New Year's Eve

Spent New Year's Eve at the Waldorf and it turned out to be a really cool venue. There were a bunch of rooms, each with a different type of music. My favourite one was where they played some old school rock and roll (the kind of music my mother would have grown up with). The DJ actually dug through her cases of vinyl and physically changed records after every song. No laptops in this room!

Here's my 2011 in a nutshell:

I ate my way through Japan, survived a major earthquake, and made good use of my travel insurance. I threw away my contact lenses and got laser eye surgery. Bought a brand new car (I finally have air conditioning!). Freaked out about highway driving and my mortality after a young coworker's death. Got a sweet gig taking concert photos and have gone to 33 concerts this past year. Did the scariest thing I've ever done in my life by jumping off a bridge (it's worse than skydiving, believe me). Went ziplining as well, but that was a piece of cake compared to bungee jumping. 

I got into outdoor rock climbing and ended up spending more of my summer climbing outdoors than indoors.  Started hitting the gym and actually managed to end up going at least three times a week. Watched the Canucks play in the Stanley Cup finals and watched in horror as they lost the cup and the rioters destroyed the city. Went to Maui with the family for a little r&r. Turned 25 and started a little life project that I'm in the process of right now. Along the way, I've met a bunch of cool people, ate a lot of good food, and overall had a blast this year :)  

Here's to 2012. Happy New Year!

Mother Mother @ Commodore

It's like paradise, spread out like a butter knife :)

It's funny - a lot of people I know have never heard of Mother Mother before, but the band sold out three shows at the Commodore, which is a pretty significant feat. I started the show near the front, which quickly turned into a moshpit and involved me being hit on the head a few times and being squished until it became difficult to breathe. Had to migrate further back after awhile because I'm just not made for moshing. But, they were amazing live. So much energy.

Pulled Pork Pancakes

Decadent goodness for brunch at The Red Wagon.

Pin the Macho on the Man

My friend A is getting married soon, so when she came back to town we had a bachelorette party for her. We played a fun little game called Pin the Macho on the Man... (not going to put those photos up. Too racy! haha)

Maui: Above the Clouds

10 000 feet up, on top of Mount Haleakala, above the clouds...

Maui: The Road to Hana

Maui: Feet on the Sand

Maui: Food

Tennis @ Biltmore Cabaret

A fellow photographer came up to me while I was waiting for the main act to start. "Are you doing photos for Scene? I recognize you from your photo on twitter. I see you here at the Biltmore all the time." Cool, I got recognized!

Maui: Ka'anapali Beach

We stayed at Honua Kai resort, which was right on Ka'anapali Beach in West Maui. I woke up early every morning to go for a run on the beach (barefoot on the sand - sometimes waves would surprise me and I would splash my way out of the water while running). It was pretty amazing.

The National @ The Orpheum

I was excited because Giosy told me she got Row 2 tickets for the sold out National concert at the Orpheum. "ROW TWO BABY!" were her exact words. Then we arrived...looked at the tickets...and it turned out we were row two of the dress circle! Hah! Oh Giosy....

(I wasn't mad. I just thought it was pretty funny.)

Life Decisions

I've been looking at places to buy lately, and there are so many things I have to consider. I would ultimately like to live in Vancouver (Pros: it's Vancouver!, close to fun, property will be worth more in the future; Cons: far from work, very expensive, will have to settle for a small place). I can get a little 500 sq foot condo in Vancouver for the same price as a 700-800 sq foot place in Burnaby or Richmond...

What I really need is more money!

Imaginary Cities @ Biltmore

Strictest show I've been to at the Biltmore!

Noah & the Whale @ Venue

Noah and the Whale were really fun. There was a long lineup in front of Venue when I arrived, but I marched up to the bouncer and told him that I was doing photos. They are so lax there - he just let me through the door without checking my ID or even if my name was on the guestlist. I thought the band was great. I was there alone so I made friends with the security guy. He had a mad 'stache going on.

The Tea Party @ Commodore

Before going to The Tea Party concert with my friend N, I met up with him at his place for dinner and he made me a salad with chicken. He is an ex-vegetarian, whereas all my friends know that I love my meat.

N: I already had meat for lunch so you can have most of the chicken.
Me: Really? I don't even consider chicken as being real meat... to me this meal is pretty vegetarian!
N: Anything with a face is meat. Do you need it to be a steak for you to consider it as being meat??

(Answer: No. I consider pork and ground beef to be meat too!)

The Tea Party show was definitely a different demographic from the usual hipster crowd (= lots of plaid and big glasses) I am used to. This show was such a sausagefest. There were a lot of older guys, and most of them looked like they drove trucks. It was the first time I didn't get ID'ed going into the Commodore. Must be because no one underage listens to the Tea Party! Hehe.