Volunteering & Vacationing in Vancouver.

It was only meant to be a day-trip in downtown Vancouver, but one thing lead to another and I found myself having a splendiferous weekend with friends in town!

After getting together with Siggy for coffee on Saturday afternoon to catch up on life, we waltzed down to English Bay to meet some more of our mutual friends volunteering for the Leukaemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada's Light the Night walk. Siggy registered herself as a volunteer as well and I thought it would be nice to meet my friends and keep them company, if only for a short while. There was a cool and gentle breeze in the air and the evening sun was beginning to set over the bay. Fresh fallen leaves of autumnal colours was the ground cover and the trees, though not completely naked yet, began to show signs of the change in season.



Upon arrival, I met Amy and Kathy working the booths and Norm and his girlfriend patrolling the VIP parking spaces. Even Leslie was there decked out in full cycling gear! Like myself, Leslie only came to say hello and had not intended to sick around. As we were socialising away in the thick of it, Kathy came out of her booth in desperation as she needed more volunteers to help out. And that's when Leslie and I got roped in, albeit, without much hesitation.



We were sent to assist other volunteers at the registration tent, and before long, donning a swanky red t-shirt with VOLUNTEER printed on our backs, we were thrown right into the pit collecting donations, giving away t-shirts, and registering people. It was actually quite exhilarating! I can't remember the last time I volunteered for anything, so this was a nice experience to break my poor track record as well. Did I mention the free t-shirt?

The sun had set leaving just enough light to highlight the cirrus clouds in the navy sky. Light the Night was in full swing by 1900h with hundreds of people of all ages and their dogs participating, holding up red, white, and gold helium balloons signifying in support of, survivor of, and in memory of, respectively. And just as a live band started performing on stage, the walk around Stanley Park began. The lead singer commented: "This must be the first time we have people walking out on us in droves!"













I stuck to the end helping out with the cleanup crew taking down folding tables and chairs and collecting litter. Kathy was having wings night at her place right after the cleanup and everyone in our immediate circle of volunteering friends were invited! I had decided right there and then that I wasn't going back home that night.

After spending the night on Kathy's KLIPPAN couch, we went out to Pastis for breakfast where I had a decadent serving of ham and cheese omelette, followed by a screening of The Duchess at Fifth Avenue Cinemas. Soaking in another day of sun, Siggy and I took her Mac mini to the new Apple Store at Pacific Centre to speak with a Genius at the bar about an audio issue she was experiencing. Of course, it worked flawlessly at the store, and fortunately, it remained that way when we brought it back to her place. To end a perfect Sunday, it was dinner at Trattoria Italian Kitchen on West 4th.

Just the weekend vacation I needed to rejuvenate.

To Hell's Gate and back.

I was itching to do something social and wanted to leave the house. To my complete surprise, Aaron and Stu (who by the way, couldn't think of anything better to do on a Saturday but to wash their cars together) were planning on going on a joy ride along the Trans-Canada highway to Hell's Gate and back. I was more than happy to accompany them on the 2-hour journey each way.

Hell's Gate was pretty touristy and the people working there were overtly friendly to the point of fakery. I can't remember the last time I was here the last time, but it was nice to finally reset the clock. Just as we got there under the intermittent rainy weather, we had witnessed a procession of police officers on motor bikes escorting a group of cyclists, followed by sponsored vehicles and an ambulance trailing behind. They turned out to be the Cops for Cancer, raising awareness and funds for cancer research.

I had a delicious cup of salmon chowder and ham & Swiss cheese sammy at a cafe there, before moving on to the Fudge Factory. Terrible jokes were uttered with references to packing fudge. The last thing to do was to cross the suspension bridge. After accomplishing that, we took the Airtram (gondola) back up and then we were on the road again, heading home.

Golf goes after the Rabbit.

Cops for Cancer.

Hell's Gate Crossing vis Airtram.

Speechless in Seattle.

I had spent the past 4 days in Seattle and it was by far, the best time I had spent in this Emerald City than any other day trips I've made in years past. I've always had a certain affinity with the Pacific Northwest and Seattle embodies everything I love with its pristine coastlines along the Pacific, the island retreat of Mercer Island, the relaxed ambience of Alki Beach with its quintessential Fish & Chips at Spud's, and a variety of cuisine from around the world to excite my taste buds.










I drove down to Seattle to meet with Jona, a friend from Arizona who was helping his friend Matt move back to Seattle. Our CS host, Andrea, welcomed Jona and I to her home with open arms and was a joy to be with. The four of us spent a great time together catching some entertainment at the Buskers Festival at Pike Place Market, having the "wurst" time of our life at the Wallingford Wurst Festival, soaking up the sun along Alki Beach, and enjoying a savoury Thai dish at Thai Tom while watching the kochmeister in front of us prepare our meals like clock work. We paid a visit to an Irish pub called Kells down at the Pike to grab something to eat and say hello to Ann, Andrea's flatmate, since we rarely saw her at home (as she was working double shifts). What an affable character she was.



We made a pizza run one night to Milano Pizza & Pasta and was served by a handsome gentleman with an unique tone of voice commonly heard on television adverts, movie trailer narration, and on-hold voice prompts. Andrea, Jona, and I were floored, so much so that we went back a few nights later just to be served by him again. Every time I hear "Your call is in priority sequence. Please continue to hold and a customer service representative will be with you shortly. Thank you." I'll think of him now. Embarrassingly, after a few drinks, I had told this guy how much I loved his voice, then excused myself out the door.



Taking the Washington State Ferry to Bainbridge Island was a pleasure. Seeing the Seattle skyline diminishing as we sailed further away was a splendiferous sight to behold. Approaching Bainbridge Island was majestic, as well as the drive along the long and windy road to Poulsbo. Chillaxing at an adorable little bubble tea shop by the marina, Jona and I entertained our thoughts about owning a cute little outfit like this place too. Work is fun here and chatting it up with the regulars while serving up your own imaginative bubble tea creations seem like a world away from the usual daily grind. To take a passage from MGMT's song titled Time to Pretend: "What else can we do? Get jobs in offices and wake up for the morning commute?" This Norwegian village of Poulsbo enchanted me.



As a perfect finish to my wonderful Seattle experience, the four of us gathered at a neighbourhood bar called Prost! for some decadent Bier aus Deutschland. We had a wonderfully gregarious server there who laughed along with us and made us feel like this was OUR bar. She was an absolute delight!

And delightful would be this year's biggest understatement if I was to describe my time in Seattle. Driving back up the I-5 on my way home to Canada, the fresh new memories were dancing in my head and I was left speechless.

On the Washington State Ferry.

Beer Fizz.

Thai Tom Kochmeister @ Work.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

In honour of mother's 61st birthday, mom, dad, and I took a drive out to the Wellbrook winery in Delta for a wine tasting. it was the first time for all of us to visit this particular winery and after sipping raspberry and cranapple wines along with pomegranate juice, it gave me an incentive to check out the other wineries in the Fraser Valley.

The duck estuary was the next point of attraction. The ducks were as happy as they could be in the pond and fattening up with the seeds and bread crumbs people were giving them.

We moved on to the London Community Farm in Richmond. This historic farm along Dyke Road had its similarities to the Stewart Farm House in South Surrey with its old rusty farm equipment on display and an orchard of fruit trees surrounding the house. The late afternoon sun kissed the horizon and cast a lovely shade of tangerine upon the earth's surface during our walk about and gave me plenty of opportunity to take astounding pictures.

Sushi was the order of the the evening and mom had placed an order a few hours ahead for pick up at a place called Sushi House in Richmond. We brought it back home with us and were very pleased with the quality and price with this place. Apparently, they don't use farmed salmon either so this was a plus for all of us.