Here are just a few of the wonderful things about my 30th birthday (which ended up spanning across 2 days):
- My husband did not throw me a surprise party
- He did surprise me by taking me out to supper and a movie (The Dark Knight)
- The look on Hailey's face when my husband told her to wish me a Happy Birthday (she has just recently started to understand what Birthday means - mostly it's associated with presents so she was very excited)
- The big hugs I got from Hailey when I dropped her off at daycare and she told her daycare mom it was my birthday; this was no lame shoulder head rest, I got a full, long hold, tight squeeze!
- Taking PTO the day after my birthday to spend it at the zoo with my family.
- Walking into the conservatory and when Hailey saw the pond she yelled out "Fishy's where are you?!!!"
- Hearing Hailey say "Ewww, really big nakes!" and having her run into my arms because she was scared.
- Finally being able to go on my parents boat for a evening on the river.
And last but certainly not least......
Ordering a drink at supper and the waitress wanted to see my I.D. YES!!! :o)
In addition to the aforementioned explosions, our
weekend was filled with some colourful culture.
On Saturday, we ventured out for the Powell
Street Festival in the notorious Downtown Eastside. For those who may not know, this
poverty-stricken area is the place in
Vancouver for
drugs, prostitution and other such shady business. We tend to avoid even driving through there,
but the event was going on in Oppenheimer
Park (located in the midst
of it all), so we jumped on a bus and rode through the craziness.
The festival is a celebration of Japanese-Canadian
culture, and we got to experience a little of everything. We started by perusing the craft booths,
which included very cool origami art, hand-crafted tea sets and several sushi-shaped
items like jewellery and candle sets. We
tried two Japanese items for lunch: a hot dog with seaweed, terikayi, and
wasabi mayo (surprisingly good) and some dorayaki (sweet, bean-filled pancakes). And we smiled at a few Japanese
phrases we overheard and recognized from watching Sailor Moon (a Japanese anime).
Much like the Sawan Mela event a few weeks ago, the performances here were amazing. The groups ran the gamut from contemporary (a Japanese-Canadian punk band was playing when we arrived) to traditional (featuring one set by the same duo we saw at the Ohanami event in April). We really enjoyed watching the taiko drumming group, whose members managed to combine precision with equal parts exuberance during every piece.
Sunday was the day of Vancouver’s infamous Pride Parade. After walking around at the Powell Street
Festival all day Saturday, staying up for fireworks that night and then completing
our regular six-mile run on Sunday morning, we were looking forward to relaxing
during this event. Clearly, we had no
idea what we were getting into.
The Pride Parade this year stretched out over 3 miles
and took 3 HOURS to finish the route.
Not that this made it boring; oh no, it was 180 minutes of PURE
PARTY. We joined the spectators
(estimated to be near 500,000) in clapping, cheering and dancing around as the participants
and floats – with their live bands and blasting techno music – cruised by,
rainbow-hued flags, banners and balloons flying behind. The parade was brimming with a celebration of
the GLBT community and sexuality in general; I absolutely loved it.
Mixed in with the requisite drag queens and
scantily-clad twentysomethings were some unexpected faces. Coming from the Midwest
(where such participation is unheard of), I was pleased to see the number of
political figures (current mayor, mayoral candidates, the local MP and the leader of a national party!)
joining whole-heartedly in the gaiety.
And there was even representation by the firefighters, police, EMTs,
Mounties and armed forces. Canada, you rock.
Overall, the Pride Parade (and the weekend in general) left me with a feeling of pride for how welcoming Vancouver is. But it also taught me an important lesson: next year, we are totally bringing chairs.
Last weekend saw the conclusion of Vancouver’s annual Celebration of Light. This international fireworks competition is
held over four nights (two Wednesdays and two Saturdays) every summer, with
three countries competing for the top prize (and one night for the grand
finale). The fireworks are shot off a
barge anchored in English
Bay – an easy, five-minute
walk from our apartment! – and attended by close to 500,000 people. Each show lasts for 25 minutes and is set
meticulously to music, thus making the biggest explosions all the more
dramatic.
The 2008 teams represented Canada, the U.S. and China. Canada ended up taking home the first-place prize (and we agreed their show was the most artistic), but China won the people’s choice award (probably due to the non-stop barrage of enormous, ear-shattering explosions that ran throughout their show). We loved every minute of this experience and are already looking forward to joining the (insane) crowds again next year.
I was in seventh grade social studies when I first
found Vancouver
on a map. It wasn’t by accident; I had
recently noticed that my favourite show (and soon to be newest obsession) The X-Files was filmed there. I decided then that someday, somehow I would
visit that mysterious Canadian city.
It took many years (and months of planning) before I
made it happen. But in July 2001, I
arrived in British Columbia
for a ten-day tour with Ian, Shane and Amy in tow. I had plotted out an extensive list of X-Files-related stops to find in Vancouver and its
surrounding suburbs (thanks in large part to the book X Marks the Spot). It was the ultimate treasure hunt for a bunch
of X-Philes (that is: nerds) on vacation.
We visited upwards of 100 locations in total. At many spots, we staged re-enactments of the
related scene(s), resulting in some pretty hilarious pictures. Here is just a sample of the (embarrassing
totally awesome) shots we took.
Perhaps I should have realized then how my life was
going to change, but I didn’t. It would
require several more trips out west (and long, are-we-crazy? discussions) for
me and Shane to understand just how much Vancouver
had affected us.
So for those who have wondered how we ended up here, there you go. It all started with a little television show and a middle-school student with big, dorky dreams. How appropriate, then, that this weekly paper ended up on our doorstop within the first month of residing here.
Around our house we watch a good share of movies but we also try to listen to a lot of music too. Especially when I get concerned about the amount of TV Hailey is watching. We have a handful of kids CD's and Hailey loves them all but mom and dad, we get a little sick of Wee Sing. I decided to make another investment in music and purchased 3 new kid CD's. So far "Jazz for Kids" has been Hailey's favorite.
My brother-in-law had us listen to his copy when he was home for a visit and I was impressed that it wasn't just jazz, it was classic jazz artists singing kids songs! Nothing like getting the song "Ain't nobody here but us chickens" stuck in your head for the day. Or who can resist a version of "Old McDonald" sung by Ella Fitzgerald! These songs come on and Hailey starts dancing around and attempts to learns the words. Pretty priceless.
If you are wondering, the other 2 CD's we purchased were "Snack Time" by the Barenaked Ladies and "For the Kids" a compilation of various artists. She isn't really into those yet but I think as she gets older we'll be playing them more often.
After Shane heard back about the job last Monday, we started a week-long extravaganza of getting him ready (read: shopping) and
cramming in as much fun (read: eating out and getting out) as possible.
Friday we drove over to the North Shore again for some mountain hiking in Cypress Provincial Park. Along one of the trails, we ran into a resident of the mountain (apparently there are close to 160 cabins in that area), and he suggested we try hiking to the top of Hollyburn Mountain. We gave it a shot and made it within 2 km of the peak, but had to turn around due to time constraints and lack of proper footwear. But we will be back to conquer the mountain one of these weekends! (Without my sandals.)
Friday evening, Ian drove up, and the three of us spent the weekend just hanging out. It was a perfect, relaxing way to cap off a great week. We went to see The X-Files movie too (but of course); it was terribly lame, but made me nostalgic for the good old days when the show was in its prime. Stay tuned for more on that in my next post...
Next Monday, I start full-time work as the GIS Specialist for the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority at Canada Place in downtown Vancouver.
Receiving the job offer made today extra awesome because it was also Tisha's birthday. We celebrated with a classy dinner at The Fish House in Stanley Park.
Next Monday, I start full-time work as the GIS Specialist for the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority at Canada Place in downtown Vancouver.
Receiving the job offer made today extra awesome because it was also Tisha's birthday. We celebrated with a classy dinner at The Fish House in Stanley Park.
We stopped in at the Sawan Mela festival last
weekend. It was held in the Punjabi Market area, an (East) Indian commercial district in southern Vancouver.
Considering that we’ve been able to bike, ferry or walk to many of our
events, we viewed this as a Big Trip Out and took The Couv – even though the
round trip was still under 20 miles.
There wasn’t much to do at the festival. A few
booths were set-up for food (roasted corn, curries, ice cream) and sponsors. I did manage to score some free Timbits, aka donut
holes from the Canadian donut giant, Tim Horton’s. And Shane sampled some kulfi faluda, a pistachio, cardamom and rose-flavoured ice cream with soft noodles on top. Yum.
Thankfully, the performances made our trek out there more than worthwhile. Sawan Mela is billed as a celebration of South
Asian culture. So we got to hear
traditional South Asian singers (one a duo of five-year-old twins) and watch of
variety of South Asian dancers (including one who performed with fire).
My personal favourite was a dance group composed entirely of young boys (probably 8-12 years old). Decked out in colourful green and blue robes/turbans, they jumped and twirled and kicked around stage with so much enthusiasm and energy, I couldn’t help but smile. There’s something very rewarding about seeing children of any culture embrace their heritage so warmly. (Especially on a breeze-less day as hot as that Saturday!)
