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.