58: I ENJOY SURREY

After work today, I braved the rain and the drive to Surrey (ie. Whalley, crime capital) to go to another free outdoor concert. This time it was Tokyo Police Club and Wintersleep. How ironic that I managed to get to the front, right against the barricades, when I only knew one song while everyone around us were big fans. Whalley's not so bad...at least there were so many police cars around the venue that I felt safe! Lots of security in the area.

57: DANCE PARTY

My sister is in town for the weekend, so I went with Giosy and Anna to Ceili's Pub to meet up with her there to watch the gold medal curling game. It was so exciting and intense. I would love to go to a curling match and ring a cowbell one day!

We then headed to LiveCity where we caught the semifinal hockey game between Canada and Slovakia before Girl Talk started. While we were standing in the soon-to-be mosh pit, an exchange occurred between Anna and a random dude.

Dude: Were you eyeing me? You're so cute!
Anna: No..I don't think my BOYFRIEND would appreciate that.
Dude: Oh but you're so cute! I really think you were eyeing me.
Anna: Maybe under different circumstances...
Dude: (mishearing her) First Nations? I am First Nations!
Anna: I said, "MAYBE UNDER DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES"
Dude: Oh. OK. I'm not actually First Nations anyway.

HAH!

Girl Talk, on the table, crouched over his laptop, while girls from the audience dance around him on the stage.

I started off so close to the front, but what a mosh pit I was in! I'm really not a big fan of body surfing, especially when the person kicks me on the head and falls on me because I did not hold them up. I am also not a big fan of being caught in the middle of a girl fight (complete with pushing and shoving and some yelling). But otherwise, it was a fun, crazy, dance party, once we backed up a little bit and got out of the moshing zone.

Girl Talk (aka Gregg Gillis) looked a bit like Jesus. He started off fully clothed. Then his t-shirt got torn so it hung off his shoulder. And then, finally, he just took off his shirt.

And what better way to end off my day than with fireworks and a picture with a girl dressed as a banana.

56: 'MOTHER SPIRITS'

Part of the Love Life Light display on Granville.

55: AFTER HOURS

Inside my car, after work.  I've started seeing the beauty in some of the most mundane things.

54: AGEING GRACEFULLY

According to modern technology, this is what I will look like in 50 years. The one on the left is me if I wear sunblock and wide rimmed hats, while the one on the right is me if I decide to wear SPF 4 while suntanning. It looks like I am NOT going to be a hot grandma.

53: UNDER THE BRIDGE

Graffiti artwork under the Granville Street Bridge.

I went to Granville Island with Giosy to catch a francophone concert. We heard loud drumming as we approached the stage, and we saw the strangest procession when we arrived:

Umm, what was this?!?!

52: FEBRUARY BLOSSOMS

Cherry blossoms: an early spring has arrived!

And here is a walk down Robson Street at night, after work and after the Canada vs USA hockey game. I was confused because there were people dressed in their Canada flag capes, yelling and cheering and being rowdy, even though Canada had lost. I thought maybe my coworker had lied to me and that Canada DID win. Unfortunately I was wrong and these people were just rowdy because they were drunk.

I think it is a bit exhilarating to be walking down the middle of a street that is usually dominated by cars. I also think that last sentence I just wrote shows what an exciting person I really am! Hah.

51: I THINK MY LIFE IS PASSING ME BY

Today was a fantastic day, because I got to do three of my favorite things:
1. Eat a hot dog: in this case, a Japadog
2. Spend time with my good friends, my travelling sisters
3. Watch a free concert: Sam Roberts Band at Livecity Yaletown

Now, I did spend a good deal of time today standing in line, notably 2 hours for my Japadog and 1 hour to get into the concert site. In hindsight, we should probably have waited another two weeks to get the Japadog, when all the tourists will be out of Vancouver. But, our regular hot dog guy was not working today, and I was desperate for a hot dog, and so that is where my afternoon went. If only I could have more days like this: sunny, fun, and full of cheap and free things!

I have realized that this is the prime of my life, and yet I spend the majority of my time at work, or sleeping, or relaxing at home. I should be out enjoying life, right? If only I didn't find going out so exhausting. Why am I such an old lady at heart??? And in body too, since I always have foot and back pain, and I am only in my early twenties! Oh dear, who knows what ailments I will have when I am in my sixties.

50: PINEAPPLE EXPRESS

The first of my pineapple series. I have found many pineapple themed objects around the house! Stay tuned for more pineapple.

49: GRASSY NIGHT

I was crouched down to take this photo, and then I looked up. Big mistake, there was a huge spider hanging from the railing, right on top of my head. I hate bugs. This is one of the dangers of going outside.

48: "YOU GUYS ARE A BUNCH OF CHANTING WHORES"

- Stephen Colbert, because he thinks Canadian crowds chant too much

I woke up at the crack of dawn to catch a live taping of the Colbert Report. His guests included Michael Buble (above on the left, beside Stephen Colbert) and Bob Costas, the NBC sportscaster, who eventually climbed up on the moose after relentless chanting from the crowd to "RIDE THE MOOSE".

The crowd was huge. I don't think Colbert anticipated that this many Canadians would come to watch his show.

Even Ujjal Dosanjh was there because Colbert had done an interview with him for his "Better Know a Riding" segment. He was giving out free pins. I stuck my hand out for so long because I wanted a pin, but they never gave me one and totally ignored my hand. Niki and Anna both got a pin, but I AM THE ONE WHO LIVES IN YOUR RIDING, UJJAL!!! GUESS WHO IS NOT VOTING FOR YOU FOR THE NEXT ELECTION!

Ujjal's pin:

Ujjal enjoying himself as Colbert played his interview on the monitors:

47: LIGHTS AND MUSIC

I miss my concert buddies! Why did you have to move to France and Japan? I haven't been to a concert in more than a year. I miss the days when I was going to one every month with you guys.

My top 3 concert moments:

1. YELLE - Who knew I would like French rap/pop/dance music so much? Being in the middle of the crowd, surrounded by Yelle's hardcore fans, cheering, singing, and dancing to her music, everyone was going crazy around me. (I was going crazy too.) The Yelle concert was just incredibly fun. AMOUR!






2. RADIOHEAD - It was an outdoor concert and we were drenched from the pouring rain. But Radiohead is such an amazing band to see live. Especially during Paranoid Android, when Thom Yorke started singing "Rain down on me from a great height," as he looked up at the rain coming down on him. That moment was magical. I was soaking wet but I didn't even care!



3. INTERPOL - Interpol is awesome, and I love them, and we were right at the front because we waited in line for so long and it was so worth it. The crowd was into the music, but no one was aggressively pushing or shoving me, so I had a great time. Oh, I really love Interpol. Please come back to Vancouver.


Honorable mentions for:

4. THE KILLERS - Back before they were really big, and they were still playing small venues like the Vogue.

5. THE STROKES - My first mosh pit. People were fainting all around me, and my face was pushed up against a tall guy's back so I couldn't breathe. I thought I was going to die!

I love live music and am hoping to go to some free olympic concerts soon!

46: AN OLYMPIC DAY

A bicycle at the Vancouver house in Livecity Yaletown. I spent all day walking around Vancouver going to the different countries' pavilions...the long line-ups everywhere were so not worth it. I didn't get any free things, not even get any free cheese!

And then I went home and watched my friend Ciambella Rae present the gold medal to Alex Bilodeau on TV during the medal ceremonies. My FRIEND presented Canada's first ever gold medal on home soil. Wow! Ciambella Rae, you are one lucky girl!

45: HEARTS ON FIRE

There's something in the air tonight
A feeling that you have that could change your life
There's something burning up inside
I reach out for you and our hearts collide
With hearts on fire I reach out to you tonight...

Happy Valentine's Day and Happy Chinese New Year! And Bilodeau won Canada's first gold medal; today is a day for glowing hearts indeed.

With this theme of hearts, I leave you with my favorite poem:

i carry your heart with me

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)

i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet) i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

-e.e. cummings

44: IN CONTEMPLATION

Wrapped in a knit blanket, looking out the window to the rain drenched city outside.

43: A DOWNTOWN AFFAIR

Today, I went downtown and fought my way through hordes of people to get a hot dog from my favorite stand on Robson Street. The tastiness of the hot dog made me very happy and put me in such a good mood afterwards. It tasted so incredible..I don't know whether or not it was just because I was extremely hungry from rock climbing in the morning, but I was very satisfied with my $3.50 jumbo hot dog. The hot dog guy on that corner never disappoints me.

Robson Street was the busiest I have ever seen it. The opening ceremonies were tonight, and the street was buzzing with people all decked out in their Canada gear beforehand. Every few minutes, I would hear someone going "whooooo" and would look up to see them whizzing by on the zip lines. CTV was broadcasting the news from the street, so there were tons of people jockeying for a chance to wave and cheer in the background. There were even protestors dressed in hippie clothing marching down the street.

And to think, if I had stayed on Robson an extra 4 hours, I would have been able to be one of those people chasing Wayne Gretzy in the rain on his way to light the external Olympic torch. As Giosy puts it, those people were like kids running after the ice cream truck. Gretzky was their ice cream.

My hot dog (with fried onions underneath)...YUM! Then I had a caramel apple afterwards...DOUBLE YUM!

42: OLYMPIC FEVER

I am infected with Olympic fever and excited that the Olympics are here in town!!

The Olympic torch came just a block away from where I was working today, but unfortunately I had to stay inside because someone had to man the pharmacy and protect the drugs. The exchange of flames happened right in front of my coworker though so I am envious. At least a customer showed me his pictures of the torchbearer afterwards. Between his pictures, and my coworkers' descriptions of what happened, it's almost like I was right there with them...

If only someone wanted to come with me to watch Arnold Schwarzenegger carry the flame through Stanley Park tomorrow! It's too bad no one is willing to wake up at 5am to see the Governator with me.

Here is the other side of the mittens. Yes this is what I do before going to work to amuse myself.

41: BAAAD ANNA

I dedicate this to my dear friend Anna. She's not your mama's girl; she is a baaaaaad Anna.

40: A TASSELED BIKE

A motorcycle for sale, bathed in the mid-afternoon sun. Notice the leather tassels on the handlebars. I would've gotten some better pictures if its owner wasn't standing behind the restaurant window smiling at me and pointing at the phone on his hand, presumably asking if I wanted to buy this motorcycle from him. Maybe he put the tassels on to make it more attractive to the ladies.

I had to leave after taking the second photo because the owner was still standing, staring, and holding his phone up at me.

Also, the Olympic spirit is gripping the city!

39: LISTENING TO INFINITY

Relax. Take your time.

I bought a remote yesterday. My problems have been solved. I only wish that I remembered to bring my stick.

38: SEEING THROUGH MY EYES

Looking through my glasses at John, Paul, Ringo, and George. And here is one of my corkboard:

37: SELF PORTRAIT FAIL

Today I spent about 40 minutes trying to take ONE decent photo of myself and failed. I have come to realize that :

a.) My house needs better lighting

b.) I should stop taking pictures in the bathroom

c.)  I have focusing issues which can be corrected by

      i.) Getting a remote, or

      ii.) Getting a life sized manequin to sub in for me

d.) I don't like having my camera in the photo with me, but I don't have skills to keep it away from the picture

e.) Not even the stick can help make my self portrait better. I tried.

1.) Problem: I have the top of my head cut off

2.) Fixed problem 1, and took out my stick

3.) Trying different poses with stick

 

4.) I even tried putting a scarf over my head to hide my identity

 

Lesson of today: 

1.) I have very much left to learn

2.) Self portraits are very frustrating

36: YOU GOTTA BE HERE

Ceiling above the Robson ice rink.

I am loving the more festive feel of downtown, with the live performances, art displays, and light shows. Free ice skating, free ziplining, free Leonardo da Vinci exhibit at the art gallery: I am always down for free things.

35: PATIENCE

Public transportation requires a lot of waiting around, and it's going to get worse once the Olympics start. According to translink, wait times for the skytrain will be one hour because it will be the equivalent of having a football game, major concert, and fireworks all at the same time. If only I could work from home like some other lucky people I know.