Christmas Party.

As a requirement to this evening’s Christmas party at Manuela’s, I had to bring something home-made to the pot-latch dinner and it had to be something uniquely traditional from my country of birth. But because she specifically specified that it may not be from your home country because, and I quote, “since we all consider Canada to be our home now”, I was at a loss as to what to bring to the table since, well, Canada IS my country of birth AND the only country I can call home to.

And so I sent the following email:


I'm absolutely in for your Christmas party on the 24th! If I drink too much Glühwein however, I may have to stay the night!

Aside from my apparent drinking problem, I have yet another predicament. Canada is my country of birth and I still consider it home as well. I made Canadian Butter Tarts last year and thought about baking something else this year from my big book of Kanadisch Kooking Kollektion. But if anything Canadian is forbidden, I guess I could pretend to have just come off the boat from Japan and create a holiday inspired gingerbread sushi. Or how about my Ferrero Rocher maki? Turkey-yaki?

Please tell me that you'll make an exception to the rule for me so that I wouldn't be the only one eating my new creations.


And like the time I went to see my doctor to write me a note excusing me from physical education class in high school, I was excused. Phew! Ferrero Rocher maki does sound pretty good though... I could just hear everyone at the party saying “Monsieur! With these Rocker maki’s, you’re really spoiling us!”

And with that, I slaved away in the kitchen for hours beating eggs, adding sugar, cinnamon, yeast, salt, vanilla extract, soy milk and flour, kneading the dough until it turned elastic. While waiting for the dough to rise, I had sliced and diced McIntosh apples, marinated them in a sugar and cinnamon mixture, and baked them in the oven for about thirty minutes. I took a tennis ball sized clump of dough and flattened it out into a shape of a beaver tail, flash-fried it on a cast-iron pan of canola oil, flipped it into a bowl of sugar and cinnamon mixture, spread Nutella on one side, added the juicy baked apples on top, and dressed it with a little bit of lemon juice.

And voila! Twelve Beaver Tails! The result turned out pretty good considering that this was my first time eating this Canadian pastry and making it too. With comments like “Délicieux!” and “Excellente!”, it was the talk of the party and most everyone asked for the recipe.

From poutine to beaver tails, we Canadians sure know how to eat healthy.

It wouldn’t be a Christmas party without playing Secret Santa, so after desert, we all huddled around Manuela’s ginormous flatscreen TV tuned to the Fireplace Channel and took part in playing wichteln, drawing numbers from a bowl and claiming our prezzies. I won a keychain Maglite with chocolate!

Thanks for hosting such a great party, MSG!

Lantern Festival.

I went out tonight to the Chinese Gardens with the Vancouver Photography Meetup and friends for the Lantern Festival. While waiting for Tracy and Yuko to show, I ran into Jamie and James of the defunct Vancouver Social Club and their new child in a stroller. Jamie was all big in the belly with a second child on the way.

Lanterns were everywhere inside the gardens, as was to be expected, and really gave the place a different feel all together. Some of the more interesting ones were of the paper stars hanging from the trees and the lotus pods floating on the pond. The cranes around BC Place Stadium looks something like a crown. Having this reflected on the pond inside the garden along with the glass condominium towers nicely juxtaposed the modern with the classic.

PLAY! A Video Game Symphony.

I can honestly say that the last video game I’d played involved moving around a hungry yellow face around a maze eating dots, lemons and cherries and trying to avoid the ghosts that would follow me around. This was when Google paid tribute to the 20th anniversary of Pac Man earlier this year with it’s interactive Google logo on the homepage. Aside from this one-off, I’d never really been all that interested in games, and for the life of me, can’t understand why or how others can spend so much time with RPGs, first person shooters, and the like.

With absolute certainty, I can say that my childhood upbringing has a lot to do with my disinterest in games; not having ever owned an Atari, ColecoVision, Nintendo, or a SEGA video game console. I was also a bit of a sore loser as a kid and not competitive in nature so it’s easy to understand why I may have avoided playing as often. That’s not to say that I’ve never been exposed to video games, however. I have memories of playing Duck Hunt and Mario games when visiting friends, or playing Tetris on a GameBoy during a family road trip. But with regards to the games that are currently available on XBox, PlayStation, Wii or on a computer, I just don’t see the point and dismiss those who play them as someone who needs help.

While my views on consumers of video games haven’t changed, an appreciation for game developers and musicians commissioned to write music for games had emerged when I learned that the PLAY! A Video Game Symphony was coming to down.

Learning about the names and faces of notable composers, many of whom are Japanese, opened my mind to appreciate their craft. PLAY! was an immersive experience attended by a full house of gamers. Three large screens hung above the choir and orchestra pit projecting videos of games from Super Mario Brothers, The Legend of Zelda, Halo, Final Fantasy, World of Warcraft, Kingdom Hearts, and many more, interspersed with live video feed of the orchestra and the conductor. The audience was encouraged to cheer, whistle, and applaud throughout the performance. And did we ever!

I was so impressed by tonight’s performance from start to finish that I went out and bought a CD/DVD album and a program guide as a memento of this occasion, then stood in line for autographs from composers Michael Curran and Geoff Knorr (Civilization V), Oleksa Lozowchuk (Dead Rising 2), and orchestra conductor Andy Brick. I was also given a free copy of a 2-disc album soundtrack to Civilization V while queuing.

I shall never forget about tonight’s wonderful musical performance.

As I sit here now browsing through eBay for the original Nintendo Entertainment System complete with the gun, Duck Hunt, and Super Mario Bros. game, I think this video game symphony may have been my foray into the world of video games, twenty-five years late.

VO: Lucia di Lammermoor.

I went on a little outing in Steveston with Jaygan, Timela, and Jonathan in the afternoon. The breeze made for a chilly day but was still bearable under the heat-lamped patio where we ate lunch. I went for a stroll along the boardwalk with Jonathan afterwards to take in the scene of Steveston Village and captured the beautiful sunset as it slowly sunk under the Fraser River. The Blue Hour is one of my most favourite time of day for photography.

In the evening, I got together with Stephanie and Sonia for another evening at the opera. Tonight was for the opening performance of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor; a common storyline which runs parallel to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

80s Video Dance Party @ The Vancouver Alpen Club.

So here I was with Manuela at the Vancouver Alpen Club for their 80s Video Dance Party. I’ve always enjoyed 80s night as the music of this decade is so awesome, lively, energetic, and great to dance to. To have a contest open to anyone who looked like he or she just got back from this decade of big hair and neon spandex was the cherry on the parfait.

Although the Pet Shop Boys, Erasure, Culture Club and a handful of other great artists were absent from the mix, there were plenty of other tunes including some early 90s stuff to dance along to with music video playing on the giant screen.

I met a few familiar faces here that I hadn’t seen in several years; faces from when I was a regular with the German Meetup Group. It was nice to see them again, along with the new faces all having a great time on the dance floor.

A guy wearing a really flashy t-shirt caught my eye. His 3D cube design on the front of his t-shirt actually flashed to the beat of the music and so I just had to see it up close. It was manufactured by a company called Flashwear and attached to the inseams was a little battery box that controlled the sound sensitivity. It was so cool and I knew right there and then that I wanted one of my own.

Sadly, it looks like this party is a yearly thing. They really should have this kind of 80s night every week!

Spoiled Silly.

I sure spoiled myself silly today and loved every moment of it.

My morning started off with a good breakfast Ieda made for me. The omelet and tea was delicious and just what I needed to start the day: ENERGY! I was running late with my hypnotism session with Kemila so I darted towards the West End right after thanking Ieda for her hospitality.

What felt like an hour under the mystic spell of Kemila was actually twice as long in real time. I may have used the words mystic spell, but I assure you, this was no witchcraft. There are no casting spells, chants, or magic potions to drink beforehand. Hypnotism isn’t like what you see in the movies either where someone dangles a brass pocket watch like a pendulum and asks you to follow its movement using only your eyes. With Kemila, it was purely communication like you would with a friend or at a job interview, discussing things that I’ve been having issues with that I would like to see corrected or at the very least, guidance towards something workable. The problem I brought forth to share was about family dynamics.

I moved on to the couch after Kemila’s preliminary Q & A session and was asked to close my eyes and use my mind’s eye instead. As a very visual person, I painted pictures in my mind and described them out loud for her, falling into a trance easily, drifting in and out of consciousness and delving into the world of lucidity. I felt so relaxed with a blanket over me and cushions all around that when I came back to reality, I felt mentally cleansed.

From getting my mind cleansed, I went to the Miraj Hammam Spa on Granville to get my body cleansed as well. Using the gift certificate given to me on my birthday from Ieda, I’d booked a hammam and gommage session with a thirty minute massage. It was a wonderful experience breathing in the hot water molecules in the steamroom and then getting the rubdown encouraging exfoliation. Shedding away my old skin, I literally turned into someone new! The massage the followed with essential oils being rubbed on me was just as wonderful. Even the tea and biscuits served for me in the drawing room was delicious.

Not a moment too soon, I was out again exposed to the elements of Vancouver’s rain and walked across the Granville street bridge to get my hair cut for my last bit of transformation. The new me. I’m lovin’ it!

This evening ended with a company of friends at WINGS in Coquitlam, which was followed by more drinks and games with the XBOX KINECT at Java’s new abode.

What an awesome day! Must love myself more often. ;)

VAFF: One Big Hapa Family.

For closing night of the Vancouver Asian Film Festival, I went to see Jeff Chiba Stearns’ Ode to a Post-it Note, a short stop-animated film about a Post-it note learning about its creator, followed by his feature debut film titled One Big Hapa Family.

One Big Hapa Family was a documentary which looked into his mixed-race upbringing, and what is means to be a “halfsie” in Canadian culture and society. Having been raised by his European father and Japanese mother in Kelowna, BC, the film tried to explain why over 95 percent of the Japanese marry outside their own ethnic group, the largest ethnic group to do so.

It was very well done, and the Q & A interview with the audience and Jeff Chiba Stearns was captivating. When Stearns went to thank his immediate family and asked them to stand up, I realised that they were all sitting in the row right behind me.

After buying the DVD getting a photo taken, we all moved on to the OPUS hotel for the after-party.

So what’s a Hapa, you might ask? Check out Jeff’s film studio at www.meditatingbunny.com to find out!

A Spooktacular Party.

I met Wesley a few weeks ago by way of Echo when we all got together for drinks in Yaletown. Wes and I clicked instantly when we both learned about our love for the Pet Shop Boys and of 80s music as a whole. When he told me that he went to see the PSB in concert last year at The Centre and an extra ticket to which he couldn’t find anyone to go with, my jaw dropped and eyes widened in disbelief and jealousy. I SO wanted to go as well but couldn’t find anyone else to go with. I waited too long to purchase a ticket for myself that when the time came, seats were all sold out.

Anyway, we met up a few days later at Yaletown Brewery for a big dinner gathering of friends when he invited me to come out to his Hallowe’en party he was throwing at his house. He called it the Pajama Jam Party where you had to come dressed in a Hallowe’en costume or in pajamas. I came dressed as a bedside table with a lamp shade on my head, complete with a chain link light switch hanging down from my forehead. In other word, I was “The One Night Stand”.

The party was lively with a DJ mixing tunes to keep the energy flowing on the dance floor. Strobe lights were installed and very big speakers were mounted at several corners for big sound. He even had a video projector projecting videos on the wall and ran an open bar in the kitchen. At one point throughout the night, there must have been around forty people dressed in pj’s and costumes mingling with other vampires and jack-the-rippers. Then there was “Slutty Alice”, just like Alice from Alice in Wonderland, only sluttier. And those were her words. I joked about her falling down the wrong hole which cracked all of us up.

I made myself a White Russian at the kitchen bar to let loose and loose my inhibitions and then moved on to the dance floor for a series of free-flowing moves that just came to me with the music. I was doing this in my One Night Stand costume for a while until I got really hot inside and took it off. I wasn’t looking for attention, but people started noticing and girls kept coming up to be complimenting me on my sultry moves. I was even more lively whenever I heard the Pet Shop Boys!

The fact that I was there well past four in the morning is testament to how much I’d enjoyed the party. Wow Wesley. You sure know how to put on a house party!

Vision Vancouver Pub Night.

Apart from the surrounding natural environment this beautiful city of Vancouver is well known for, there are many other facets that make this city incomparable to any other on Earth. From the formation of the Lower Mainland Regional Planning Board in 1949 to the subsequent creation of the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR), the pioneer planners of Vancouver laid down the foundation to pave the way towards a livable region we Vancouverites are blessed with living in today. City planners from around the world come to Vancouver in flocks to see how it all comes together here: mixed-use development of residential and commercial properties, central nodes and arterials creating unique communities, and a functional mass transit system as an alternative to the automobile. Unlike most other metropolitan cities in North America, we have no freeways cutting into or through the downtown core like a knife through the heart of the city.

Transportation was the theme when Vancouver hosted Expo ‘86, which gave birth to the world’s longest automated light metro system we call, SkyTrain, manufactured by Canadian-made Bombardier Inc. Together with a growing network of bike lanes, Vancouver has earned the distinction of, among others, one of the world’s most livable cities and being the greenest city in North America. This livable and sustainable model is what people around the world is calling Vancouverism.

If this city isn’t paradise, it’s the closest thing there is to it.

But we’re not done, nor are we resting on our laurels.

In support of Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson and his Vision Vancouver team, I went to the Vision Vancouver Pub Night which was held at The Charles, a new venue at the Woodwards building development. In addition to making the Burrard bridge bike lane permanent, literally clearing the way for a separated bike lane along Dunsmuir, and most recently along Hornby street, Robertson, an avid cyclist himself, is leading by action and creating a city I’m proud to call home to. I wore my “BIKE LANES MAKE ME HORNBY” t-shirt with PRIDE.

CBC Massey Lecture with Douglas Coupland.

Just one week after meeting Douglas Coupland at CBC studios, here we were again, this time at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at UBC for this year’s CBC Massey Lecture where Coupland takes to the stage.

Player One: What Is to Become of Us is divided into five hours (chapters/sections) and the Massey Lecture will be touring across Canada in five cities, with the last chapter reading in Toronto. Chapter One, appropriately, was read in its entirety here at the Chan Centre in Vancouver.

A broadcast of this series can be heard on Ideas with Paul Kennedy from November 8 - 12, and as a podcast thereafter.

Ieda finally got her copy of Player One here and queued in line for her own signed book. It was a delightful evening.

CBC Radio One Book Club with Douglas Coupland.

A few weeks ago, I’d stumbled upon the CBC evening news crew doing a live broadcast from Central City Square, right across from work. Everyone from Gloria Makarenko, Tony Parsons, Claire Martin and Shane Foxman to the A/V technical team was there. The CBC was doing a travelling roadshow bringing the newsroom from 700 Hamilton to different communities in the lower mainland. Surrey’s mayor, Dianne Watts came out to do an interview and the SFU band played a few notes in the background during takes.

In my conversation with a crew at the CBC tent, I dropped Douglas Coupland’s name, out of which I had learned that he was coming to the CBC Radio One Book Club next month. I was pleasantly elated.

I went online to www.cbc.ca/books/bookclub and found out that the only way to attend this reading and live recording was to write, in 200 words or less, why I wanted to go. My first draft surpassed the 200 word limit two-fold. Here’s what I sent after my revision in exactly 200 words:

I just want to be in the same room with Douglas Coupland.

I missed out on an intimate evening with Mr. Coupland last year at Writers Fest where he discussed his new book, Generation A. It wasn't long before that I began reading his books, starting with JPod, a book I couldn't put down. I then got my hands on Generation X, Girlfriend in a Coma, Microserfs, and The Gum Thief. Currently, I'm reading Life After God.

Douglas Coupland plays a vital role in the fabric of this great nation, just like the CBC to which I am also an avid viewer and listener to. It was when I was conversing with a CBC crew member that I learned about Coupland at the Studio One Book Club.

To be in a room of literary fans and be able to experience the same level of energy shown when Jian Ghomeshi came to do a taping of ‘Q’ last year would be a delight.

According to Doug's Law, "Most of us have only a dozen or so genuinely interesting moments in our lives; the rest is filler." Meeting Coupland will certainly be an interesting moment in my life. I hope I win.

And I did win. Two tickets, actually; one for me and a guest. And naturally, I brought Ieda with me.

This studio recording of North by Northwest hosted by Sheryl MacKay interviewed Canada’s celebrated author, Douglas Coupland, on his new book of fiction titled Player One: What Is to Become of Us, a book he’d written specifically for the CBC Massey Lecture. Coupland read excerpts from Player One and answered many interesting questions from the hosts and audience, drawing upon personal experiences while answering them. And because he grew up in Vancouver and still calls Vancouver home, there’s a more personal level to his engagement with the audience and readers of his books who also reside or grew up in Vancouver.

I bought my copy of Player One here and had him sign it. While sitting down with him for a brief one-on-one interview with questions of my own, he also wrote down a short recommended reading list he thought I might enjoy by other authors.

I love books.