice and simple. It was my first time seeing my brother in a tux. News of the wedding itself came by surprise. It was a western styled wedding with a Korean twist. It took place in Korea where Korean food was served and consumed by friends and family of the bride and groom who were mostly all Koreans. Though they didn’t speak much English, my new extended family were very nice and hospitable. Mom looked really good in her kimono.

The next day, we went to visit the Korean Folk Village. The weather turned on us while we were in the van and we’d witnessed our first tropical thunder shower with water droplets as big as marbles got us drenched from head to toe in a few seconds. It didn’t stop us from venturing outside, however. I was even bold enough to take my DSLR out, though in hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have.

It was mom’s birthday on the sixth and we helped her eat her cake at our hotel suite.

After seeing my folks off at the bus station for their journey back home, I checked out of my hotel and made my way to visit a friend of mine, his wife, and their nineteen-month old son on the other side of Seoul. They were kind enough to host me for the next three nights while I explored Seoul on my own.

An art district called Heyri located about ninety minutes north-west of Seoul caught my interest while I was looking at places to visit. It turned out to be a wonderful place with art studios, galleries, cafes and residences all housed in very unique pre-fab structures. It was architecturally amusing and I’d spent about five hours there just walking in and out of structures and discovering new things. This whole area was a quiet place, not frequented by a lot of people. It’s nothing to complain about, as I came here to get away from the tourists, but is gave it a slightly eerie feeling. I walked through many galleries there, fully lit and air conditioned with music playing, but there was no one in sight. It was a delight.

That evening, I met up with Jiyun, another friend of mine I hadn’t seen since leaving Beijing. We got together for dinner at Hongik University and briefed each other on our lives. She’s as beautiful, cheerful, and fun as I remember her to be and her laughs and smiles are so affectionate, it’s genuine. What great friends I have!

The next day, I ventured back into the city and explored the Deoksugung Palace and the Gyeoghuigung Palace. It was a place steeped in history and the architecture was very similar to that of ancient China’s Forbidden City with structural columns and beams in crimson red and rooflines ornately decorated with splashes of yellow, green, blue and orange and motifs of clouds and floral patterns. While strolling the grounds of ancient Korea, a view of new world Seoul came emerged from behind. The building beside the glass tower was under construction and had a blue G20 Seoul Summit banner covering the entire façade. The juxtaposition of Seoul’s glass towers from the pottery roof shingles of the palace was poetic.

At the Seoul Museum of Art, an exhibit titled Media City Seoul 2010 was on display. What caught my eye was that this exhibit was supported in part by the British Columbia Arts Council. Entrance was free and I was even given a device that gave audio tours. I was instantly captivated by artist Sara Morris’ Beijing; a video montage of the sights and sounds of Beijing. I sat there on the floor for well over an hour waiting for the end of the video which I never got to. There was another video installation by Rainer Ganahl titled I Hate Karl Marx, of a German woman yelling and ranting at a statue of Karl Marx in a park... in fluent mandarin. The video and still images from this video can be found on the artist’s website here: www.ganahl.info/Ihatekarlmarx.html

Visiting Seoul was a nice experience, even when I was caught in a torrential downpour twice. I can now add another country to the list of countries I’ve travelled.

Things that I noticed in Korea:

- Little rectangular block of foam padding on car doors. Almost every vehicle had them! Is this to avoid door dings and dents?

- Barcode labels on car windows. Is this a remnant of new vehicle identification as seen on dealers lots? Koreans seem to like to keep it on regardless of how old the vehicle is.

- Old vehicles in Seoul are few. Most on the roads were produced within the last five years, dominated by Kia and Hyundai badges.

- A section of highway along the Han River were scored so that the tune Marry Had A Little Lamb could be heard while the tyres drove over them. How novel!

- SPAM is considered as gourmet food. Of course it is; it’s IMPORTED! They come in fancy packaging, typically as a box set of eight cans, and is traditionally given as a gift. The power of marketing.

- The kimchi fridge. A top loading fridge (like a deep freezer) specifically for storing kimchi. Only in Korea.

- Fashionable young Koreans. Between China, Korea, and Japan, Koreans display a good sense of style. Good looks to boot.

- When approaching an interchange station on Seoul’s metropolitan subway, a 10-second clip of Vivaldi’s Violin Concerto in A Minor is played before announcing the name of the next station. With 13 lines criss-crossing each other, this tune quickly became an ear-worm tune.

Galloping the Goose for the Potholes.

2010-08-29T00:55:00.000-07:00

This was my second time in as many years to “Do the Goose” with my avid cyclists, Norm and Jay. This year, however, we went a bit further down the trail to the Sooke Potholes, a natural formation left by glacial activities from thousands of years ago.

I also learned of the significance of the Galloping Goose Trail and where it got its namesake after reading a place mark along the way. It’s named after a gas-powered passenger train that once ran along this very path which transported passengers and mail from Sooke to Victoria and back, twice a day in the roaring 1920s. While the majority of the trail is covered with dirt, gravel and mulch, there are certain areas where the railroad tracks can still be seen poking under the paved cement.

It took us a good five or six hours of cycling doing on average 15 km/h from Lochside Trail to the Galloping Goose Trail until we got to the Potholes to where we camped for the night. There were lots of beautiful things to see along the way. A moment of awe struck me when I had to cross over a very large trestle which bridged over a valley. I could imagine how the passengers of the Galloping Goose must have felt as they looked out of the windows over the crossing. It’s all made of wood!

On the way back the next day, Jay was visibly agitated by the time we stopped for lunch at a White Spot. He made it known to the two of us that he was wanting to catch the five o’clock sailing so that he could be back on the mainland to see his other half at the airport. I must admit, I was a bit vexed to learn of this as I usually am when I’m being rushed, but more so because Jay was willing to compromise the fun we’ve been having so far on this trip to pursue something in which I thought was unnecessary. Hello Canada Line?

He bolted as soon as the bill arrived and Norm soon followed. I left shortly after finishing the salad Jay didn’t touch and continued enjoying the rest of the day truly appreciating the great outdoors and not taking anything for granted. I kept pace and with mental goal posts as I progressed: the Shell petro station at Mt. Newton X-ROAD, the scenic beachfront along Lochside Drive, and the marina at Shoal Harbour.

Just as I got to my second goal post, I got a text from Jay:
We are here for 5pm ferry. Do you want us to buy ticket for you? 4:34pm 29-AUG-10

I texted back a “yes please” and continued my way to the ferry terminal. However, once I made it to where all the cyclists were waiting to get on board, I read the following message from Jay:
Oops! Ferry is here not enough time for me to run. If you are near you can get the ticket. 4:39pm 29-AUG-10

Infuriated, I cycled back up the hill fighting traffic that was coming off the ferry to cut across the road and made my way to the ticket booth where I got a ticket for myself right at the last moment. Cycling back down, I had to fight with vehicle traffic now boarding the ferry. Then I had to find space along the side of the vehicle bay to rest my bike.

The next text didn’t make me feel any better:
Hope you made it! We are on Deck 5. 5:00pm 29-AUG-10

After locating them on Deck 5, I’d expressed my anger explaining to Jay that if he hadn’t sent me that initial text, as good intentioned as it was, I would have naturally bought a ticket for myself without having to go through all the nonsense. Norm also gave him a grilling with an “I told you so!” Apologetically, he’d bought me a bottle of Canada Dry and we were all friends again.

Aside from the slight hiccup in the end, the Goose was conquered with great success. With weekends like this, summer is going by quickly. Hip hip to the next one!