A few days ago, I had gone to the BC Place stadium to register Echo, Emma, and myself for the annual Vancouver Sun Run. I tried to interest George into joining us, who accompanied me to the registration, but he changed his mind at the last minute fearing that he may not have the stamina to run the ten kilometres. The Sun Run is the largest timed race in Canada and the second largest in North America!
I got up early this morning to give myself ample time to prepare and exercise before the run at nine. Mel and Sameer were also participating in the run and were supposed to join me at the start of the race, but came late and so we weren’t able to group. Donned in my new New Balance running shoes I bought from the day before with a timing chip to track my finish time and my runner number pinned to my new Vancouver Sun Run 2009 t-shirt, I walked into the Tim Hortons just outside the starting line for a doughnut.
The run started at nine o’clock sharp and the first wave of runners (of the competing sort) dashed off towards the finish line at BC Place Stadium. Groups of people based on their expected times of completion at registration were dispersed by a series of waves along the ten-kilometre run around the city. I was in with the third wave which weren’t dispersed until closer to ten, an hour after the first wave took off!
55, 858 runners turned out for the run this year, and I was glad to be part of it. After alternating from running and jogging throughout the course, I came in at one hour, eighteen minutes, and fifty-two seconds. My first ever Sun Run! Now that I’d created a baseline, I have higher expectations for myself for next year’s run. It was exhilarating!
I interested a few friends into joining me at the VAG for their current exhibit on contemporary art titled “How Soon Is Now”; a title that drew its inspiration from the song by the same name by The Smiths. A new friend sharing the same name as I also came out to join us after seeing my post on the Vancouver CS forum.
This exhibit featured many artists from BC and included various mediums to deliver richness and dynamism. And as with my experiences in the past, one visit for a few hours isn’t enough to see everything there is to see. One of the most memorable ones were that of a video being projected on screen of driving through a torrential downpour on a freeway somewhere from the perspective of the first person inside the vehicle. With wipers swishing back and forth in a futile attempt to wipe water off the windscreen, I found myself mesmerised. The other memorable piece I liked was the wall of dozens and dozens of reflective semi-spherical cups about the size of my hand mounted in series. When looking out from the second floor balcony, I realised that it was arranged in braille. Not knowing how to read braille however still left me a bit perplexed as to what the message may have been as expressed by the artist.
Chapel Arts in the Gastown was the area to be for the MiV klan where the likes of Rob, Ieda, and I made an appearance. I also brought along Frank for some cultural contemporary fun in striking installations, bold paintings, and vivid photography from local artists. One really interesting piece I found was a dismantled CD drive and two dismantled VCRs nailed to a particle board and hung on a wall. One of us wanted to plug the unit in to see if it did anything and as she tugged on the power cord, the whole unit fell off the wall and landed on the table just 2 feet under neath it with a bang. Concealing the accident quickly, we hung it back on it’s weak nails which were hardly nailed into the wall to begin with and also got it to plug into the outlet to see it turn on. The digital displays came on, harking back to those flashing 12:00 clock’s commonly found in the bygone VCR decades.
Moving on upwards to the second floor, I saw plastic moulding casings of what appeared to be toy machine guns hung on the wall which were backlit. This was tied to another piece of a similar style using plastic moulding of toy machine guns but in a series from top to bottom on a four sides like a revolving sunglass display. Then I picked up a card on the wall with the artist’s contact name on it: James Kemp. I scratched my head wondering where I’ve heard this name before and kept repeating his name over and over until I finally got it: we went through high school together!
I’m going to send him and email and re-establish contact.
We took a nice walk towards Canada Place and stumbled upon a food trade convention there. We passed ourselves off as trade representatives and enjoyed ourselves there by sampling foods, eating organics, and drinking new fruit juices, energy drinks, and nutritional shakes. Saved us from going out for dinner.
I had an interesting conversation with a stranger using this new omegle.com site where you could actually talk to random strangers about anything under the sun. This is the transcript of our entire chat.
Connecting to server... You're now chatting with a random stranger. Say hi! You: Hello stranger! Stranger: hello gorgeous You: why thank you. Stranger: what is your opinion on the european union? You: Indifferent. Stranger: do you feel sweden was a neutral country? You: What is your opinion on Stephen Harper? Stranger: wow Stranger: canada? You: Indeed I am. Stranger: impressive You: Well, not a country, but a person residing in said country. :) Stranger: i like the way you think Stranger: je suis une canadianne aussi You: And right off the bat, I take it that you have a political slant. You: are you now! Stranger: how would you define a "poutine" Stranger: common political question am i right? You: heart-attack in a bowl, but I can't resist it. Stranger: good answer Stranger: you win You: Not really. Stranger: i concede You: Are you a poutine-eater as well, for the lack of a better word? Stranger: no gravy is made of animals Stranger: kinda sad really You: hhmmm... You: well we as humans are omnivores. Stranger: what hockey team do you go for Stranger: in theory maybe... Stranger: so are dinosaurs though and look at the brontosaurus... veg and loving it You: well, if I cared at all about hockey, I'll have to go with the Canucks. Stranger: a canadian who doesn't care for hockey? Stranger: sad really You: really? I don't think so. Stranger: are you from calgary? Stranger: vancouver i mean Stranger: or oshawa? You: deductive reasoning will tell you that. I must only confess. :) Stranger: vancouver Stranger: i want YOU to get excited about your life! You: As for the "Canadian who doesn't care for hockey" comment: I'm happy to break from the stereotype. :) Stranger: im happy if your happy Stranger: your happiness is all i live for Stranger: "stranger".... what is this nonsense... i feel as though i've known you my whole life You: Hockey Night in Canada may be hotwired since birth in this nation, but that doesn't make the next Tim Hortons. Nor is it my wish to be him. :) Stranger: Tim was a great guy... really, how well did you know him? his memory will always live on in this fine nation You: I would rather be someone like... hmmm... Douglas Coupland. Stranger: or mikhail barishnikov?? You: I take it that this Mikhail guy is/was also a hockey player? Stranger: a russian ballerina actually You: Oh gee damn, I should have known that one then. I love ballets! ;) Stranger: i sense you are an arts-lover? You: If you were on Jeopardy, you've answered correctly in the form of a question. Stranger: what other form of sentence is there? You: Who knew talking to strangers could be so social! Stranger: it's like a social explosion in my heart You: I mean, I do this quite a bit in person, but most just don't want to follow through or simply dismiss me as a "talkative stranger". Stranger: i think its lovely that we are on the same wavelength You: mee too Stranger: who would win in a fight ... trex versus brontosaurus? Stranger: explaination You: hhhmmm... I'll have to place my bets on a t-rex because of its ability to stand on two legs and possibly punch with those stubby arms, like a punching kangaroo. You: boxing Stranger: nicely done... emphasis on the two legged ability and stubby arm punchability makes you a fabulous person Stranger: i quite like you stranger You: hahahahha! Stranger: most dramatic thing to ever happen to you? You: You are my first omegle stranger talker! Stranger: im your first? awkward..... Stranger: :) You: I was just informed of this interesting website only a few hours ago. You: Yes, you're my first, hahaha! Thanks for popping my cherry. Stranger: a tast i quite enjoy Stranger: task* You: oh my, this can only get worse... ;) You: or better, depending on perspective. Stranger: are you a gentleman or a scholar? You: I would like to think I'm both, but truth be told, I'm neither. I could only strive towards being one or the other. Or bith. You: both Stranger: so.... an it? Stranger: je ne comprende You: That's nice. Lets leave it there for now. :D Stranger: ditched Stranger: i see how it is Stranger: good day to you You: I'm going to have my dinner now. You: It was nice talking to you though! Stranger: I SAID GOOD DAY Stranger: holla for a dolla Stranger: good times Stranger: love ya... mean it Stranger: ;) Your conversational partner has disconnected.
Our beautiful city of Vancouver is hosting the Juno awards this year and the streets are packed with live music events leading up to the actual awards ceremony held at GM Place in a few days time.
As an avid listener of CBC Radio One (see my favourite programs on the links to the right!), my daily commute to work in the mornings is filled with intriguing conversations, ideas, hypothesis, and genuine stories told by genuine people with a story worth telling. One of many programs I listen to on Radio One is called Q with Jian Ghomeshi to which I get most of my arts, culture, and entertainment in a digestible two-hour format, commercial free (hey, it’s our NPR!). I listen to his show religiously and always sing along to the opening tune of Q while beating my steering wheel like a drum.
When I heard that Jian was making his way to Vancouver for a special Juno broadcast recording of Q, I was ecstatic and wrote an email to confirm seating to be part of the live studio audience and see him do his thing before my eyes.
So today was it and I was queueing in line with other avid Q listeners while waiting for my friend Jennifer to arrive. The line grew longer and longer as the minutes passed. Jenn showed up right when I was about to walk into the studio, or in other words, in the nick of time. She would have been SOL seconds later!
Like the heart-felt enthusiasm, joy, and happiness from the audience as seen on each opening sequence of The Hour with Strombo, we Vancouverites gave Jian and those who will be listening to the broadcast the following morning, a resounding cheer which grew even louder when he rattled on with who’s on the show: Hawksley Workman, Divine Brown, Bif Naked, Hot Hot Heat, and voices from Vancouver’s cultural milieu.
It was absolutely awesome to be part of a live studio audience for the first time and see how a recording is made with guest interviews and musical performances. I have got to do this more often!
Jay was able to get tickets for himself, Lana, and I to see Verdi's Rigoletto at the Vancouver Opera for this evening's final performance. Sitting at our centre balcony seats, we had a great view of the drama unfolding before us on stage without necessitating the need for opera glasses.
Act one was played out with vibrancy and humour as Rigoletto stole centre stage with his tongue lashing of insults. Gilda also carried the play with finesse while professing her love for the student. Hearing the baritone and the soprano singing their lines brought about true and convincing emotions only the gifted and talented could deliver.
An interesting event took place during intermission in a special meeting room on the lower level. A banner inviting attendees both young and old, geeks and troglodytes, and everyone in between had the words "Twitter" and "FaceBook" on it and those inside were standing around busy texting, talking, and perhaps even vlogging on their new fangled iPhones and Blackberry's while loading up on the complementary assortments of deserts and drinks. Though I have been to a similar gathering in the past with my involvement with the local Macintosh User Group back in the day, this new generation of people with their absurd need for up-to-the-second updates and broadcasts of their and their cronies' happenings and whereabouts astounds me. Not to brand myself as a luddite, but seriously, this FaceBooky-Twittery thing is so silly.
Shockingly, I had recognised a familiar face in the crowd; not a friend, but the older brother of one. Interrupting his text entry and finger flicking on his iPhone, I introduced myself and made small talk before walking back to my seat for act two and three.
As we reached the final act on a sad note, where Rigoletto holds his dying daughter in his arms, the curtain closed and after a brief period of time, a standing ovation. It continued with cheers and whistling until every cast member had their proud moment in the lime light. Jay, Lana, and I were glowing with satisfaction after watching something spectacular as we poured out onto the streets of Vancouver. Singing to the tune of La Donna è mobile as we meandered our way back home was unavoidable.
On my visit to the dentist on the fortuitous Friday of February 13th, I went in for my regularly scheduled cleaning and check-up. I came out of it with a report that two new cavities were found in my upper molars just under the gum line on my 17 and 27. Despite the time and care I had spent brushing and mouth-washing every night and with my knowledge of how important it is to maintain good oral hygiene from working in a dental lab, I still managed to get not one, but two cavities. The curse of the Friday Thirteenth!
As I inquired about booking the next available time slot for me to come in again to fill those cavities up, March thirteenth came up on screen. Yes, another fortuitous Friday the Thirteenth. I'm not joking. Flip your calendar back to February thirteenth and March thirteenth of two-thousand-and-nine and you will see that they both fall on a Friday. I went ahead and booked it.
Here I am tonight writing about the result of my second visit to the dentist and I'm happy to report that it all went splendiferously well. I also learned that it was extremely difficult to fill those cavities in because of the position it was in, tightly wedged with hardly any clearance for a dental apparatus, let alone a toothbrush, without hitting my jaw bone. It was impossible to get in when I had my mouth open so contrary to the common "open-wide" request, I had to close it while still leaving just enough space to work with.
Here's hoping that I won't be developing cavities on 37 and 47, or anywhere else for that matter. Ever again.
Shortly after my trip to San Francisco, I was off again, this time for a dental conference in Chicago. For the first time, I took a flight from YVR to SEA which was only about a 30 minute trip. From SEA, I took a connecting Alaskan Airlines flight to ORD which left nearly three hours behind schedule due to a thunder storm in Chicago.
In a holding pattern with a number of other planes circulating around O'Hare International Airport like eagles in the sky, I had witnessed outside my port hole window, a spectacular beauty of Chicago's nightscape from above. Like a circuitry on a microchip, an expansive view of orange street lights below outlined its network of carriageways cris-crossing each other. Larger thoroughfares were lit even brighter, most notably Michigan Avenue, and tall skyscrapers were reaching out to the midnight sky with fingertips softly pulsating amber.
Taking the 'L' to the Magnificent Mile, I carried my luggage to the Double Tree Hotel and familiarised myself with my new surrounding environment. From my suite on the twenty-third floor, I looked out to the coldness outside; directly across were office buildings and down below a few late-night stragglers hurrying on by.
I had a full days' work of attending seminars, conferences, and hands-on events the next day and found myself shuffling between the Wyndham Hotel, the Intercontinental, and the Sheraton. Why the organisers of this annual Chicago Dental Conference couldn't book all of its activities under one roof (like at a convention centre) remains to be a mystery to me. Nobel Biocare had chosen this conference to officially introduce its new Procera OptiMet scanner for the first time and, typical to large industry players, rolled out a lavish ballroom extravaganza to mark the occasion. Food and wine flowed continuously with live jazz performances to keep us entertained.
I managed to squeeze in some time to see Chicago at leisure outside of the ballrooms and conference halls over this multi-day event and played around with my 40D a little more. It was certainly frigid outside with temperatures in the negative, but I quite enjoyed breathing in the crisp cold air as I stood at the edge of Lake Michigan frozen over. A delightful view of the downtown core stood proudly and prominently across with that unmistakable black beauty known as the John Hancock Tower in the mix. The great photographs I took of this city had not so much to do with my compositional skills, but because the city itself was so photogenic. It just lend itself to me for the time being.
Further along, I had discovered Navy Pier Park, and further along, a giant statue of Grant Wood's American Gothic just outside of the Chicago Tribune building. In the evening, I had inadvertently stumbled upon a fireworks display about to begin on the Chicago River as part of the Toast: The Magnificent Mile event. I was in awe and I couldn't stop taking photographs while playing with my long exposure settings to capture the changing light.
The very next day, I had ventured into an Apple Store, then walked over to Pizzeria Due for Chicago's infamous deep pan pizza. Snow continued to fall while I continued my trek to Millennium Park to see the Silver Bean. Over at the Archicenter/CitySpace Gallery, I learned a lot about Chicago's long history and it's many engineering feats including the reversal of the river's flow from Lake Michigan and it's L line. Over at the Museum of Contemporary Photography, I was intrigued and inspired by Bettina Hoffmann's La Ronde video installation which aimed to capture that void space between the photographer and his/her subject. She had used video and panned around and around and around in a loop of a still 360º photograph. In one sequence, I had noticed a carton of orange juice on the table with Jus d'orange printed on the other side as it panned around 180º. This lead me to believe that this was taken in Canada, and sure enough, after reading the plaque on the wall, I learned that she is from Toronto.
The snowstorm brewing outside turned even windier and I had to start walking backwards to avoid getting snow pelting on my face. A nearby smoker struggled to light his cigarette. After standing in front of the Sears Tower, I went over to the John Hancock Observatory and went up with a discount ticket due to poor visibility. I had stayed there long enough for the storm to blow over and was rewarded with a spectacular view on the 94th floor. Shoot me for being a tourist, but I grabbed one of the handheld device called the Multimedia SkyTour and learned a lot about the building and its surroundings with David Schwimmer narrating.
