Reading Between the Lines

A well-earned retirement

2012-01-12T09:26:00.002-08:00

My blogging has slowed to a trickle over the past year and it's finally stopped altogether and so I think the time has come to put Reading Between the Lines to rest.

I thought I would give my readers who have been following me for awhile notice that I'll be "privatizing" the blog soon. I don't think I could completely delete it from the annals of time by erasing it altogether, but access will be pulled off the public shelf within the next few weeks.

A brief update for those interested:

I'm still pursuing teaching in Korea with the hopes of being there in August, despite paperwork complications I'm having to wade through.
I've finally finished my degree and arranging the final steps needed to get the official flourish—my degree, that expensive piece of paper with my name on it.
Trips to look forward to this year—besides the possibility of going overseas to teach—include Chicago/Toronto and maybe, hopefully Russia

...And a few housecleaning notices:

I've opened up Alleyways, a Tumblr account as a creative outlet. It's my attempt at a 365 day project: posting at least one photo a day (or occasionally some other creative media, maybe). So if you want, you can continue to follow me there.
Ideas for another blog are in the works and if it gets off the ground, will have a more specified focus. I'm still assessing my commitment level and organizing a framework for it, however, so I can't make promises.

Otherwise, thanks for following and all the best in the new year!

Operation OYNK

2011-09-08T22:17:00.006-07:00

Wedding planning is over and so I am determined to begin work on my next goal.

Ultimately, it is to pay off my approximate $15,000 student loan debt, but I figured, rather than work it off punching the clock at $9/hr cafe job—where I'm currently working—I might as well get the best bang for my buck and seek out a job that at least offers an interesting experience along with a regular paycheque.

As I've said before, my romantic illusions of journalism have become somewhat soiled and I've learned it might just not be "me," so that unique job won't be an entry level foreign correspondent job in Cambodia or a coffee-runner position at National Geographic, instead, I'm determined to get a job teaching ESL in Korea.

I say "determined" because in doing research, while TESL (teaching english as a second language) positions are still readily available in Korea, the competition and pickiness on behalf of schools is beginning to increase a bit.

It seems the first wave of scruffy-haired, KD-eating, university students who left the North American continent to seek adventures in a foreign country to teach English have come back spreading the word any ex-student with a BA—in any subject—can get a sweet paycheque for living in a foreign country and spending a day's work speaking conversational English. It's beginning to sound like an intriguing and inviting option for more and more graduates in North America during a time when the economy can't promise anything better, not to mention a package that includes an amazing cultural experience like living in a different country and being admired as an "english teacher." Where before those without any TESL certification could get a job quite well, now with the flux of English teachers, it's apparent such qualifications do give you an edge in terms of job prospects.

While I'm debating whether, or not I should lay down a grand or two to get certification, I'm also fretting about the impact of the shape of my eyes; and by that I mean the fact that I'm Korean.

Since I first went to Korea a year and half ago, I've been learning a lot about the country and amongst many other aspects I've learned that appearance, in all ways, is given a lot of consideration. I've learned that gyopo—Koreans living outside of Korea—are often viewed a bit differently, including when it comes to applying for English teaching jobs.

A little background...

Being able to put "english" down as a language on your resume in Korea is as much a status symbol as it is a practicality. Learning English is the thing to do in order to give yourself or your children a boost up the ladder of success. Therefore English language schools prize their blue-eyed, blond-haired teachers who look like a typical English-speaking western and can be used to visually advertise their school. Most Koreans would see me as a mono-lidded, asian-looking female, despite my being Canadian in all aspects except appearance. Upon meeting me, they would soon discover, however, that I was a clumsy Gyopo who was a "bad Korean" for not speaking Korean or knowing the culture. (Maybe this is a bit harsh and "counter assumptive," but is indicated by comments I've come across during research.)

While, of course, there are many schools that are unprejudiced and hire ethnic Koreans, I've also heard stories that it can be a different journey which includes different work expectations, salaries and Korean co-worker reactions...you're not necessarily immediately idolized for your western English-speaking capabilities.

So my journey in seeking a job teaching ESL in Korea includes both excitement and reservations. But because my options are few at this point and I've always wanted to explore another culture for longer than a few weeks (and make money!) I'm engaging my stubborn determination...who knows, if all goes well, I may be blogging from a different time zone this time next year if Operation OYNK (One Year iN Korea) is successful.

Wedding video unleashed!

2011-09-03T18:48:00.001-07:00

This year Anton and I began what, I'm sure, will blossom into successful Indie movie acting careers. After receiving Anton's permission to post it, I'm releasing to you the movie clip that will launch that portion of our lives.

But let me provide some background and synopsis...

Whether it's been at a wedding or on YouTube, most people have seen the interview-style How We Met movie and the Getting to the Reception clip that couples often show sometime during their wedding receptions. Anton and I knew we wanted to have a video of some sort, but decided to try and make it more original while still conveying our story.

Thus we embarked on a project that took advantage of our different ethnic background stereotypes—Korean and Russian—and contrasted them alongside our pretty average relationship journey.

Many hours were spent planning, shooting, storyboarding and editing. We experimented with green screens, lighting and voiceovers. Late night sessions saw heated co-director debates, triumphs over technical problems, retake after retake and several glasses of wine.

Personal deadlines—set by me—came and went until only a week was left and we were cutting it close. I'm sure Anton was hearing the sweet voice of his conscience repeating "If only we had stuck to Rebekah's deadlines..."—and the voice of Anton's conscience has an uncanny resemblance to mine.

We had to work with what we had and we came out with a finished video. All-in-all I'd say it's "...A charming piece edited with a crude roughness that only the best small production independent films can pull off."

For your viewing pleasure:
*the password is rhaz, but will be changed in a week...
if you miss it leave a comment and I'll give it to you

How we met from rebekah H. on Vimeo.

With a little help from my friends...

2011-08-21T16:36:00.002-07:00

DIY decorations...
have I told you how much I love Value Village, the Dollar Store and Ikea?!

It takes a lot of work planning a wedding on a budget and I used my innovative side as much as I could. I wanted to keep it relatively simple and of course full of us, which meant no wedding planner.

We did as much as we could ourselves, but of course, there were some things we had to "outsource" including catering, the dress, venue (of course), photography, rentals and deserts (to mom and a family friend...which turned out wonderful!).

This post highlights the services I used because they all turned out great. I know some friends and readers are in the midst of wedding planning as well, so I thought I'd pass on the names.

We had 85 guests attend and the final cost tallied up to just over $6,000. I think I saved a lot on choosing not to have a cake, finding a photographer who charged way less than half the going rate of most wedding photographers and doing my own makeup and hair--I never wear makeup, so spent a lot of time watching YouTube tutorials and practicing...I even wore fake eyelashes!

Bridesmaids: My three beautiful and unique sisters!

Our photographer Kuna was recommended by some friends and is a really great guy. Primarily an event photographer, I enjoy his style as it's more candid/photojournalistic which I prefer to a lot of posed shots.

The WISE Hall - 1882 Adanac, Vancouver

The Wise Hall has such great character all by itself that our contribution to decorations was very minimal, just a touch here or there to show we actually put a bit of thought into it...I'm joking, I did think about it, but I'm so glad we weren't starting with a generic hotel banquet hall.

The beautiful lights were actually free with the hall,
thanks to the couples who had weddings before us this summer!

A few $15 bouquets from Costco covered flowers.
I chose not to have a bouquet.

It was actually really fun having a dress made and watching the evolution of it!

I was really happy with Kathryn from Simple (Something) Clothing Company who put up with my indecisive flexibility and helped me figure out what I wanted. I decided getting my dress made when I realized short dresses are hard to find in stores here. While I tried on some long dresses and looked very princessy and grown up, but they just didn't feel me. I've never felt comfortable in clothes I couldn't run around in, so a knee length seemed to fit my personality more...it was super comfy by the way.

Everyone's favorite part (at least mine)...food!

Our first quote for food was way over our budget so I went on the search for another one and came across Benjamin from Out To Lunch Catering. They were great--tasty and decently priced. Some catering companies, I found, want to be quite involved and wanted us to use servers--whom we have to pay--and I know some don't allow you to take leftovers home. OTL was great, very helpful and available during the choosing and ordering process, then pretty much hands-off once they dropped it off on the night-of, just the way I like it.

We also got some fruit and vegetable trays from Costco and ordered sushi trays from Sake Maki on nearby Commercial Drive. I love sushi at any time, but Sake Maki really does make exceptional sushi.

*Hint to others if you're ordering sushi...if you want it super fresh (and food safe) ask them to deliver it twice and at two different times.

My two lovely desert-providers are on the left, my mom and Ellen!

When it came to deserts, I was tempted to go the cupcake route, but since we're having a summer wedding, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to support our local berry farmers and went with homemade lemon pound cake with a choice between fresh blackberry or blueberry topping--beautiful and delicious. Mom made 12 pound cakes, and I'm still looking for ways to give the remaining ones away. Takers?

Always afraid there won't be enough food, I also asked mom and Ellen to make some cookies and bars--everyone loves mom-made baking, right?! All but half a dozen lemon bars were gone by the end of the night.

Everyone fit!

Same name, different title

2011-08-20T13:06:00.001-07:00

Aug. 13, 2011

I guess I'm a "Mrs." now! Just never refer to me as a Mrs. it makes me feel old.

Technically, however, that's Mrs. H and not Mrs. Z as I've decided to keep my last name for the time being. Don't worry though, our eventual children won't be given the burden of a hyphenated name--no offense to those of you with them--I just always thought they were cumbersome.

I'm still recovering from wedding planning/stress withdrawal. Everyone had a really good time and everything looked beautiful--if I do say so myself--it was a success and ran smoothly...so I've been told, I left halfway through and ended up throwing up the rest of the night. Yeah, I may be the first bride you've heard of who left her own party because she was sick...and no, it wasn't due to copious amounts of alcohol, nor am I pregnant.

Without getting overly lovey, dovey, I'm not holding too many grudges, though, as I got to give my vows to the perfect-for-me man in front of family and friends. It's not about the one day, but the many days afterwards.

Asia uploads on Flickr!

2011-06-24T13:10:00.000-07:00

Temple cleaning

And finally, as promised, I've created a Flickr album for my asia photo edits.

Hey strangers! I hope the end of June finds all of you doing well and enjoying your summers.

A quick update:

I now have access to a FAST computer with Photoshop which I'm loving. Photo editing is actually lots of fun now that I don't have to wait forever to do basic touch ups. That means it looks promising for future blogging come the end of summer.

Wedding plans are going well. Now it's just organizing the night's programme and some entertainment/multimedia aspects of the night; otherwise, not too much going on there. I'm starting to look forward to the "big evening" now that it's getting more organized. I apologize to my readers who might be interested in wedding planning updates, I've learned that I'm just not that type of girl...and so I leave it to the many other bloggers who are.

While on the topic of weddings, I'd like to congratulate KYM on her big day! The few pictures that have trickled in on facebook and such have been beautiful. While I may not be a wedding details person, I do love the photos!

Another congratulations is in order for AMBER on her engagement. I was excited when she asked if I could take engagement photos for her and Eric when I was up in Kamloops over Father's Day weekend. There were a few photoshoot butterflies on both sides of the camera, but we ended up having tons of fun. Here are a few sneak peeks of the lovely couple.

Finally, we have a new addition in our family which arrived as a Father's Day surprise for dad. You can check out the whole story on my mom's blog. Here, you'll just get a couple pictures.

Dad's new friend, Jenny

New directions

2011-06-01T15:28:00.001-07:00

I've done an abysmal job updating you guys on the trip. Hyping it up makes it harder for me to say what I'm about to say because I feel I owe you guys a books-worth of pictures and interesting stories, but—

I need to take a breather.

Countless times over the past week and a half I've thought about sitting down and posting, but it's never come into fruition. I feel I need some time to regroup, not only with blogging, but with a lot of areas in my life.

What with wedding planning, adjusting to life with a partner, starting to pay back student loans and looking for a career job—yet not even having a PT job—I'm feeling like I'm headed in new directions. I need a bit of time to step back and examine my thoughts, feelings, hopes and ambitions in light of a completely different stage of life: post-graduation, newlywed and career-seeking.

At this point, while a large part of me loves being a part of the blogosphere and sharing my (sometimes?) interesting viewpoints, stories and pictures, it's been starting to feel less fun and more like an obligation lately. So for at least the summer, I'm going to take a hiatus from blogging. As picture edits from the trip trickle in, I'll put them in a Flickr Album and post the access link here, however, since I did promise pictures.

Holding me somewhat back on the technical side of things, my faithful student laptop of several years is having a hard time keeping up with my growing number of pictures and upgrades in photo-editing software. Larger, higher quality photos and programs require faster computers in order to work at a pace that doesn't drive you crazy—currently, it's painfully slow editing any moderate amount of photos.

Come the end of summer, I'll reassess and see how I feel about re-joining as a blogger. I think I want to keep blogging with perhaps more focus on my photography—I've let it slide a bit and I want to get back into consistant practicing and learning—but we'll see. I'm definitely going to keep being a blogreader though, I'd miss that too much!

So thank you faithful readers for your eyes, encouragement and comments over the years. Hopefully if I decide to pick it up again you guys will attend the relaunch!

Thanks,
Rebekah

Mutianyu section, the Great Wall, China

Korea/Japan: Backlanes and potted plants

2011-05-22T19:11:00.000-07:00

Part of my interest in going to Korea, Japan and China all in the same trip was to compare the three countries and note differences—of which, I discovered, there are many.

So, while my thoughts are still fresh, I thought I'd start the "re-telling" of my trip by posting about some things I noted. Please note that I loved each country in their own ways and I'm not making a case for the "best" or "worst," these are merely my observations. I believe that people in North America can often lump all asian countries under the same title or have a hard time finding differences (perhaps asians do the same with Americans and Canadians), so I thought it would be educational to do some contrasting.

Having been to Korea once already and noted some of my observations in a past post, I can't think of anything that surprised me anew. It wasn't until we arrived in Japan that I had something to contrast it with.

Entering Japan. Men on deck watch the boat get moored.

Going into the trip I knew China would be like the orange in the proverbial row of apples, but I didn't have a clear idea of the differences I would find between Japan and Korea. Anton told me I'd find Japan similar to Korea, but more clean and tidy; on this point, he was right.

We got into Japan early in the morning and it felt quiet as we wandered the streets of Fukuoka trying to find our hostel. It's deserted feeling vanished as the city woke up and started preparing for two days of holiday festivities—Fukuoka's population gains an additional 2 million people during the Hakata Dontaku Festival, according to our hostel owner—more on that later.

Not the best picture, but gives an idea of the number of people who showed up for the parade.
We didn't stay for all of it, but it must have lasted well over three hours!

Despite pretty specific instructions to our hostel, it took us forever to find it. After about an hour of wandering in the general area of where we knew it was, we took a break to grab a McDonald's breakfast before trying again. Japanese house addresses aren't always as straightforward as in North America because, according to Anton, houses aren't numbered consecutively like here, but in the order they were built. Larger numbered areas are divided into numbered districts and each smaller districts have numbered houses.

Japan had more distinct houses/housing units—albeit often very compact—than compared with Korea. In outlying areas I saw some places that even had small yards and/or backyard gardens. This observation, however, could be due to having gone to the three largest cities in Korea and to moderate to "smaller-sized" cities in Japan. Perhaps if I went to Tokyo I'd find just as many small, cramped, sometimes more rundown housing units and enormous apartment blocks like Korea.

The quiet, narrow lanes of Fukuoka

More suburban residences seen leaving Beppu, Japan.

They seem to have more space and look more like "individual houses," compared with Korea's multi-family units.

Newer looking, large apartment complexes in Busan, seen from Gwangalli Beach.

A rooftop scene from Seoul, Korea.

I found Japan to be very compact, tidy and organized with very little litter on the streets, well manicured garden and greenspaces, apartments and houses. There tended to be a lot more decorative trees and shrubbery in Japanese residential neighbourhoods, I thought. Both Koreans and Japanese like their potted plants though, probably because they don't often have a lot of private greenspace for flowerbeds and vegetable gardens.

Apartments in Beppu, Japan.

Tidy walking and driving lanes, same apartments in Beppu, Japan.

Wider back lanes in Chuncheon, Korea. Chuncheon was a much smaller, less urban city than Seoul, Daegu or Busan.

Potted plants in front of Japanese homes.

Potted plants in front of Korean homes.

Koreans love their lettuce leaves, garlic, onions and other greens to be close at hand.
It was common to see every free patch of earth converted into garden space.

Japanese have long been lauded for their efficiency and neatness and I found this to be true. There were many clever efficiencies I noted, but one that really made me smile was their conservation of space in the bathroom; I first experienced this in our first guesthouse in Fukuoka. It was probably the tiniest bathroom I've ever seen, not bigger than 4x4 ft with just a toilet and sink. The sink was actually a part of the toilet cistern. I wish I'd gotten a picture of one, but I kept forgetting. When the toilet was flushed clean water destined for the cistern and next flush ran through a tap first so you could use it to wash your hands. Anton said it's common in Japan—and maybe other asian countries—but I'd never encountered it before and thought it was neat, since who cares if the water used to flush is clean when it enters the bowl or not?

The countrysides of both Korea and Japan are beautiful. Both countries are mountainous with quaint hamlets that can be glimpsed between tunnels. Korean farming communities looked a little bit older, jumbled together and rundown while the Japanese countryside looked more developed, more like what you'd expect in North America or perhaps Western Europe, only on a smaller scale: Smaller plots, smaller tractors, etc.

Taking the train between Seoul and Chuncheon, Korea.

Taking the train between Fukuoka and Beppu, Japan.

Everyone bikes in Japan. Large portions of the sidewalk were devoted to bicycle parking, every house had a few sitting by the door and hearing the warning bell of a bike behind you on the sidewalk was common. While Korea had it's portion of bikes, I felt there weren't nearly as many as in Japan.

Designated bicycle and scooter parking

This post has grown pretty long, so I think I'll cut it short there, stay tuned.

Hang in there...

2011-05-19T15:23:00.000-07:00

This is more of a teaser than anything else.

Vacation is over and it's now back to reality. While I meant to blog while in China, we were on a tighter schedule there and the Internet is SO SLOW that it didn't end up happening.

We made it back safely Monday and have been recovering from jetlag while also settling back into work and no-work.

I started a "comparison" post, but it's growing longer and more introspective than you would like to see all in one post so I will be breaking it down into a few. It might take a couple days to write and edit, so in the meantime here are some teaser pictures for China.

Who needs the Great Wall when you've got technology?!

Seeing red. Shanghai, China

Is Obama now a Communist poster boy?...I wonder what the characters say.

Konichiwa

2011-05-05T17:20:00.000-07:00

A quick shoutout from Beppu, Japan. No pictures today as I'm updating from our hostel's shared computers.

I had all intentions of updated a bit more frequently, but as it always goes sightseeing and tiredness often messes with those plans.

We got to know Busan pretty well after being there once before and staying there a few days before ferrying it to Fukuoka. The weather kept getting warm as we moved south and by the time we were in Busan, I'd say temperatures were in the low-mid-20s (celsius).

The May Golden weeks for Japan and China were just beginning around that time and so Busan was filling up with Japanese tourists enjoying their 4-day (?) national holiday.

Taking the overnight ferry from Busan to Fukuoka was both interesting and boring at the same time. The slow ferry we were on took about eight hours to go across the stretch of ocean to Japan and carries people as well as cargo. They have sleeping rooms, both private and shared where you roll out mats and they have blankets provided. Everything very clean (we were headed to Japan after all, and they're always very neat).

We loaded up on gravol (for Anton), remembering his experience on the small fast ferry to Jeju Island in Korea last year. We forgot, however, to pick up some food and found out on the ferry that they only took Japanese Yuen and had a very pricey exchange rate. Of course, my stomach couldn't last that long without any food so we changed a bit over and had a dinner of noodles and icecream from a vending machine...not too bad.

Entertainmentwise, it was really interesting heading out of the harbour and being up on deck to watch, but because it was dark by the time we left, after we left the lights, there wasn't much to see and we had to turn indoors. While there were small arcade rooms, a movie room and a restaurant, because they all cost money, we didn't bother. There were a couple onsens on board though, which are the Japanese equivalent to jjimjjilbangs, but I didn't go because I didn't have a towel along with me, I should pick one up because it proves to be a handy thing to have.

Fortunately Anton was fine and slept the night through, I on the other hand had/have been sick with a cold and allergies, so I couldn't sleep, but we arrived in Fukuoka around 6 a.m. in the morning all in one piece.

We arrived in Japan during the middle of their Golden Week and Fukuoka gained an additional 2 million people according to our hostel owner. There was a two day festival including a very long parade that we got to see. It was great people watching. When we went to the zoo (which happened to be free because of the holiday) I didn't know what was more interesting, animal-watching or people-watching.

We're now in Beppu which is more of a smaller resort town famous for it's thermal hotsprings. It's much quieter than Fukuoka was, but I'm sure it gets pretty busy during the times there isn't a national holiday that draws tourists to other places.

I guess that's a long enough update for now, I'd better free up the computer for others.

So far I've really liked Japan and there are so many intersting differences I've realized about Japan and Korea...but that will probably have to wait until I get back home and have more time to think out a post.

If there are lots of typos, etc, I apologize.

I hope all is well back in Canada and wherever everyone else is!

Hello Korea!

2011-04-27T17:27:00.001-07:00

Ahnyoung haseyo!

Three days into the trip and three cities visited. A brief update and some pictures. No editing software, so they're straight from camera...

Seoul was a quick overnight stop. Having spent quite a bit of time there on our last trip, so we didn't feel the need to "explore" too much.

An early breakfast at McDonalds watching the good people of Seoul start their days. McDonalds tastes the same, at least to me, I hardly ever eat there, so I wouldn't be the best judge of that. Delivery for McDonalds is popular.

Soon after breakfast we took the train about an hour away to Chuncheon. It's a much smaller city than Seoul and felt older and a bit run down. We walked and walked, and walked some more. I love the idea of having no place to go and all day to get their when you're on vacation exploring a new space.

Taking random side streets we wandered around local neighbourhoods.

Chuncheon is famous for being the birthplace of Dak Galbi and it has a street devoted to places that serve it.

Dak Galbi is cut up pieces of boneless chicken cooked on a hot cast iron plate with cabbage, hot red sauce, ddeokkbakki-rice cakes-and various other vegetables. Sometimes you can order additional items to add like mushrooms, rice or noodles. Of course we weren't going to visit Chuncheon without tasting the dish it's famous for... it was, of course, delicious.

Locals and visitors enjoy dak galbi. This place was packed.

Of course our meal was finished off with a drinkable yogurt!

Then we spent a good couple hours soaping up, scrubbing, soaking and relaxing at the local jjimjjillbang.Wash areas are separate for men and women, but there are common areas you can hang out in as well as sleeping spaces. We were originally going to spend the night there, but it was too early and there were some other things we still wanted to see.

Our final destination in Korea is Busan, so we knew we had to somehow make our way across the country there, but had another day to get there, so on a spur-of-the-moment decision we headed to Daegu on the bus.

We arrived in Daegu with little knowledge of the city and no idea where we were going to stay. After a three hour ride we were dropped off at the outer city bus station where there was no tourist information. We managed to get our hands on a map (In Korean) grabbed a taxi and found our way into the downtown area where we walked for what seemed like forever before finding a hotel (No hostels in Daegu). More wandering happened and we eventually found a place to eat in the shopping district.

After another tasty meal of Korean barbecue (paired with a couple bottles of soju) we meandered through the streets along with all the other young teenagers, couples and groups of friends shopping, eating and joking around. I'd say Koreans like to have lots of "nights out on the town," but that would make it seem like a special occasion, here, it's just what everybody does after school or work. Apartments are tiny compared to North American standards, so socializing happens outside of living areas for the most part.

Still early, sidewalks are just starting to fill with people.

That brings us up to the present. Today we'll make the final lag of the trip to Busan and hang out there for about five days before taking the ferry to Japan. It will be my first time for Japan, so I'm looking forward to it!

Almost packed and ready to go...

2011-04-22T13:56:00.001-07:00

...making a list and checking it twice.

It's two more sleeps until we go!

Delayed gratification after having to put off the the original Japan trip and rescheduling it for later, makes the extra wait seem worth it now that we've added China and Korea onto the itinerary.

I mentioned earlier that I'll only be traveling with a 30-35L pack and my camera bag, here are the pictures to prove it.

Squishing things into ziplock bags helps keep things contained and organized. I also find it easier to fit clothes in if it's rolled up. And yes, that's my good friend Reactine.

Found a new camera bag that fills me needs—Crumpler's 5 Million Dollar Home.

Simple, concise and to the point, even when it's just packing, I think these words are becoming a life mantra for me.

There's even a little room to spare in the top. It's hard bringing just one book—I guess that's where Kindles/Kobos etc are handy—but they definitely take up a lot of space and weight.

Transportation and accommodations are booked and lined up for the trip, except for train tickets from Shanghai to Beijing which only open up five to seven days beforehand. We'll buy them online when we're in Korea or Japan. Although the third party sites add a fee, we figured it would be better than going to the station ourselves and buying them 1.5 days ahead because they supposedly book up quickly. If all goes well, the tickets are even supposed to be delivered to the place you're staying. Part of me will only believe that when I see it, but I'm crossing my fingers and hope it's only me being skeptical.

Next post will be from the other side of the Pacific. Have a good Easter everybody!

Thanks to my mother

2011-04-15T10:40:00.003-07:00

Because I'll be gone over "official" Mother's Day, I thought I'd give mom some pre-day-of, blog appreciation.

There's lots I could say about her. Of course I could make hyperbolic claims that she's the most amazing mom out there, her cooking is the best, etcetera, etcetera...but most people flaunt they have the #1. mom, so that's not so interesting and of course, there is no perfect parent and none would ever claim to be.

What parents lack in perfectness (as do their children), however, they often make up with love and life wisdom which they try to pass on in hopes their children are listening.

I may not have been a perfect kid—I had my bad habits like stubbornness, teenage attitude, an affinity to math and a 'grass-is-always-greener-on-the-other-side' mentality—but I was listening and storing away the good bits.

I might not have always showed it in the best of ways, but I've appreciated everything mom gave to me and am able to reap the benefits today as a result.

So mom, thanks for...

Instilling in me:

~ An appreciation and knowledge of how to create wholesome food with my own hands.

(The art of pie-making tutorial for my cousin)

(You are what you eat.)

~ A DIY attitude towards things that aren't only practical, but fun hobbies.

(Gardening and knitting high in this category.)

~ That truth and love should trump all else.

Giving me:

~ The idea that learning doesn't stop after school, it's a lifestyle.

~ A unique education that involved lots of good books, field trips and family time.

(Look at all those fine-looking children, children-in-laws and cousins!)

~ Lots of love and good advice over many cups of tea.

To many more!

(Always ready to explore, supporting her knitting addiction

by trying to win a picture contest with "Loopy," the Loopy Ewe's mascot!)

Vacation itinerary

2011-04-13T11:25:00.001-07:00

The countdown is on! Only about a week and a half until I'm flying out of Vancouver.

I can't wait to:

- Live out of a 30-35L backpack for three weeks (Yeah, we're traveling super light because we're moving around so much. I told Anton he's lucky I can be a minimalist..pictures of this packing feat to come!)

- Take Kiki for her first real test drive

- Be immersed in different cultures again

- Find crazy and random stuff at markets

- Communicate with little knowledge of the local language

- Eat TONS of Korean, Japanese and Chinese food (Anton swears that's the only reason why I want to go on this trip.)

Itinerary:

Korea to Japan (Ferry). Japan to China (Plane)

China to Korea (Plane)

We have a pretty ~~busy~~ epic itinerary planned!

Anton is planning Korea and Japan while I'm organizing the Chinese portion. Because we have our 'designated' itinerary duties and haven't given each other too much detail about the day-to-day agendas it will be interesting to see how it all unfolds.

I think Anton's kind of nervous for my portion because he claims I'm not 'paranoid' enough about details and it's my first time going solo on vacation planning for a foreign country. I've done my research, however, and I'm going to write all the needed details down in the notebook I'll be taking; we'll be fine!

For the Chinese portion, I'm really looking forward to Beijing and think 1.5 days won't be enough time because there are so many interesting things to see there—Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, hutongs and a trip to the Great Wall are definitely on the agenda. I think Shanghai will be interesting in that it will be our first taste of China and we have friends we'll be visiting there, but won't have as much 'historical' flavour and character as Beijing...at least that's sort of what I've been reading and hearing—it's the more modern, up-and-coming taste of China.

I'll be doing some posts 'from the field,' so I won't be completely off the radar for the three weeks we're gone.

Go vote Canada...Do I have to?

2011-04-12T10:48:00.003-07:00

To do my civic duty or not? That's the question.

A federal election for Canada was announced late March, giving Canadians a little over a month to prepare for heading to the polls.

I'm still a 'young' voter, having only voted in two federal elections. The first time felt kind of exciting and 'grown up' with my vote going the same way as my parents. The second time, just two years later, I was entering my first year of journalism school and eager to be 'informed' and 'have an opinion.'

This year will be the third time and I'm feeling apathetically cynical. Always striving towards honesty and transparency, I openly say that while I know who our prime minister is, am educated in how our governmental system works, party's general platforms and the general national and international issues in the news, aside from glancing at headlines, I'm largely ignorant to Canadian federal politics (yes, despite the "journalism" label).

I find it boring, inaccessible and hard to follow unless you're a loyal reader of the dry Politics section and honestly, I can find other things I'm more interested in spending time learning about. Though I realize federal decisions do affect me, I feel by voting I can't change too much because platforms and promises never seem to be so rosy in reality. At times it feels if I have a problem, I can do more through griping, complaining and protesting enough after the fact—at least, I'll have a vested interest in the issue and understand it. Then I can utilize those mass complaint box, social mediums like Facebook and Twitter to rally people together. Then maybe, as an afterthought write a letter to a local member of Parliament (MP) and—if I'm ambitious enough—to the prime minister, or march on Parliament Hill if I'm feeling particularly adventurous and zealous.

Even more tricky, is with Canada's parliamentary system, you don't cast your ballot directly for the the next prime minister, as you would say in the US. You vote for a party's local candidate who, if they win, will head to Parliament in Ottawa to represent their party and your area. The leader of the party with the most MPs in Parliament will then become the prime minister.

Maybe I can't stand a local MP, but want the party they represent to win the election. Does thought for local representation trump national and international influence, or should it be the other way around? How to compromise?

Maybe I don't have right to complain because I choose not to become better informed, or because I'm thinking of not voting (which maybe is a good thing because I don't have an in-depth understanding?), but a declining number of voters reveals others must feel the same way.

The question continues to be repeated election after election...What are you, Ms/Mr. candidate willing to do to win my vote? What are you doing to make things more applicable, understandable and digestible? When will the elected government show integrity to their election promises? We don't necessarily ask platform promises to be elaborate or enormous necessarily...just followed through with. Please help me understand.

Photo source and a good resource for Canadian voters getyourvoteon.ca

And life bursts forth

2011-04-10T12:34:00.001-07:00

New life bursts forth giving pure joy to observers.

A baby is born or a new litter of puppies or kittens arrives. A seedling breaks free of its dormancy and a bud flowers announcing springtime. Life blossoms and we rejoice.

We're enraptured by beginnings and marvel at the perceived miracle that nature presents us with every birth.

Maybe this is why, while summer conjures up sweet, sticky memories and robustness, spring signifies a feeling of renewal and vitality.

There's nothing more invigorating and motivating than a spring day when a beaming sun invites everybody outside to stretch their winter-stiffened legs underneath bright blue skies.

Some people say Christmas is a magical season, but I say its springtime that takes my breath away.

Wedding plans plod along

2011-04-04T08:36:00.002-07:00

I'll get by on a steady diet of tea.

I've decided that one thing I will never be is a wedding planner.

It's definitely been a learning experience—this is the girl that gets things done two days before a deadline working with someone who agonizes over details, but believes in loose due dates. I suppose we're learning the two-halves-make-a-whole lesson, trusting the other to pick up where the other's "inadequacies" begin.

I've also learned that, at least in the case of our Big Day, you have to let it be an organic, malleable event with the ability to evolve. We've tried to keep it on a $7,000 budget, which means creativity, a do-it-yourself attitude and a little extra searching.

It helps that I could care less about a few things others might include:

- Two venues

- Hair/Makeup/Veil

- Wedding cake

- Full meal w/ set up and linens

- Floral arrangements/bouquets

- Tons of decorations (It helps that our venue has lots of aesthetic character.)

- Limo/transportation

Neither of us like being in the spotlight and so we want the evening to feel more like a fun party with a small serving of wedding on the side.

I feel good about having most of the "bit things" checked off:

- Photographer: Kuna Photography - $750

- Caterer: Out To Lunch Catering - $1,687.84

- Venue: The Wise Hall - $1072.16

- Wine: West Coast U Brew

- Dress: Pure Something Clothing Co. - $895

- Invitations (Going out this week, I swear!)

- Registry

Still to do:

- Rings

- Minimal decorations

- Anton's attire

- Final details/roles/entertainment for the night

The day still seems far away the Korea/China/Japan trip takes up most of my "eager excitement", yet at the same time I can't believe it's April already!

Cramming stuff into my head

2011-04-01T09:41:00.001-07:00

Still....

...for a job.

I've concluded that my resume either looks too impressive or not impressive enough.
The fact I've worked at community newspapers, freelanced and have a journalism degree (almost) scares away service industry jobs, I think.

"Aren't you going to be looking for a career job after you finish your last course?" asked one place that actually was hiring.

Sure, that's the goal, but the reality is that it can take up to two years to actually find one...in the meantime, I still need to make something of a living. While I'm thankful I'm not in immediate need, I just hate the feeling I'm freeloading and worry about the long term future.

I'm getting better at enjoying my free time, however, and my creed to never stop learning is keeping my mind limber.

It includes looking up how smoke detectors work which stemmed from having an overly sensitive one—I don't burn my cooking, I swear. And I've become a frequent visitor to topdocumentaryfilms.com and TED.com:
"A global set of conferences owned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, formed to disseminate "ideas worth spreading." - Wikipedia.

Some particularly interesting docs I've watched lately were:
Inside Job - A 2010 documentary about the 2007-2010 financial crisis. It was screened at the Cannes Film Festival and received an Academy Award for best doc. I'm a bit of a dummy when it comes to the economy and financial world, but with Anton there to explain some additional things, like derivatives, I learned a lot.

Streets of Plenty - This one was particularly interesting to me because it took place here in Vancouver. A 20-something-year-old guy decides, for 30 days, to see what it's like to live homeless on the Downtown Eastside (The grittiest part of town and a thorn in Vancouver's moniker as being one of the best places to live in the world). He jumps into English Bay with only his underwear and emerges with a mission to see what services are available for him. While the first few days prove to be pretty good, reality soon settles in.

Why I Am No Longer A Christian - "In this series the author (YouTuber Evid3nc3) explains his life as a born-again Christian, his deconversion, and his life as an atheist. I stumbled upon this one and almost dismissed it because I assumed it would become a bit of a rant/attack, but he turned out to be highly educated, well-spoken and logical, voicing many things that hold weight.

So yes, I'm learning about a lot of stuff...and getting some knitting done—my fidgety, need-to-feel-productive personality kicks into multitasking.

A week of 'S' words

2011-03-25T10:38:00.001-07:00

I've been MIA for the past week and I have some good excuses—all brought to you by the letter 'S.'

The best excuse was SUNSHINE!

You'd think snowy mountains would be the last place I'd want to go when the sun decides to shine, but for us in "balmy" Vancouver, it's a novelty to drive up to the mountains and go snowshoeing. Yay for $12 snowshoe Groupon rentals at Seymour Mountain....P.S. Despite the snow, it was a warm 10 C (50 F).

Springtime buds follows closely on the heels of sunshine. Yes, the evidence of spring is everywhere.

...Evidence for spring is also obvious by the plethora of boxes of allergy medicine that have taken up residence in the house. Non-drowsy allergy medicine and I have been good friends this week...*Note, I'm not promoting any particular brand. If nothing else I've learned there's no tried and true brand for everyone.

Did I mention shorts? First wear of the season.

Finally, 'S' is for soundwalking. If you're in the Vancouver area and looking for a unique way of exploring the city...with your ears, check out the public soundwalk series. Need more information? Check out the website...or just read my freelance story. :)

May you have a sunshiny weekend!

Korea...take two

2011-03-20T00:44:00.000-07:00

A week from now, we were planning to be on an airplane en route to Japan, for obvious reasons, we've had to cancel and reschedule - it didn't seem right to vacation in a country where the locals were experiencing a national crisis. So we find our Japan trip being pushed forward and reincarnated into a return to Korea with an addition...China.

Fortunately, we were able to get a credit for our Air Canada tickets - without a cancelation fee - and began thinking of alternatives; tickets to our new destination had to be of comparable price, so we were somewhat limited. A couple options were floated around: Thailand or Korea (relatively easy to plan since we'd been there last year) and we couldn't decide so we flipped a coin - literally - and it decided on Thailand.

We'd tentatively started planning, but I think my headspace was still in northern Asia and one night I blurted out..."Let's go back to Korea," and Anton gave an enthusiastic grin and that was that.

China popped into my head while in the bath the next day. I've had so many ties with China - volunteering, a sister-in-law, living in Richmond - it seems natural to want to visit and see what it's all about. Since it's just a jump across the water and flights are relatively cheap I posed the idea to Anton and we both nodded and said, "why not?" Thus we are eagerly digging into researching China. Any tips?

As a tag we might skip across the water on a ferry to Southern Japan if all goes well.

So our trip is being delayed a bit, but I don't mind too much. Korea was great the first time and I knew I'd return one day, I just didn't know it'd be so soon.

Can't wait to back to....

My addiction to drinkable yogurt

Early morning walks through nearly empty streets

Exploring out of the way sidestreets

Playing tourist (As much as I dislike that title) with my camera.

Pretty night lights and soju on the beach

Wake-up call

2011-03-16T10:57:00.008-07:00

Sendai, Japan - Reuters

While all eyes have been turned on Japan, here in Greater Vancouver many people are also taking the time to assess their own disasters preparedness plans.

For those of us living along the coast of B.C., we're aware our own "Big One" could happen any day with more devastating affects because of our unpreparedness. Many of us - including provincial government planners - remain unprepared without emergency plans or kits, we think such a disaster is still too surreal to think about, then the twin disasters in Japan occur and it's an abrupt wake-up call.

While the 2004 Boxing Day Earthquake/Tsunami and 2010 Haiti earthquake drew international attention and support, it somehow hit closer to home when Japan, a first world nation renowned for it's disaster preparedness, gets hit and left crippled.

I don't want to downplay the destruction and sorrow of the Indian Ocean and Haiti disasters - Haiti is a soft spot for me - but many people had to run to the map to learn where those places even were. In the case of Japan it isn't a developing nation, on the contrary, it plays a large role in world economy and our lives. Many of us have vacationed in Japan and/or have family, friends, business partners who live or work there - somehow a disaster in Japan hits closer to home.

For us on the coast of B.C. it also teaches us that if Japan is devastated after being hit by a major earthquake and tsunami, where would we be if a similar story played out here?

Are we prepared?

We also live along the Pacific Ring of Fire, though we've been spared from a large earthquake for many years. In January, British Columbia held the first provincewide Great British Columbian Shakeout, an earthquake awareness campaign in which 470,000 participants "dropped, covered and held on." People were also encouraged to assemble emergency kits and work out a plan. For at least myself, however, it took the Japanese disaster to really prompt me to think about having something of a plan in place. In terms of contacting people I don't even know Anton's phone number, the only number I have memorized is my parent's, otherwise I rely on speed dial.

I'm not one to panic and go overboard, but several times over the past couple days when they've had radio segments on preparing for disaster here, I've had quite a few "Oh, I'd never thought of that before," moments such as having particular items in an emergency kit:

- Extra cash, including coins for pay phones
- Current prescription medications if you take them
- An extra pair of prescription glasses - very useful for me
- A can opener, if you include canned food - you'd think that would be a no-brainer, but easy enough to overlook

Do you live in an area prone to disasters? Do you have an emergency plan?

Donate to Japan: Canadian sources - National Post
Don't donate specifically to Japan - Reuters blog (Interesting food for thought?)

With both eyes on Japan

2011-03-12T22:49:00.000-08:00

Several times this week I've put fingers to keyboard to start a post, but lost interest before it came to be. Then the earthquake and tsunami happened in Japan and all of my online attention was taken up with watching footage and staying updated—yet another testament to the merits and immediacy of online media.

Source

I'm happy to have heard from friends in Japan, but it's a sobering thought knowing there are hundreds of people dead and tens of thousands missing. Now with the nuclear crises, every time I check the news I find myself holding my breath and hoping for the best.

As I read the updates, watch videos and look at the daily images of people lining up for radiation checks and rescue teams going through the mess I get that itch, the same one that made me want to go to Haiti in the aftermath of their earthquake. I find myself feeling guilty, however, when along with feeling empathy and hoping for the best, I find such events "interesting" and feel a certain level of desire to be there myself as a witness. I see pictures and I want to be the one who's taking them, I watch a video clip and wish I was the one to capture it.

Source

Is this largely due to naiviete? Maybe? Likely. If I'm honest, part of it is probably for selfish, adventure-seeking reasons, but also being honest I also believe it's because of my desire to help. I posted last year about photographing death in Haiti after their earthquake explaining some of my inexperienced thoughts and opinions.

Growing up, pictures spoke strongly to me whether they were in the daily news, my history book or National Geographic so for me, I feel the opportunity to document events is my way of leaving a legacy. Maybe this is why I told Anton I wished I was in one of the rescue teams going over or that we were going to Japan next week and not in a month. Still, I recognize the gravity of the situation and hope that tomorrow is a "slow news day" on the Japanese front.

Source

Weekend sound

2011-03-07T10:27:00.008-08:00

Good music, sunshine and the prospect of a trip to Japan have done a lot to brighten my spirits.

Also, I have to admit knowing I have to take one more class before graduating comforts me a bit. Yes, it's frustrating it will be drug out longer, but I guess it postpones the full-time job search a little longer and that was really stressing me out.

The lack of print journalism jobs and the impossibility of living off of freelancing, makes it hard even phoning places up. The average publication pays about $0.25/wd accepting 500 - 1000 wd articles—you do the math. Yet again, I'm experiencing my passion for print journalism fading merely due to the frustration of not being able to follow that path. Enough of that topic, however, I said I was in a good mood and partly due to music.

Friday night I broke my live music dry spell when Anton and I went to hear Ontario solo artist Owen Pallett—previously known as Final Fantasy—as part of CBC radio's Signal Fest. Who wouldn't want to check out an artist who won the 2006 Polaris Music Prize for an album titled He Poos Clouds?

Source

Before listening to his music in preparation for the night, I'd only heard one song by Pallet, Lewis Takes Off His Shirt and liked the mellow pop-iness of it, plus I'm a sucker for artists who incorporate strings into their music. Then I learned Pallett was a solo artist who creates his music through looping his violin, keyboard and vocals together. Clever and fun?...Yes!

It was nice being a live music listener again. He wasn't much of a conversationalist, but it's entertainment enough just watching him create. I like that he takes his shoes off to perform...a guy after my own heart.

You can check out the hour-long Signal podcast from the evening—which also features Vancouver's Brasstronaut—or you can search for Owen Pallett at Concert On Demand (it's not up yet, but it should be soon)

Kiki visits her homeland

2011-03-05T14:13:00.002-08:00

When one door closes another opens.

It appears my wishes for something interesting to come my way are quickly coming true.

Last night we bought tickets to Japan which means Kiki will be taking a visit to her motherland!

I've wanted to visit Japan for a couple years now after becoming friends with several Japanese Exchange students through university—much like my desire to see Korea grew as I met more Koreans.

We'll fly into Tokyo April 6 and be there about ten days...that's only a month away so I'd better start planning!

Don't forget the old people

2011-03-04T10:26:00.004-08:00

In the rush to jump aboard the social media and latest technology bandwagon let's not forget the silver-haired population.

During the last couple days I've had several antisocial technology episodes that left me feeling guilty for (kind of) unintentionally disconnecting myself from other people. Both scenarios involved older people talking to me while I was listening to my iPod.

The first instance occurred when I passed by an older man while I was entering my apartment building. I realized he was talking to me so I pulled out an earbud to catch the tail-end of something about it being cold to have my legs exposed (I was wearing calf-length leggings). I pulled the awkward half-turn, smile and non-committal reply as I continued to the elevator.

Incident number two happened today in Central Park.

It was early so only older people out for an early morning walk—hopefully I will be as energetic and spry when I'm 70—and a few early-rising squirrels and fellow runners were out.

I passed a lady—again I was hooked up to my iPod—and from the corner of my eye I saw her turn. Assuming she was talking to me, I stopped and popped out an earbud to hear her repeat that it must be cold running with exposed arms. I again gave an awkward reply with a little small talk then continued on my way. I felt guilty (obviously not enough to remain unplugged) and pondered the impact of the Continually-connected-to-technology Age on older people. Are all our tech toys giving us another excuse to ignore old people (and other strangers who want to strike up a conversation)?

I like old people and I don't use the "old" moniker with disrespect, it means you've made it a lot longer than I have and are a wealth of fun stories and wisdom that I should pay attention to. Sure there are the crotchety crazies, but cranky weirdness doesn't prejudice against age, it affects all.

Of course I know a few silver-haired individuals who have taken to modern technology like fish to water and love the extension to the world it gives, but the majority of 65+ aged people out there just don't understand it. I wonder if they find it insulting and disrespectful, all of us young people tweeting and texting on buses and street corners, in stores and classroom; or cut off from people around us by listening to music or watching movies on our devices.

Maybe I should make a concerted effort to unplug and become more aware of the people around me, like the old lady knitting in the back of the bus...maybe she can give me some tips.

Have you had any awkward plugged-into-technology moments?

Student purgatory

2011-03-03T11:25:00.005-08:00

It turns out that I lied on the resumes I've handed out...

Jumped the gun...

Counted my chickens before they hatched...

The latest development in my life's drama is that I won't be graduating this term as I need one more three-credit course. As much as I'd like to blame someone else, I really have no scapegoat, because it was my shortsightedness.

When it came to registering for SFU courses last fall, all the ones I wanted were full by the time my date came up so I had to scramble to find replacements that I was somewhat interested in. Amidst all the confusion I thought I only had to take four courses when in truth, I should've registered for five.

I feel this is Karma getting back at me for bemoaning my jobless state and placing me in student purgatory—a perpetual life of student status.

...It looks like I'll be hitting the books one more time.

*Thanks everyone for the encouraging comments from my last post. I guess something interesting has developed.

Stuck in the doldrums

2011-03-02T14:25:00.004-08:00

I miss school. I miss work. I miss feeling useful and productive.

As the weeks pass my discouragement increases and motivation slacks as I mire in stagnation.

Several things are up in the air, but they're stubborn and refuse to sort themselves out. I'm pursuing several work experience and volunteer opportunities, but the ball is in their court and I'm left playing the waiting game, a frustrating place to be.

Despite the ability to make every day a "lazy Sunday" I'm loathe to pick up a book, knit, wander around Vancouver or waste my hours kicking the soccer ball around because it makes me feel guilty, self-absorbed and far from productive—which our society proclaims is an all-important achievement for meaningful contributors. Instead I find lists of little make-work projects and complete them just so I can "tic things off a list" such as grocery shopping, meal planning, sending people things in the mail and other household tasks. I guess that means I'll file my taxes in a timely fashion and can be on top of wedding planning.

Surprisingly, I've found unemployment lonely. I've never been a chatty extrovert, but neither am I used to being alone for at least nine hours every day in a quiet apartment. I've always had siblings a parent or at least a cat to keep me company; these days it's CBC radio or my music that acts as my companion...maybe being a hermit wouldn't be so fun.

You'd think with all this time I'd be excited and find endless subjects to pursue and blog about. That should be the case, but my motivation actually seems to be slowing down....I need some inspiration.

Sorry for such a downer post, but such is my mood. Hopefully tomorrow will produce something interesting.

Better than bought: Homemade dumplings

2011-02-20T18:33:00.006-08:00

It's not often you inherit ground pork from Jewish friends, but I became the owner of some when our family friends bought it instead of ground beef.

I rarely ever buy ground pork—ok, never—so I didn't really know what I should use it for, then a couple days ago I got a craving for dumplings. That's when my mind wandered to the meat in the freezer and my mouth watered at the thought of homemade dumplings/gyoza/mandu—whatever you call them from where you hail.

Several years ago my Chinese sister-in-law made them with us and they were delicious. We did everything which meant the majority of time was spent making the flour wrappers which proved to be a long and tedious task.

Still wanting to make homemade dumplings, I bought pre-made wrappers from T&T. I don't consider this cheating because the majority of Koreans/Chinese/Japanese who make them at home use pre-made wrappers.

I used good ol' allrecipes.com and found a recipe—quite simple. It didn't take long to chop and mix the few ingredients while having Anton help fill and form them. About one pound of ground pork made plenty—I'd estimate around 4-5 dozen—so I saved a bunch in the freezer for another day.

With the dumplings I threw together some Kimchi Jigae—which I must admit I'm getting pretty good at. We enjoyed an early Sunday dinner with the sun setting through the window, all-in-all, a relaxing day.

A whole lot of dead animal

2011-02-17T15:52:00.005-08:00

I have a month's worth of meat in my freezer now.

That's $25-worth of dead animal: three pounds ground beef, one pound stew beef and a full chicken breast. I know for some that may be barely a week's worth, but I'm not a huge meat eater at all, chances are it will last more than a month. When I do eat meat though, I like to know it's from a relatively good source and of good quality—how I miss the good grass-fed beef my mom gets.

This morning I had to go down to Steveston, the area of Greater Vancouver where I used to live, and thought I might as well stock up on meat since there's a family-run, gourmet butcher's place called Heringer's Meat Shop; they're always friendly and helpful. Steveston itself is quite quaint and so the little meat shop fits right in.

[Some tasty sauces and cheeses peeking through the door lure in people walking by.]

Even if you don't buy meat there are lots of other gourmet sauces, cheeses, olives, pastas and interesting food-related treats. When I lived there I'd sometimes wander in just to look around and imagine what tasty dishes I could make. I liked watching the staff's busy hands weigh out and package up purchases behind the counter and listen while they visited with customers.

Despite the chilly weather, I also took a walk around Garry Point Park. It always brings back memories. There were many runs I took along the gravel path circling the park which becomes the dike trail eventually leading to the YVR airport. Also, during the winter if it gets cold enough, the fire department floods the middle and it freezes over to form a pond for skating. We alway had tons of fun when they did that and stayed out for hours playing hockey.

[Cargo ships, barges, fishing boats and tourist crafts are a common sight on the Fraser River by Garry Point Park. The water in the foreground is the manmade pond. You can see a poor abandoned hockey net on the right hand side.]

Thus my trip to buy my meat turned out much more fun and interesting than if I'd walked to the Safeway five minutes away.

Where do you get your meat?

Think pink

2011-02-14T10:33:00.005-08:00

Happy Valentines Day to those who celebrate it.

I'm neither a V-Day hater nor a V-Day lover, I just don't understand it. To me any day is a good day to surprise a significant other, mother, father, sibling or friend with something nice. I'm all about spontaneity and genuine-ity.

I mean, Valentines Day isn't even a day off, at least if it was an official holiday you could take the day to spend time with the one you love.

The only reason why I look forward to Valentines Day is because I know mom makes her traditional V-Day Linzer cookies. Unfortunately, I'm not able to indulge in those just-the-right-amount-of-sweet, raspberry jammy delights this year. If I was really motivated, I'd make them myself, but I'm not and somehow it just wouldn't be the same. Must be that pinch of love that mom adds.

However, I'm not here to rain on anybody's Valentines Day, if you're so inclined, indulge and show someone you care!...Plus all that other smooshie, lovey-dovey stuff that people do on Valentines Day. :)

A Touch of Valentines Day colour...

[Cracked paint and sun-dappled pink.]

[Something sweet.]

[To counterbalance all the chocolate.]

[My favorite red toque.]

Today's self-esteem booster

2011-02-10T14:41:00.005-08:00

Today I was told I dress like a hooker.

I was standing at the bus stop minding my own business and listening to James Blunt on my iPod when a lady started talking to me. Polite as I am, I took out my earphones to hear what she had to say and she gave me these words of wisdom:

"Do you know how many sexual predators there are in Canada? [Then she gives me some large number]. There have been a lot of women in Vancouver who've been murdered who were dressed like you are...like, you know a...prostitute."

Not sure whether I should laugh, cry or give her a piece of my mind I smiled, said "Thanks" and boarded the bus.

What scandalous outfit was I dressed in?!...

[No heels. No fishnets...and my tights weren't even sheer!]

Since when do hookers wear handknit Noro scarves and carry a purse with a Canon 60D and money for organic milk and free range eggs in it instead of lipstick and condoms?

However, maybe this means I don't necessarily have to be unemployed.....ok, maybe not so funny, but it's still the most ~~alarming~~ amusing case of mistaken identity I've had.

Stumbled upon

2011-02-09T09:44:00.007-08:00

Extra time on my hands seems to be a common theme running through my blog. Not that I'm lazy, I've been trying to keep my mind, hands and planner as busy as I can, but there's definitely perusal time.

While my blog has been lacking lately due to a motivational blogging slump, I've been lurking on some blogs and a couple have caught my eye...

Keiko Lynn - If I were ever to have a fashion style, it might be similar to hers. As it is, I dress somewhat like the title of that Britney Spears song from so long ago...what was it called again? Oh yeah, I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Women. I'm somewhere between casual university undergrad and comfortable/practical with a splash of feminine—should probably read closer to 14-year-0ld girl—...if I'm bold, I'll put together a piece I think might look similar to a style I admire, but in a clumsy sort of an attempt.

Words from an Eccentric Girl - Ok. I cheated a little with this one. I didn't stumble across it, it's my sister's blog. But she's in culinary arts school, so how spiff is that? Since she's in the third level now, her class is doing a lot of catering for events and running Thompson Rivers University's Accolades dining room. Plus she's a pretty good photographer herself, so there are often accompanying pictures of yummy-looking food.

Not having any homework to do in the evenings means free times for movies. While I have my favorite comfort shows I download or watch online—House, the Big Bang Theory, and the Daily Show—I also enjoy watching the occasional documentary or more indie/alt movies.

The latest one I came across is Exit Through the Gift Shop directed by Banksy, an infamous British street/graffiti artist known for his often satirical and tongue-in-cheek style. The "documentary" follows an eccentric French man living in California who follows street artists and documents them by filming them, including Banksy himself. The tables turn, however, and he decides to take up street art himself and that's when the real amusement starts.

What makes it even more brilliant is it's kind of ridiculous and, if you're like me, you do a bit of research on the movie. True to Banksy style, there's a twist and many critics think the whole "documentary" is a hoax. It's fun movie and worth a watch.

Finally, squirrels have been leaping across my path. I live near the Burnaby Central Park and similar to the rodents of unusual size (clip) from the Princess Bride movie, the squirrels that inhabit the park are larger than usual. Residing in an urban park, they live in fat city. They enjoy a luxurious diet of peanuts, bird seed, crumbs and anything else park visitors fancy feeding them. I doubt they've ever had to fend for themselves. As you walk along the paths they leap out of the brush ambushing and rushing at you expecting to be fed. I haven't decided whether I like these pudgy, fluffy-tailed rodents or are put off by their opulent live styles.

They're taking over park benches...

And get annoyed when you show up empty-handed.

A brief snippet illustrating the boldness of the squirrels. I threw it together and have no tripod, so please excuse the Blair Witch Project/Cloverfield shake effect...haha and the "sample text" fade out at the end, very sloppy editing on my behalf.

It's not all bad

2011-02-08T20:58:00.002-08:00

Being unemployed isn't bad all the time, there are some benefits such as...

Going for walks when the sun decides to come out

and catching the stirrings of spring....

And being able to enjoy the early sunsets...

I'm not the only one who benefits.

No work means I have time to cook and Anton

gets a decent lunch every day.

Watching from the sidelines

2011-02-03T08:56:00.004-08:00

Al Jazeera - Source

Rumblings of democracy are coming at a price for Egypt with the recent violence, it seems.

It's hard to ignore the news in Egypt and the surrounding countries. I've been following it with interest. I think it's particularly fascinating to follow because it's almost refreshing...can I say that of such a serious situation?

I've no personal connections with Egypt, but it's a significant story in terms of unfolding history—a potential catalyst of change in that region—and in terms of politics, Egypt is a big player in that area and on good terms with the U.S.. But maybe the reason why it's been easier to follow is that there's been no outside influence in terms of military presence.

How many times have we seen things unfold in the Middle East in recent years and cringed hearing that military troops from other places are being sent? No, other than foreign journalists bringing us the news, we can be passive observers knowing that this time we aren't putting any fingers in other people's pies—at least physically—and can watch the history unfold.

Maybe this is different because it came from within in the first place and didn't come from outside "encouragement." The power of people, the majority of a nation, standing up for change has always fascinated and encouraged me. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.

Paperwork woes

2011-02-01T08:50:00.006-08:00

Why does paperwork always cause so much trouble? I hate having to "uncheck" checked things on my to-do list.

Earlier in January I felt so good about being able to mark off "wisdom teeth bill" and "transfer SFU credits over," now it turns out I have to add them back to my list with "look into" beside them.

My teeth bill came in and now I have to figure out school coverage for the remaining amount and I contacted TRU to confirm they got my transcript and it was a no-show.

*sigh...did I mention I hate talking on the phone and have no long distance phone plan?

...Being grown up isn't always as fun as they make it out to be. Somehow I feel I can't complain though, at least it gives me something to fill my unemployed days with.

Geeze, it sounds like I've got a bad case of beginning-of-February-blues! Maybe I have to look outside and reassess my attitude—it's not raining, so I should be thankful and enjoy my lazy morning before I have to go for my eye exam...What, more bills and paperwork? Ahhh!

******

And today's...photo-for-the-post

[Shadow play]

Shadows are my newest photography obsession. Having more free time means I should be taking advantage of it and working on my photography techniques. I've been wanting to work on getting better exposures and understanding it better so I picked up and have been reading through Michael Freeman's Perfect Exposure. Quite a bit of good stuff in it that will warrant a couple read throughs; it will be a good reference book, I think.

A place to celebrate!

2011-01-28T21:07:00.008-08:00

We found a sweet little joint for a reception!

[My sister-in-law, Diana, pointed out Adanac is "Canada" spelt backwards.]

Source

This evening we checked out The Wise Hall in East Vancouver and knew it was the perfect place to hold our "Swing Theme" reception. The decision has been made, we just have to go over a contract and put down a deposit.

[Beautiful hardwood floors, original I think.]

Source

It comes for a pretty reasonable price including tables, chairs and some other amenities, all told, the lady told me it would most likely come under $1000 with the $300 for A/V equipment and tech person. The first place we considered—District 319 where my SFU class had our screening—had quite a larger price tag before all the added extras.

As you can see from the pictures, it has a bit of character and a history of its own. About a hundreds years old and used to be a gymnasium for a nearby church before being bought by the Welsh, Irish, Scottish, English (aka W.I.S.E.) Cultural Centre. Now it's independent, as far as I can tell. It's known for hosting live music shows (If only we had that in our budget!) and burlesque, but has also been used for events and receptions.

It looks like the perfect size for our gauged 90ish guestlist.

[Kind of dark, but you get an idea.]

Source

It seems like a really relaxed place that allows for a lot of originality and freedom, few restrictions unlike some other wedding venues.

Now that a venue is snagged and wedding dress plans are figured out, I feel I can breath more freely. Now it feels like the only big things that need to be done are creating and sending out invitations and finding a caterer.

Things are finally feeling like they're falling into place! *Sigh.

[It's right off Commercial Drive—a pretty well-known street in Vancouver—but feels very residential.]

Source

A bag to fit all my stuff

2011-01-27T22:45:00.007-08:00

[One of my two pencil holders...it even has a stick from Korea that somehow

wound up in my bag—free souvenir!]

Everybody likes a fresh start and I always feel like it's a new beginning when I walk into a stationary store for new pens and pencils. To me, they're like new friends full of potential, with whom you can familiarize yourself and grow comfortable with.

Why am I writing about my passion for pens and pencils? Well, I was doing some desk cleaning today and saw that I have two pencil holders full of various writing implements. While many people find themselves scrambling to find something to write with when they're on the phone, my problem is choosing which one I should use!

In other news, it seems like as soon as I'm without a job, I start spending money. Well, food is a given, and wedding stuff does cost money, but I also just bought a new purse/bag.

The purse my sister had given me for my birthday several years ago was finally wearing through and I've been on the lookout for a new one. Like pens and pencils, however, you have to find just the right one.

I don't like things too flashy, but my main criteria is that my camera and maybe an extra lens can fit along with all my other "junk." This can be harder to find than you think. While oversized bags are common enough, many don't have a wide enough bottom or big enough opening. Plus, I don't like being "drowned" out by a big bag that just becomes a pain in the butt to drag around.

Finally, I found the following number at Winners the other day for a decent price—$34.00ish with taxes—and it holds my camera, other stuff with room to spare. While it has two handles, I love that it also has a shoulder strap so I can just sling it on and forget about it...I sound like such a girl...blogging about purses!

[New purse, my current favorite pair of heels and the knee socks mom knit for me.]

Christmas flashback

2011-01-26T22:13:00.002-08:00

[Anybody have some of these reindeer kicking around? They're a mainstay at our house.]

Here's for some January nostalgia in hopes of spreading the Christmas spirit throughout the year!

I promised you a Christmas post...seeing as I'm so late, is it better to hold off until Christmas of this year?

Usually, I hate to break promises, so this will be a bit of a flashback.

I did have a wonderful Christmas and break, having headed home early to help mom with Christmas planning and preparations. I do like the lead up to Christmas, and celebrating it closer to New Year—when everyone can make it—does have it's plus side, because it makes the lead up longer. There's something to be said about anticipation!

Amongst my circle of friends, I have a bit of a reputation for being a Scrooge. During the Christmas season, if I have to travel outside the bubble of my home, I can get quite grumpy. I'm not one for artificiality and crowds, so that pretty much nips my public holiday spirit in the bud.

I do, however, love the season because it's a break that brings everyone home, and I like spending time with my family. It also is a time for planning games nights and get togethers with close friends, so I'm a fan of that too. Seeing as I love baking and cooking, Christmas cuisine and treats are another perk.

[Catching up with friends over Time Hortons' coffee.]

So if you run into me during the holiday season, forget the mistletoe, canned Christmas music and marshmallow Santas, just be yourself, bring some home made cookies and get ready for some games of Scrabble in front of the fire.

[Cousins and significant-others-in-laws...these pictures keep getting more crowded!]

The unemployed bride

2011-01-25T10:35:00.008-08:00

Day #1 of official post-graduate joblessness. Honestly, I'm looking forward to a week or two of catching up.

Before the new year I'd made a list of the little, but semi-important appointments, loose ends and errands that needed to be done. I'd also planned on doing a flurry of wedding planning to firm up some details, dates and bookings, then this month ended up being a lot busier than I thought. Now I finally have time to catch my breath.

This past weekend my mom and three sisters (two of them in-laws), came down and I dove into wedding shopping....And came back empty-handed.

It ended up being more frustrating than I thought, so I'm very thankful they were here for advice and support!

[Waiting—time to catch up on some knitting for Diana.]

[Mom, Alexandra and Anita eyeing the rich and tasty offerings of ChocolaTas at Granville Island.]

I want simple. I want short. Who knew finding a short dress would be so difficult? I have a budget, but that was the least of my worries because I only tried on ONE dress that was a designated wedding dress. Apparently shorter dresses are beginning to trend—not just as reception/destination attire—but the west coast hasn't caught on yet.

I also tried on some bridesmaids dresses, which can be ordered in any colour. They were cute, they were cut the way I like, but they didn't feel like bride material. I keep having internal arguments with myself - do I settle for less than I'd like, or do I continue the search and increase the stress?

So Thursday I booked an appointment at Pure (Something) Clothing Co.. I came across them while searching for dress shops online and saw they have a cute sample line of short dresses, being dressmakers though, they can be made original too. I'm just worried I'll go in and come out with a quote for too many dollar signs. Having an original dress would be pretty sweet though!....

***********

Thanks everyone for your advice about continuing to blog or not, it was good to hear other people's opinions. Since I'll have so much time on my hands, it's my goal to blog something every day, so for better or worse, I'm back!

Introducing....

2011-01-11T20:49:00.002-08:00

My newest baby and our engagement gift to ourself in lieu of an engagement ring!

A little overdue, she finally arrived yesterday.

Meet Kiki!

Kiki was the first name that popped into my mind when Anton mentiond she should have a Japanese name—Canon is a Japanese Canon.

We'd just been listening and talking about Liam Lynch's "My United States of Whatever,"...thus the reason for the name popping into my head.

Hopefully my first child won't be too jealous! Can't wait to start seeing what Kiki can do.

Blog world meets professional persona

2011-01-10T11:56:00.006-08:00

Should I keep blogging?

For many reasons I've been realizing I'm moving into a new phase of life. I'm now a recent graduate, engaged and moved out of my parent's home...whether this a good or bad thing, I've yet to conclude.

It also leaves me at a crossroads when it comes to how I should now approach my blog. For the last six years (really?!) I've kept this personal blog. It's been a public record of my daily life, hobbies and passions, various trips, a whole lot of random nonsense and even some thought-provoking posts.

It started as a whim for personal enjoyment, in-real-life friends, family and eventually a very modest following of bloggers and online readers.

Now, however, social networking has taken off and online connections and presence can have great influence. This can be great and I've known some acquaintances and friends who've made 'blogosphere fame,' but at the same time, I'm growing wary of it.

Everybody, it seems, now has a Twitter and Facebook account and either regularly blogs or reads blogs. The Internet used to be a place of anonymity, now it seems, it's the newest gossip/background-checking sphere: Employers research potential employees and debates circulate about whether teachers/bosses should be 'Facebook friends' with their students/employees.

In some cases, it could potentially effect how future employers view you as a professional and/or create uncomfortable situations when you know other employers/clients/interviewees can have access to a complete history of you from the past however many years.

While I don't believe many of my posts are overly personal, all writers write with a certain audience in mind. As a 'public' blogger, you can never censor yourself in a way that's completely neutral, yet interesting for essentially a worldwide audience.

I've been re-thinking how I should blog, what the content should be, or whether I should continue blogging at all. Should I re-organize it to be completely anonymous? Make it more issues-related and less personal or more 'business-related' using it mostly to promote my 'career,' freelancing and photography?

What are your views on your blog vs. real-life personalities? Have you run into this dilemma before? If you're a blogger, how do you manage your blog?

Back at the desk

2011-01-05T16:30:00.004-08:00

Happy New Years five days late!

My holidays were great and included the three essential 'F's... family, food and friends.

Since I got back from Kamloops I've actually been quite busy which is the excuse for my not posting in awhile.

*I also have to apologize for spamming your readers because I seem to be having password/blogger problems again because I had another spam post appear on my blog. Anyone know how to get rid of that? I changed my password again. We'll see how that works.

I'm about to head out the door for Thai food with some friends but I'll leave you with a few bullet points to catch you up on my goings on.

- Wedding planning: I've never been the type of girl who's filled albums with dream wedding ideas and I hate dealing with money, especially when it's not my own, so I'm still unsure about the whole wedding planning business. It must be done, however, and so I've been filling out a to-do list.

P.S. Our engagement gift to ourselves hasn't arrived yet, but she will of course have a blog unveiling as soon as it comes.

- Two weeks work: I'm back at the Review for the rest of this week plus one more. It feels weird to be behind the desk again and not have it be the summer.

- Tying up loose ends: Speaking of weird it feels weird not having classes to attend now. I haven't completely washed my hands of school yet though, I still have to transfer back my SFU credits to TRU in order to get my degree...again, it's been added to my to-do list.

Alright, well, I'm out for now, but holiday pictures will still be coming soon.

Still waiting for Christmas

2010-12-26T18:54:00.006-08:00

While all of you are cleaning up the remnants of wrapping paper, stowing stockings awayand finding creative ways to use leftover turkey dinner, our household is still waiting the arrival of Christmas.

As per the last few years, we are holding off on Christmas until New Years. My brother and his wife are doctors and do not have enough seniority to get Christmas off yet, so we wait until they are here to celebrate.

Whilst everyone else was gathering around the Christmas dinner table, my sister and I headed out for another hike and photoshoot. Unfortunately, it's not a very seasonal Christmas shoot as all of our snow melted away with the arrival of a warm front that exposed muddy brown hills.

We still had fun shooting though.

[Mittens and hat to keep you warm.]

[Imagining distant places with different faces.]

[Composing music in her head.]

[Never quite made it there.]

[Miles were walked with mud on her shoes.]

[A hand knit sweater to keep me warm.]

I hope you enjoyed your holidays!....

....With a health bowel movement after all your turkey dinners. :P

Tech vs. Talk

2010-12-22T21:27:00.005-08:00

In journalism school, we were taught that expediency trumps all else. If you've got a story, send it out before you get scooped - this is the approach I took to telling my mom about our engagement.

I should have, however, listened to Canadian writer, philosopher and thinker Marshall McLuhan - aka GOD to all Canadian liberal arts professors - and known that, "The MEDIUM is the MESSAGE."

For anybody else wanting to know how to break the news of their engagement to their mother, don't send a text.

In this case the medium (texting) apparently sends the message:

"You know I hate talking on the phone and don't have a long distance plan so I'm going to be cheap and text you news I should phone and tell you about."

NOT:

"I thought it would be nice to send you the news as soon as you were up and before I had to get on the bus to head home."

How would you have interpreted my message? Was this a generational thing, or was I honestly such an idiot?...the more I think about it, the latter, although it seemed like a good idea at the time.

So that was only the beginning of my communications disaster. This scenario and the fact that I don't like to be the centre of attention and have to answer a lot of questions, caused me to hold off on making the news public right away.

It seems my best intentions were foiled by a family member who decided to leak the news on Facebook via his/her status. I learned of the incident later. Apparently the culprit had second thoughts and removed it, but not before I found I had my own Wikileaks case on my hands.

Wanting to personally tell people I kind of got flustered and decided to go public and say something about the engagement in my own status...before doing the personal phone call thing.

Communication Mistake #2. These social media networks work quickly - if you haven't already noticed - and a few people, who rightly should've received phone calls, "had to learn about Rebekah's engagement through Facebook," according to one family friend.

I did send some personal messages and make phone calls of explanation that included the whole scoop, though.

While the aftermath wasn't as disastrous as the BP oilspill and I'm not taking ~~my brother~~ the leak perpetrator to court, there were some lessons to be learned. It was a good learning experience that showed my real-life risk management and communication skills may not be ready to tackle national disasters yet.

Thus concludes my engagement communication FAIL.

Thanks everyone for the congratulatory comments! :D

Say you don't need no diamond ring...

2010-12-21T17:05:00.006-08:00

And I'll be satisfied...

Anton asked....and I said yes, so we're now engaged! That sounds so weird to say, but I'm excited.

(Hiking Grouse mountain this summer.)

I'm afraid we weren't overly romantic about the whole affair. We've been talking about what we were going to do now that I'm graduated and will be looking for a job, so it didn't come completely as a surprise.

Thursday night he'd been working late and so we were eating a late dinner of home made Korean when he officially asked....I think I had a mouthful of rice and kimchi jigae at the time.

"So, will you marry me?"

"Yep!"

And that was that...although the next day I did ask him if we were really engaged. I had to make sure I hadn't been delusion from being lightheaded because I still hadn't eaten a lot since my wisdom teeth.

There will be no diamond ring, however so I'm afraid there's no traditional 'engagement ring' picture....

Diamonds may be some girls' best friends, but not this one's. I've never been one for having sparkly, shiny things on my hand and so I told Anton if he proposed I didn't really care to have a ring.

Part of me still wanted to have something to show for the engagement though, so as an engagement gift for ourselves we're going to get a new camera (For techies who care, I've posted more details at the bottom). While it may not last forever, it will be so much more fun than a ring and capture more memories.

I should have posted earlier as it happened on the 15th, but I left for home the next day and it's been a flurry of holiday baking and prepping ever since.

(Danish Aebelskivers...pancakey type things

with a hint of cardamon and cinnamon, so good!)

This is just a quick update...but check back soon. Despite being a journalist, my communication skills obviously lack because I pretty much failed in the communicating-my-engagement-to-friends-and-family department, so stay tuned for a tale of poorly planned communication strategies, information leaks and generational gaps.

*Techy-talk*

Originally we were thinking the Canon EOS 7D, but after much research and debate, I think we're going to go with the Canon EOS 60D. (Comparison review of the Rebel T2i/60D/7D) A level down from the 7D it's still a step up from the Rebel series and has HD video capabilities. While a body is important, I'd rather save a bit and build my lens/accessory collection, then jump right to the full frame Mark series....eventually, maybe?! We're getting a good deal through the Canadian store, Vistek.com, I can't wait til she arrives!

By Petyamester

Best of times or worst of times?

2010-12-15T09:19:00.005-08:00

Boy, do I have a story for you guys...

I last left you with news I had just gotten my four wisdom teeth removed. That first day I was doing quite well, not too much swelling and some studying for my final actually got done.

The next day I saw Amber left me this comment:

"Eeeep! The weekend I got my wisdom teeth taken out was the worst one of my life. For real! Hoping it goes better for you!"

I don't know whether I should blame Amber for jinxing me (just kidding) or the fact that my mom decided to retell the story of our worst Christmas...either way, everything went downhill from there.

Right about bedtime the freezing completely wore off and the ~~sick masochist~~ reluctant-to-take-drugs part of me didn't want to take the prescription painkillers. Either way, the result was a sleepless night with my jaw and cheeks deciding to swell up and condemn me to a slow death-by-starvation.

Over the weekend I didn't eat much more than miso and wonton soup, yogurt and ice cream - which wore thin after a day.

Monday rolled around and I was still swollen and sore, but I had stuff to get done and went about my normal schedule. By the time Anton came across me I was a wreck: half starved, anemic, exhausted and sore; but for one who loves her food so much, the thought of having another non-solid meal was what made me most want to cry.

That night I weakly gummed half a bowl of blended spaghetti, took some vitamins and managed to sleep a bit better.

Tuesday arrived and I felt half human and gummed my way through some eggs before heading out the door. Low-energy and mentally foggy, I just wanted the day to be over with, but my final was from 7 to 10 p.m. so I couldn't laze around.

Right before the exam I decided to try and figure out how/where to check for my final grades on the SFU website, that's when I learned some very bad news....

I apparently did have an IS final....(PAST TENSE!)

WHAT?! How could this happen again?...Yes, I've had it happen before.

We'd had a final midterm on the last day of class and handed in a final paper; there had been NO talk in class of having a final!

Not prone to using 'bad words,' my response was a text to Anton:

"Shit, I just learned I had an IS final today at 3:30 to 6:30."

At this point, I was just numb. I'd been freaked out enough about the Linguistics final, now I had to go into it wondering if I'd fail to graduate this month because I'd been an idiot and not double-checked my exam schedule?

I wrote the exam and tumbled back to find Anton had made some mushroom soup with meat.

Meat.

Me: "What meat did you use?"

A: "The stuff from the package in the fridge."

Me:"...That was being saved for your birthday dinner tomorrow...."

Of course it's the little, insignificant things that break the tipping point.

I'd planned to make bulgogi Wednesday night for his birthday and had bought the meat at the Korean grocery store. While not $35 steaks, it was a specific cut and not the cheapest. Nothing had gone right that day and I still had to complete my resume, cover letter and clippings package for the job opening whose deadline was the next day.

I think I leaked a couple tears and then we laughed a bit about how I was most upset about the meat.

Recovered a bit, I finished the application and fell into bed around midnight, but not before e-mailing my IS professor asking if I could go in the next day and discuss my missing the final.

Flash to today, I was able to half chew some leftover spaghetti and began mentally preparing a plea bargain to present my professor. Before heading out the door, I anxiously opened my SFU e-mail box and there was a message from my professor.

With sweaty fingers, I clicked 'open:'

"There was no exam. It was a mistake with the calendar. You're done. m"

...So does that conclusion make it the best or worst five days of my life?

Don't mind the drool

2010-12-10T10:56:00.005-08:00

My first thought this morning upon waking up....

"I'm going to have my gums cut open and four wisdom teeth ripped out of my jaw in an hour."

Teeth removal isn't completely new to me, thanks to a small jaw, I've had a couple teeth removed before. While it never freaked me out, I only ever had local freezing and distinctly remember the pinching and ripping—yes ripping—sounds. It was an unpleasant, but bearable experience.

I have never, however, been 'knocked out' for any procedure and for someone who always likes to know she's in control of a situation, the thought of sedation intimidated me the most about getting my wisdom teeth removed.

It ended up not being such a bad ordeal, it only took half an hour and apparently I have a good heart beat, according to the nurse lady.

I'm now at home, feeling a bit tipsy, kind of drooly and quite hungry on account of not eating since last night.

But Maureen is being a great nurse and I'm not too worried about lacking anything I may need.

...Think I'll try and get some studying done!

[No chipmunk cheeks...yet at least. :)]

A change of mind...again

2010-12-09T21:05:00.004-08:00

Last day of undergrad classes?....CHECK

With only one exam between me and being completely finished school, I'm rethinking my future plans yet again - this flipping back and forth is becoming exhausting.

Just a week and a half ago I was hoping to continue afterwards and take my Teaching ESL certificate in May. A part of me was resigned to the fact that I probably wasn't going to find a journalism/media job in the time frame I and area of the field I wanted.

[CBC's (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) building, plus an oversized hockey puck mascot...throw in a Tim Horton's coffee and you can't get much more 'Canadian' than that.]

Last Friday, however, I went to the CBC open house which happened downtown for National Foodbank day. I walked through the building on the self-guided tour, met George Stroumboulopoulos—sadly I missed meeting Jian Ghomeshi—and talked to some employees and volunteers.

[George Strombo (Back row black sweater) with some admiring fans.]

During my time there, I found myself having an internal conversation with myself:

"Who are you kidding? You know you will always want a journalism-related job. Isn't that what you've always dreamed of?"

"If you give up so easily, ten years down the road you're going to kick yourself for not trying harder."

...and I made a decision...I'm going to postpone doing the TESL program.

[Inside CBC Vancouver.]

Thus ends my short-lived stint with TESL and now the job searching begins...who knows, I may some day go back and do the certificate program there is no need for me to do it immediately, however.

Without wanting to jump the gun, I will say that today I wrote a cover letter for what looks like an ideal job. Who knows how many other people are lined up for the position, however, so I'm trying not get my hopes up too high. It's started my search off on a good foot though, of that I'm thankful.

Sorry for my absence. I've had ideas for posts, just no time to write them.

Hopefully you are all getting your holiday spirit on.

Happy end-of-Chanukah to those who celebrate it!

Pre-screening for the special few...

2010-12-03T21:23:00.003-08:00

Shot, edited and submitted.

I was too excited to wait until after the Tuesday "official" screening to post the video clip I've been working on, so you, my blog friends, are the first audience to view it!

*P.S. The quality and sound aren't perfect because I had to change the settings a bit for blogging.

**P.P.S The ending web url is made up.

My first "official" video project:

Of course I couldn't have done it without Dasha and Anton, so a big thanks to them for making time and having patience, especially Anton during the outdoor shooting. The one night we had to shoot those scenes happened to be the same night it got down to around - 10 in Vancouver (a VERY rare occasion).

Conceptually, I'm really happy with how it turned out. Since it was my first thought-out project using a larger camera (Canon Xh1), I wanted to go with a simple idea that I would be able to achieve and feel satisfied with while becoming more comfortable with the camera and trying lighting for the first time.

Two things I might have changed now in hindsight:

1 Lengthen subtitles a bit. For me, they're long enough, but I know the script for first time viewers it might be a little fast.

2. I'm not completely satisfied with the lighting. I would have liked it a bit more saturated a brighter to be more dramatic. My professor said the cameras needed a lot of light, but I think I underestimated because the contrast was better on the monitor and I went with it; a beginner's misjudgment that I'll know for next time.

All-in-all it was fun to do and took less time to shoot and edit than I thought, but it was pretty straightforward. Now that I feel pretty confident about the basics, I'll try and challenge myself in other ways next time.

Bet you didn't know...

2010-11-29T16:51:00.002-08:00

Last week of school means little time for blogging, but I got tired of looking at the snow post. It was all gone by the next day when the weather got warm and turned to rain...

So here are 7 Random fact about myself, brought to you by RicAdeMus because he gave me the Versatile Blogger award.

{Water lures me in every time. I love its changing shape and reflection, the way it feels washing over you, its many sounds and even the smell.}

{A part of me has always wanted to get lost in the woods, so I can really put my survival skills to test...that and/or do backcountry trip, which somehow, I've yet to do.}

{I bruise easily. This was during the period I was doing parkour, so it's a bit of the extreme, but I always have some random bruise somewhere that I have no clue how I got.}

{Eugene is no longer with us. Not about me necessarily, but a comment on my gardening attention span.}

{I love feet and shoes. I think they say a lot about a person. I also like forearms, but they're less interesting and photographing them would start to border on being creepy...}

{When I have a home of my own, it will always have a cat}

{I love lazy Sunday mornings with home made breakfasts and weekend crosswords...Is it Sunday yet?!}

White fluffy stuff falling from the sky?

2010-11-25T14:48:00.005-08:00

Yes folks, there is snow in the Lower Mainland and per usual, citizens are thrown into a state of confusion.

It rarely snows here and almost never for a whole day so cars are ill-equipped and drivers are inexperienced when the cold white stuff appears.

While it's not that cold with the temperature hovering around zero degrees, it is still collecting and the radio has been reporting accidents all over the city.

A "Snow Day" was declared for numerous school across the city, with my SFU class being one that was cancelled, and the snow hasn't ceased since it started last night.

Unfortunately—or fortunately—the forecast says it is supposed to get warmer and turn to rain later in the evening. Will that make the roads better, or just clog up the storm drains and flood everything?

Either way, we will be enjoying it while it lasts. I am not a fan of the month-and-a-half-long lead-up to Christmas that takes place in stores, but snow does put in the mood.

[Check out midget me playing in the snow. Haha!]

As I sidenote, I will be posting my video clip once I've finished editing it, which better be in a couple weeks since it's due on the 6th!

I hope all you Americans are eating some stuffing (my favorite) for me! Happy Thanksgiving!

Scripted, storyboarded and ready to shoot

2010-11-18T15:53:00.006-08:00

Over the last week I've started and thought about several posts, but they've never reached the publishing stage.

This week has been busy and gone by so quickly. Was it really just a little over a week ago that I was back home?! Amazing.

I've been working furiously away at writing my final paper (It may seem soon to some of you, but I've never been a good night-before paper writer.) and beginning the process of bringing my video project to life.

Though both my final paper and video project are for different classes, they relate to each other, so that's been helpful. I'm actually really excited about my video project. My prof and his assistants really like the idea, script and storyboard. Since I have a bit of camera experience already, I've been allowed to borrow out thousands of dollars worth of lighting and camera equipment. The lighting stuff is brand new to the communications department and haven't been lent out yet.

No, it's not what it looks like.

No explicit scenes will be happening.

As much as it's amazing to have been given the privilege to use all this equipment for free, it does set the bar kind of of high in terms of expectations. I only hope I can produce something both they and I feel good about.

The final project of the class is to choose a medium we want to work with (video in my case) and create a risk campaign ad/concept that communicates the risk of our choice to a certain population.

My final International Studies paper is on Canada's transnational role in human sex trafficking, so I decided to create a campaign that related to the topic. My campaign will be directed at Russian women 18 to 30, though, who are at risk of accepting overseas jobs here in Canada thinking they will be working service industry jobs like waitressing, nannying, etc. Upon arrival, however, they find themselves exploited in the sex industry.

Storyboarding

While in Vancouver, we mostly see Asian women (particularly from South Korea and China), My knowledge and resources are mostly Eastern European as Anton and the other friend I wanted to use, are both Russian. Wanting to make it as legitimate as possible the clip will be in Russian with English subtitles for the benefit of the English screening.

Yes, we're even going to have an official screening at an independent theatre here in Vancouver. How sweet is that?!

It's getting colder out there

2010-11-16T09:19:00.006-08:00

Lovely fall light.

Extra long weekends are nice, especially when you get to spend it with your family.

Since last Thursday was Remembrance Day, I decided to make it an extra long weekend and skipped Friday's class to headed out of town on Wednesday to spend a few days at home.

No scary incidents happened on the Greyhound bus. You never know what strange people you might encounter. Buses can be sketchy, but they fit my budget and give me time to get things done.

There was a bit of snow on the pass, but nothing covering the road. The first snow of winter always look so pretty. Why does it have to be so cold and last so long though?

Once I got home, it was nice to take some time just to kick back and relax and push the recurring waves of stress to the back of my mind. I've been entering the "stress stretch" of the school semester so Wednesday to Saturday morning was spent...

Catching up with friends who I don't see enough of anymore.

Discussing life's issues and trading the latest news with my mom.

Spending time with siblings and laughing.

And eating, eating, eating. Good mom-homecooked food that I don't get enough of anymore.

The visit was over too quickly and soon I had to hop back on the bus back home to school and rainy weather.

I should've taken more, but I do have some pictures from a fall "photoshoot" with Alex as a reminder to look back on as I jump back into school work.

Friday the sun decided to shine down on us, but refused to warm things up very much. It was a nippy day, but we decided to head of town after she was done school and explore a bit. We ended up stopping at a random place that looked good hopped out of the car and crawled under the barbed wire fence...

There is lots of ranch land around Kamloops, so it's not hard to find interesting places with old abandoned barns and such. We happened to come across these outbuildings and thought it was a lovely setting for some picture-taking.

I'd love to go back again sometime.

It's a perfect place for "model" shooting.

A first snowfall would be lovely out there

Beauty.

My sister is quite the photographer as well

who needs to acquire a DSLR so she can grow her skills. :)

Fading light.

Apologies for such scattered posts which end up being narratives of my daily routine. Maybe some informative, thought-provoking entries are in order soon?...Hopefully.

Hungry blogger

2010-11-08T00:39:00.005-08:00

What does one do late at night when they can't fall asleep? Catch up on blog-reading of course.

I'm beginning to learn I have a weakness for food-related blogs; the longer the list gets the harder it is for me to get through them without hearing my stomach start to rumble.

Tonight, or rather this morning, I thought I'd make somebody else's tummy rumble with the Korean ddeokbokki I made yesterday. Ddeokbokki is a common Korean street food/snack made with rice cakes (kind of pasta-y), fish cakes, regular and green onions and cabbage. Korea's signature gochujang (red chili paste), a bit of sugar and water make up the spicy, slightly sweet sauce. The recipe also called for Korean chili powder and garlic, but we had neither on hand, it still tasted really good though.

It was really simple, quick and super yummy. I simply Googled and found a recipe on this blog.

(home made Ddeokbokki paired with kimchi jigae)

My appetite thrives on culinary variety, so it's been really fun "playing with my food" and experimenting with Korean and other food-types—did I mention we made homemade Russian vernyky, or better known to North Americans, perogies (Ukranian word)?

When it comes to Korean cooking, thankfully we live in a place where there's no lack of asian grocery stores including several that are specifically Korean.

Mmmm, this post hasn't helped my rumbling stomach, maybe a cup of tea will help. Happy eating!

Poppies in full bloom

2010-11-07T16:14:00.011-08:00

A veteran selling poppies at Granville Island

Poppy pins are out in full bloom across the country as Remembrance Day (Nov. 11) approaches.

Veterans and youth cadets greet you outside of stores and offer you a poppy a symbol in remembrance of those fallen in war, celebrated on Nov. 11 because it's the day of the WWI armistice.

I take a poppy and smile. The seniors look so proud to be standing with their poppies.

Selling poppies by donation is a tradition in many Commonwealth countries and originated in Canada. Poppies are used as a symbol of Remembrance Day because they grow in abundance on the worst battlegrounds in Flanders Field, France. They were also made famous by John McCrae a Canadian Lieutenant during WWI who wrote the famous poem In Flanders' Field.

While the young cadets may look less enthusiastic, they always produce a smile from me as well because the selling of poppies always reminds me of my younger years.

Both of my older brothers were involved with the youth air cadets program while my younger brother and sister and I were in girl guides and cub scouts. This meant we were all involved with the Remembrance Day parade.

I think we all thought it was pretty cool to be part of the parade (and for my brothers, part of the cenotaph ceremony) and respected the day a lot.

When we were younger we all loved history, I probably read every WWI and WWII fiction book that had been written and my dad is an avid WWI and WWII buff whose uncle was killed flying a Lancaster bomber during WWI. He went down over Belgium and in the 90s my dad and brothers went over with a larger team to dig it up.

If you encountered my younger siblings and I when we were younger, you likely would've found us re-enacting our favorite war movie or pretending we were fighter and bomber pilots.

Sean Connery playing Major General Urquhart in A Bridge Too Far

Maybe we glamorized war a bit, but I think to us we saw soldiers from the two wars asmodern day knights: noble, honorable, brave and suave...

Even today, I think Remembrance Day is an important date. Whether you believe in what's happening around the world today in the name of war or not, politics are politics, but people's lives should be honoured and remembered I think.

A new addition to the family

2010-11-04T16:42:00.003-07:00

An exciting update emerges from the pile of work.

I'm happy to announce the latest addition to my growing collection of "toys."

Occasionally, I peruse online camera stores and dream about all the things I would love to save up and "adopt" one day.

One such accessory is the Canon 430EX II Speedlite flash which makes indoor/low-light photography so much easier. On-camera flashes are very harsh and create unattractive shadows, I avoid using it at all costs. While there's a more professional, powerful Canon flash, the 580EX II Speedlite flash the 430 gets the most bang for your buck, doing the job just fine.

Anton knew this was on my wish list and a couple months ago, he said he'd get it for my birthday.

He ordered it last week because my birthday is the ninth and yesterday it arrived!

And thus, my family grows...and it's true about what parents say...there's always enough love to go around.

I can't wait to do new things and explore different places with her...yes, it's a girl!

Thinking Christmas instead of candy

2010-11-01T14:29:00.008-07:00

The best thing about post-Halloween?...Facebook stalking everybody's pictures.

After Halloween there's never a shortage of creative costume and drunken partygoer pictures, it helps pass time in class to say the least.

While I love to dress up and I'm not against the fun of Halloween, our family stopped conventionally celebrating when I was maybe one or two. One reason we quit was because at the time we were living in a rural area where somewhat disconcerting Halloween practices were celebrated in earnest (druidic/pagan/occult practices animism/animal sacrificing)...Not quite kid-friendly. The Slocan Valley is a beautiful area with an eclectic array of people—a unique cultural experience to say the least. (Sweet Canada's Walrus has an article on The hippie exodus to Canada from the United Sates. Will have to revisit and read it) But around the end of October, some residents see it as a bit more than dressing up, eating candy and getting drunk.

*I know many Christians are highly against 'All Hallows Eve' because of its roots, reading the history of it, however, is fascinating and educational. I've always found Celtic history and mythology intriguing (The tale of Tam Lin is one of my favorite storylines). In days of lore the population viewed the end of October as having similar qualities to harvest celebrations. They also thought it was a time when the division between the living and dead blurred, but didn't necessarily view it in 'creepy' terms. The thought of Druidic practices and rituals, however is an area I can see people getting uncomfortable over.

...following up that long-winded explanation, I guess that and a lack of an indulgent sweet tooth is why Halloween has never been a huge holiday for me personally.

Instead, it kind of became a family "Halloween season" tradition to participate in Samaritan's Purse's Operation Christmas Child. Many of you have probably heard of it, but Samaritan's Purse is a Christian Non-profit organization and Operation Christmas Child is one of their best-known initiatives. It's an international program where you fill a shoebox or shoebox-sized plastic container with various items: hygiene items, school supplies, fun things and candy for a certain gender and age range. Hundreds of thousands of shoeboxes are delivered to orphanages, street children and children in areas effected by disasters, war, or economic poverty.

It was always fun picking things out and trying to imagine who would get our box. I always thought it would be so fun and special to be on one of the teams that went and delivered the shoeboxes. Many of the children will have never had things of their own or have gone through traumatic experiences and it would be something to see the joy the simple boxes bring them.

I don't want to take on a holy-than-thou attitude, but personally, I have fun dressing up at any time of the year at murder mystery nights and such, and Operation Christmas Child always coincides nicely with the Halloween season. I never really missed out when it came to Halloween I always had fun collecting things for Operation Christmas Child. Now, if I'm invited to a Halloween party I go and have fun, but for me Halloween will always be associated with putting together Christmas shoeboxes.

If you're interested in learning more about Operation Christmas Child, check out their website or visit their Facebook page.

That said, I hope everybody was able to enjoy their Halloween, however you celebrated it.

Midterm slump

2010-10-28T09:05:00.003-07:00

It's that time of the season when...

.You wake up and it's still dark out.

.The idea of getting out of your warm cozy bed seems torturous.

.The fun of school has worn off and you're left looking at a pile of assignments and due dates.

.Fall's pretty colours have drooped, fallen off and turned into forlorn, soggy piles.

Yes, I've got a bad case of midterm blues.

On top of school, I'm trying to arrange January plans. It's looking like I won't be able to take the TESL program from the place I kind of wanted to do it...which means I'll have to wait until next fall to enrol and it will take me a whole other school year to do it...part of me just wants to be finished with school.

That in turn means I need to get on looking for jobs...do I bother looking for a six to eight-month-long journalism job or save a bit of resume, application writing, job-searching time and just take the easier, mindless route of taking whatever I can find?

Plus I have the prospect of looking forward to having my wisdom teeth removed sometime before the new year.

*sigh.

I'm just a bundle of optimism today, can't you tell.

Well, I've been absent from the blog for a bit, so figured I should do a bit of an update. Hopefully you're Thursdays are looking brighter.

I'd much rather be preparing to head back to Haiti along with the group from my church in Kamloops who are leaving in about a week. Two years ago I went down with our youth group on a missions trip and loved it.

(The girls, cement-y, but still in good spirits after putting a roof on an orphanage)

(Some kids at the day camp we helped with.)

(Some down time enjoying the beautiful weather and scenery.)

Grammar's not easy, even for almost-journalism grads

2010-10-18T22:02:00.005-07:00

That linguistics grammar test hurt my brain.

DemonD N N N VT PossPro N

Correct? In my current state of mind I wouldn't be surprised if I made an error.

All weekend I was apprehensive for my first Linguistics quiz. The teacher is great, but definitely a no nonsense instructor.

I enjoy and respect teachers that are very knowledgeable in their field and show enthusiasm for teaching it (sometimes harder to find than you may think). Professors like that expect you to pull your weight as well, which I like.

When it came to taking the test, there wasn't anything I totally didn't understand, but parsing sentences—breaking text into its components—is very structural/technical, meaning it's easy to miss half a mark here or there which quickly adds up. I finished the entire test but there were a few things I wasn't quite confident about...Next week I guess we'll see how I did.

When I finally got home around 9 p.m. I was mentally tired and very hungry; remember, hungry Rebekah equals grumpy Rebekah. I needed comfort food so macaroni and cheese definitely sounded indulgent.

I made Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Macaroni and Cheese Cauliflower Bake which is pretty quick and easy....Some people have been going through 30-day blog challenge. One of the questions was who their celebrity crush is. I've never been a 'celeb-crusher' but if I were, Jamie Oliver would definitely be on the list (I've referenced this 'infatuation' before), along with House's Hugh Laurie and Raine Maida (solo artist & former Our Lady Peace lead)...but I digress.

To continue with the recipe...

- Sour cream is used for the white sauce and into that you grate some cheddar and parmesan (I used Babybel because I didn't have any parm)

- Throw in some cauliflower florets along with the pasta (Unfortunately only white pasta occupied the cupboards). I also had some tortellini I added.

- Once cooked, you pretty much mix all that together and you're done.

- Jamie called for some chopped parsley, but I didn't have any so, instead, I threw in some spring salad mix. I liked it because the arugula added its signature peppery flavour.

I paired the mac & cheese with the remaining half of the small squash I'd made last night. All-in-all, it made for a very tasty dinner...if not low-fat.

Not a particularly interesting post, but I needed an outlet to decompress.

Now sleep time.

Hats off to cabling

2010-10-17T12:15:00.005-07:00

Natalie Larson's Star crossed slouchy beret

(free pattern here)

I've picked up my knitting needles again.

When you're at my house, it's hard not to feel the urge to rifle through mom's extensive yarn stash and numerous knitting books, Lord knows she has enough to last year until the apocalypse.

Her knitting hobby is contagious; proof is in the number of converts she's acquired who range from immediate family members, sister-in-laws and friends. The number of converts who decided to pick it up after seeing her knitting in the airport, in waiting rooms, while waiting for people in the car and various other places will never be known, but I'm sure there are a few.

I should also congratulate her on recently entering the blogosphere. After my bugging her she should jump online, she finally did...and now I'm finally getting around to introducing her. Check out her blog and say hi to her over at North of 49 if you want.

Introductions complete, back to knitting. I found the Star crossed Slouchy beret for free on Ravelry.com (Kind of like the equivalent of Facebook for knitters). It caught my eye as I was browsing through and I've never cabled before, so it looked like a good beginner cabling project.

Cabling use a bit of a different technique from straight knitting and it creates twist and adds thickness to the knitted projects. The cabling was really easy and fun to watch as it emerged. It only took about 2.5 days to finish and I was quite happy with the results.

Now I just have to hope the weather continues to get cold enough to wear it. We've been having beautiful weather; the last few days have been deceiving with sunny, clear blue skies. Walking out, you think it will be warm, but quickly regret leaving the house without a warmer jacket or scarf.

A foray into Korean cooking

2010-10-14T10:13:00.007-07:00

After talking about doing it one several occasions, I finally found some good Korean food cooking blogs, put on my Korean hat and tried my hand at some simple dishes.

Anton and I go out on average once a week for Korean and so I figured it would be simpler, cheaper and more accessible if I started learning how to cook it at home.

After perusing the Internet for a bit, I found a couple great looking blogs:

- Kevin's over at - Closet Cooking - which has an amazing variety of dishes from all over to try.

- Aeri Lee's blog - Aeri's Kitchen - she appears to update relatively frequently and has lovely food photos and other information on Korean culture.

- Hyunjo's - Cooking Korean - she hasn't updated her blog in a long time, but there's a nice archive and it serves as a good 'online cookbook.'

From Aeri's blog I chose a couple simple side dishes and her bulgogi recipe:

.Spicy Spinach Side-dish (시금치 고추장 무침=SiGeumChi GoChuJang MuChim)

.Mung Bean Sprout Side-dish (숙주 나물=SukJu NaMul)

.Korean BBQ (불고기=BulGoGi)

I also made pork Kimchi Jjigae but I referenced both Kevin's and Aeri's recipes to suit my needs.

After making a grocery list of the things I needed, I headed to Yaohan Centre where there's a T&T Supermarket all the Chinese Richmondites go to stock up on asian ingredients; there are also Japanese and Korean products. I love going there!

I spent the rest of the afternoon cutting, mixing, boiling and marinating. Each dish was simple and now that I've done them once, next time it won't take as long. It was fun because I haven't cooked Korean before.

The result?....

A Korean meal of bulgogi and kimchi jjigae with a few side dishes. There were, of course, Kimchi (from the store, though I want to experiment making my own) and rice, two Korean staples at every meal....

(Not bad for the first time.

*Sorry for not the best pictures, only had my P&S)

Of course, being my first try, there are some improvements I'd like to make. I like my kimchi jjigae more sour than mine turned out and the bulgogi was a bit salty (I needed to use a lighter, less salty soy sauce, more asian pear juice and get some Korean cooking wine). It will just need a bit of tweaking until I get it perfect.

Also, I can see how having a side-dish-making day once in a while could be practical. If you make them in large enough quantities, they'll keep for a week or so.

In the end, I was quite proud of myself. Anton came over and it all got his approval.

...Afterthought:

I think about food so much it's kind of disturbing. Anton asked how much time I spend thinking about food, I thought about it for a moment...

"Probably 50 per cent of my time, or more."

Over the next hour or so I caught myself about 10 times talking about something that had to do with food: meal prepping, grocery shopping, mentioned a food I was craving or suggested a dish we should try making. Considering I'm not a huge talker, that's a large percentage of my conversations.

For me food is such a huge part of my life and something I get great pleasure and take great care with.

Hmmm, what should I make next....

By the way, thanks for all your comments, they always make me smile!

A plentiful harvest

2010-10-12T10:20:00.004-07:00

With a full belly and some food supplies from home, I'm back to Lower Mainland life after an extremely relaxing and fun weekend back home for Thanksgiving.

We packed a lot into the 2.5 days we were there.

- Went to the farmers market with mom (Kamloops has an awesome market which deserves a post of its own)

- Cleaned out the garden for winter

- Caught up with friends over tea/coffee

- Went to church (Sticking to my mid-year resolutions)

- Played some barefoot soccer

- Stuffed myself with Thanksgiving dinner

I was enjoying being in the moment, so my picture selection is limited to a couple occasions, but following are some snapshots of the weekend.

(Mom had an overflowing harvest of tomatoes. Some were eaten fresh,

canned, given away and pawned off on my)

(Pulling everything out.)

Then came dinner...

(Waiting hungrily)

(Awww. Such a lovely couple.)

(Hammond Thanksgiving staples. In the background are the yummy yams)

(A plateful I gobbled up in no time)

(This year was Anton's second Thanksgiving meal ever.)

(Even small-eater Alex finished everything up.)

(And...yours truly hoping your had just as relaxing a weekend!)

It even tastes like home

2010-10-08T23:15:00.004-07:00

After a two hour essay exam and a four hour drive from the Lower Mainland, we finally pulled into Kamloops and up to the house.

It's been a month since I last was home and four months since I packed up most of my stuff and moved down to Vancouver. Driving into Kamloops Anton asked if it brought back any memories.

"Well, it hasn't been that long since I was here," I said.

But honestly, I have no real attachment to Kamloops as a city. I was only here about four years and have lived in much prettier cities. Usually, what I miss most about Kamloops are the friends I have here, the family, my cat, and now that I don't go there anymore Thompson Rivers University (I think distance has made the heart grow fond); despite the faculty drama the last year, it really is a pretty sweet university.

Also, while of course I miss her companionship, I truly miss mom's cooking. Sometimes after a long day, come dinner time when Anton asks me what I'm hungry for, I get whiny and say, "Mom's cooking."

Pretty much right after we got in the door around 10:30 - and after we stowed her 'delivery' of frozen salmon in the freezer - I made a beeline for the fridge. I wasn't disappointed, there were leftover potato leak soup, parsley barley and lentil soup, cooked carrots from the garden (?) and home made bread - so good! I would've posted a picture, but the thought didn't occur to me until after it was all gone.

Mmmm a happy tummy after a long drive means I'm ready for bed. Have a good weekend everybody!

Cluck! Oink! It's starting to sound like a barnyard

2010-10-07T21:42:00.007-07:00

Three times within my lifetime I remember when the world's population has been thrown into a panic by diseases named after animals (maybe that's why they're particularly memorable): Mad Cow Disease (Bovine Spongiform encephalopathy), the Avian Flu and, most recently, the Swine Flu(H1N1).

What's with all these farmyard illnesses anyways?

A year ago, the Canadian government and healthcare professionals (And just about every other nations') were scrambling to initiate H1N1 (Swine flu) vaccination campaigns. The general Canadian population, however just wasn't feeling it.

Only 41 per cent, or 11.6 million Canadians aged 12 or older got the flu shot, according to Stats Canada.

(National Post article)

That means over half the Canadian population didn't get vaccinated despite the huge, nationwide campaign. The most repeated answer to the survey question asking people why they didn't get vaccinated was they didn't think it was necessary.

Did you get vaccinated against the Swine Flu? I didn't. I was skeptical about the efficacy of the vaccination (I don't get the seasonal flu shot for the same reason) and thought the severity of H1N1 was somewhat exaggerated.

Currently, the question going around healthcare professionals and policy makers is, "Despite great efforts being put into the campaign, why did so few get vaccinated?"

It's a question I'm 'analysing' for my risk communication analysis for class. It's really interesting looking at how we see numbers and statistics experts have calculated for us surrounding a risk. Often we'll continue doing it - smoking is the textbook example - despite the risk. Or sometimes the way the communication/campaign is constructed and presented is wrong. So many factors are involved in how we perceive and react to risk.

Who knew risk was so interesting from a theoretical viewpoint?...for me anyways.

********

In other news. The leaves are changing colour, mornings are chilly and the smell of all things cinnamon and pumpkin is in the air. For us Canadians, that means one thing - Thanksgiving!

I'll be headed up to the 'Loops to see the family and maybe eat a little turkey. Turkey has never been a favorite of mine, for me it's all in the side dishes: stuffing, brussel sprouts and yams (mashed with plenty of butter, whipped with a spoonful of brown sugar and baked in the oven until the marshmellows you put on top brown up).

Every time fall rolls around, I realize how much I under-appreciate the season. I'm so sad about losing summer, I forget how fresh everything smells during the fall and the simple joy I get from things like knee socks and new school supplies.

It also helps that we've had such a beautiful fall here with lots of sunshine.

Fellow Canadians, enjoy your long weekend.

Americans, you'll have to wait a month longer, but I'll join you again once it rolls around (Actually, we haven't celebrated American Thanksgiving since we've gotten older and no longer go down to my grandparents in Idaho for the holiday.)

International readers, well, I'll eat an extra portion of Turkey, just for you.

Because life without music would lack dimension

2010-10-04T09:48:00.005-07:00

Whatever your reason is for liking and listening to music, nobody can deny it plays a large role in our lives.

It reminds us of happy times and sad times. It helps us celebrate, it comforts us, it provides a background ambience during long study sessions. Regardless of what kind of music you listen to or who puts their nose up at your genre choices, music creates the various moods and ambiences of our lives.

Music can be powerful, thought provoking, or just fun....Even if it's in a language we can't understand.

Lately I've been venturing into the world of music where English isn't necessarily the artists' first language. While lyrics hold a lot of meaning, in the end, music in itself, is a universal language that doesn't always need "verbal" explanation.

It kind of started in my mid-teen years when my interest in Eastern Europe began (Remember these songs?! All the Things She Said - TATU and Numa Numa) After that I went through a phase of downloading random Russian pop/rock songs...

Thus began my international music exploration.

After going to Korea, I downloaded a couple albums by the Wonder Girls and Girls Generation. Remember, no nose-turning upping. Mostly I thought it would be fun to download some K-pop because it's kind of fun and it played all over the place when we were there so there are a lot of memories attached to it. We heard Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Lee Hyori at least 3-4 times a day while we were there. I wasn't a huge fan of it, but now it always reminds me of being in Korea.

The Girls Generation song"Oh" will always remind me of my Korean friend who told me that "oppa" is a fond term of respect sisters call their older brothers, but also boyfriends. My friend's girlfriend doesn't usually call him that, so he joked that's why he likes listening to this song.

Most recently, I've been getting into francophone music. I've kind of developed a weird fascination with French Canada, not so much as a political issue (that's a huge can of worms) but as a Canadian culture/subculture. Ha, and most of the French Canadians I've met are sweet climber/tree-planting type people with hot Quebecois accents.

What also has piqued my interest in listening to more francophone music is the fact that the French Canadian band Karkwa won Canada's Polaris Music Prize and Radio Radio, an Acadian band, made the shortlist.

Do you have any international artist suggestions for me?

When boredom, scissors and trends meet

2010-10-02T23:17:00.007-07:00

Few girls can resist that urge. The urge to try their hand at being a hair stylist.

I think every mom who has a daughter has caught their little girl sitting in a pile of wispy hairs. There's something so alluring about cutting one's own hair. Those pretty scissors sitting next to the glue and construction paper. The noise they make as they neatly 'nibble' through cuttable items is irresistible.

"Snip, snip!" It's so easy and so satisfying.

I was no exception, only I never cut my own hair. I was smart enough to convince my friend I should cut her hair.

Flash forward about 12 years later and you'll find me tired of studying and searching for a creative distraction. My sight lands on the pair of scissors I keep in my room.

Now many of you will notice bangs are all the rage again. Thick ones, wispy ones, blunt and side-swept. I haven't had bangs since I was probably 11 years-old and I remember feeling so grown up once I finally grew them out. Suddenly, however, I had the desire to see how I'd look like with them now that they aren't just reserved for girls still in grade school.

So I cut myself some bangs.

My first attempt, near the time I went to Kamloops for my friend's wedding, was a bit butchered and I ended up pulling them back for a few weeks. Now, however, they've grown out a bit and actually don't look so bad.

(Grown out, ready for some damage-fixing trimming)

Tonight I took an assessment of them and did a bit of a manicure job until, I must admit, they look passable. I don't look so much like the little girl who got a hold of scissors anymore...although the next time I go for a proper haircut, my stylist will probably ask who the heck took pruning shears to my hair. Oh well, I'll defend myself by saying I was going for the indie, DIY, artsy, cute, lopsided look.

(I'll settle for passable.)

Kicking balls for fun

2010-09-30T21:13:00.005-07:00

What's pure ecstasy?

Feeling the pounding of your cleats against the turf as you race against your opponent toward the empty corner of the field.

Feet drum against the ground, but you look down and only see a blur. You're flying on pure adrenalin with no need to breathe, at least you're not consciously aware of it. Your mind races as fast as your feet.

You sense your opponent's presence rather than see them, hear their breath chasing you in hot pursuit. You see only one thing. You have only one goal. Reach the ball first.

Feet pound. Legs runon auto-pilot. They feel numb. You're lungs begin burn.

Twenty feet. Ten feet. Five. Three.

You stretch your foot out. Contact. Dribble. Kick. Goal.

Source

Soccer, I love it. Even passing by a field in the fall, or smelling a fresh soccer field makes my heart skip a bit.

I hadn't played for a couple years, but this summer and fall I've been playing on an indoor co-ed rec team with Anton and am loving it. While indoor is not the same as outdoor, it's felt good being back on turf and we practice outdoors, which I thoroughly enjoy.

There are few things more satisfying than running drills, kicking balls and having fun with friends, then coming back home with sore muscles to a hot shower and home cooked meal.

My day is complete.

Tour of Steveston's waterfront

2010-09-28T20:16:00.007-07:00

Steveston, another one of my favorite places in the Lower Mainland is just a short walk away from where I live...

For your viewing pleasure, a video tour of the Steveston's historic waterfront is embedded at the end of the post.

(The Steveston Landing)

It's a highlight for many tourists from other countries as well as Lower Mainland residents. Thousands of visitors pass through during the summer while a regular number of weekend guests visit in the 'off season.'

Every July 1 - Canada Day - Steveston holds its annual Salmon Festival when on average, 70,000 people pass through, according to the official website.

There are also several historical buildings revolving around the commercial fishing industry such as the Britannia Shipyards and The Gulf of Georgia Cannery which is a national historic sight.

I shot the video clips when I was down at the waterfront last week doing my acoustic communications project. For it, I had to choose a location and analyse the 'soundscape' and write about my experience; not a bad project to do on a fine fall day!

It was also the perfect opportunity to shoot some clips so I could practice with the video editing program Final Cut Express (FCE). I haven't worked with the program much, but I've worked with iMovie a bit. Working with FCE is like moving up to a DSLR from a point-and-shoot - so many small details to learn.

I apologize in advance for the shake - no tripod - and mediocre quality due to file compression. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it.

(Scotch Pond, a little ways away from the main harbour)

Campus mornings

2010-09-27T08:41:00.005-07:00

Quiet mornings on campus are the best.

High heels click purposefully across the hard floor while a handful of morning conversations reverberate against the high walls in the background.

No matter how busy the impending day promises to be, there's something about sitting with a travel mug full of tea, a laptop, light homework and an iPod that soothes the soul. It's a little bit of peace before the madness.

Today, bonus marks are given for the beautiful view looking across Vancouver harbour towards the North Shore.

No sunshine today with showers expected for the afternoon. There's a low ceiling of clouds. Somehow soft grey fits Vancouver's fall, however. The soft, diffused light isn't hard on the eyes and it gives everything a tucked in, west coast feeling. There's no damp winter chill yet, it's still warm enough for shorts.

I wish I had a picture to show you guys SFU's Harbour Centre campus which looks out on the water, it's really beautiful. I'll have to have my camera handy for next time.

******

Fortunately, none of my days are packed full of classes, I only have two today. Acoustic communications in the a.m. and a linguistics course tonight.

The communications course is kind of interesting, although not terribly applicable, as far as I can see. Mostly it's creating an awareness of sounds, the role they play and how important of a sense it is. While I don't know how much of it I'll ever use, it's interesting and an easy enough elective credit.

My Linguistics course is a grammar class. It's actually been pretty challenging so for. I'm great with composition, punctuation and such, but when it actually comes to parsing sentences and such it takes a lot of thinking.

Interestingly, ESL students often find grammar a relatively easy course and frequently will get perfect scores on tests. As native English speakers, we learn about verb types, nouns, adjectives, adverbs and all the other minor components of sentences intuitively. We'll know how to construct a sentence, but we couldn't tell you why it's right. ESL students learn the intricacies of grammar in the beginning. They find it easier to pick it up again and are able to look at grammar from a more detached, analytical viewpoint.

I hab a code, but I'll ubdate anyways

2010-09-19T20:20:00.004-07:00

It came early this year, I barely noticed it at first, but stuffy, runny noses soon become hard to ignore.

I can't complain, however, as it didn't hit me hard; I'll barrel through. Annually, I usually only get one or two, so if this is one of them, I'll take it.

Without sounding like a broken record, I know I'm behind in posting, but today is a bit of a lazy day post, just pictures from the wedding of two of my good Kamloopsian friends.

Anton and I drove up over Labour Day Weekend for the event and to visit with the family.

It felt nice going back and eating my mom's food again, sleeping in my bunk bed (Yes, I've had one almost my entire growing-up life), catching up with friends and petting my cat.

Following are a few of my favorites from the day:

(The beautiful bride Kelsey walking down with her dad.)

(What a handsome guy. Kelsey's a lucky girl!)

(A light rain - followed by a cloud burst right after the ceremony - didn't dampen the celebratory spirit.)

(I don't think either of them noticed the rain.)

(The rainy weather photoshoot participants did though.)

(Yours truly with the one and only Jill C.)

(Cake!)

Fall food-prepping

2010-09-07T09:13:00.005-07:00

I can't repeat it enough times...

A well-fed Rebekah is a happy Rebekah.

Modestly, I have to say I'm a pleasant, co-operative person to be around most of the time. Beware, however if the hours tick by and I'm left unfed.

I get more subdued, more irritable and...I even start to whine.

Thus, I'm more productive and all-around more pleasant to be around if I'm fed on a regular basis.

I'm a little picky, however, I won't take any old fast food or pre-packaged item, I like eating fresh, whole foods, if I have the option...sometimes I'd rather go without if, say, McDonald's is the only option...plus I'm cheap, it's can be pricey to, say, order sushi every lunch hour.

And so, today, while most people are going back to school, I'm going into full meal-planning mode, because my classes don't start until tomorrow. Grocery shopping, muffin-making and food prepping are high on my agenda today.

I'd almost prefer cooking for four to five people over one or two. First of all, I think it's cheaper, due to economy of size - often I can't use dairy and fresh produce before it expires. Second of all, I usully end up making one-dish meals when it's just me. I like all-in-one meals like stirfries and such, but sometimes it's just fun/tasty to have a meal with different components. Full meals, however, are lot of work if there's just one of you.

There are some tried and true items that I must always have:

- Yogurt, plain and flavoured bulkan style. Mmmm the creamier the better.

- Eggs, free run or free range, preferably organic. Directly from the producer is best, but since I'm in Vancouver, store-bought will have to do..deep orange yolks are good.

- Rice, brown and white. My favorite is white, but a mix of brown and white is just as good, haven't made the full switch-over yet.

- Onions, preferably red. I think onions are the best staple flavor-fusing ingredient.

- Apples, at least during the winter season. There's nothing better than a sweet, juicy, crisp B.C.-grown apple. This only applies during the fall-winter months, however, going into the spring, they start going soft and I crave fresh fruit.

- Coffee, a guilty indulgence, especially when paired with a health shot of coffee cream

- Tea, my family has a full cupboard devoted to tea of all varieties, it's a winter staple.

Some food-savvy tips I've come to implement.

- Keeping a list of food I have in the freezer. Many people throw leftovers into the freezer, but at the end of the year they're left with unidentifiable, frost-bitten chunks of kind-of-food because they forget what they put in.

- Frugality. I'll keep the broth I cooked the beans in or bones from the meat to make soup stock. I freeze the "dead" bananas to make muffins, make slightly overripe fruit into a crisp and wilty vegetables?...well that means it's a soup day. Oh and bread heels, they've fine for toast and eggs in the morning.

- Costco shopping. I don't have a Costco membership, but Maureen, with whom I'm staying does, so I'll go with her every now and then. Costco sells in large quanities, but they can be tons cheaper for storable items you will use. A large bag of pecans about $3.90/100 g at a regular store is about $15/907 g at Costco, or their large extra virgin olive oil costs about $12/1L while it's at least $8.99/500 mL normally.

- Cooking and baking when I have time. There's nothing worse than being out of the house, getting really hungry, but not having any food with you because you didn't have any "portable" food. You're forced to either break down and buy something, or wait it out..which I usually do. So, I hope to have a good supply of pre-prepared food I can throw into my bag.

Good stuff, no?

Well, I better get planning, shopping and baking.

Hope everybody's adjusting to fall schedules well.

Promised posts:

- Fish on the Fraser

- Labour Day weekend

Hiking the Lions

2010-08-30T22:37:00.009-07:00

My legs got a workout this weekend clambering up the Lions with some friends.

The Lions are an iconic vista in Vancouver and up until a couple weeks ago, I didn't know they were a pretty popular hike too.

Flickr pic: bluegoose0fox

Since the weather was nice and the last days of summer are slipping away, we decided to head out of town towards Squamish and Whistler to get some fresh mountain air.

Last year I hiked and blogged about Mt. Harvey, which begins at the same trailhead as the Lions.

Overall, I enjoyed the Lions a bit more, although I think Mt. Harvey is taller with a further view.

Details about the Lions:

Distance: 15km (9.32 miles)

Elevation: 1525m (.9476 miles)

Elevation gain: 1280m (.795 miles)

The Lions were more varied in terrain: from cushy pine-needle strewn paths, to rocky/rooty portions, from boulder fields to clambering up rocks.

My legs were a bit sore and I slept like a baby Saturday night, but my cardio is better than last year because there were no moments when I thought, "Oh my goodness, I'm going to die..." which is always a good thing.

[Looking on Howe Sound]

*Note regarding driving there* Take the Lions Bay Avenue exit and continue left across the bridge on Oceanview Road, all the instructions say to take the Oceanview Road exit, there's no such marking from the highway.

You walk up a seemingly endless gravel logging/service road until you fork off to the Lions, but once you're on the trail, it's really nice with a well-marked path.

The beginning of the climb doesn't start until about 90 minutes from the parking lot. After that, however, it's up, up and up some more. Keep going, though, because the views are definitely worth it, plus once you're done and you can walk again, you can point to the Lions and brag to all your friends that you climbed them....actually, I'm a bit more humble than that.

Digression - I have a weird obsession with big rocks. I love how they look and how their rough grain feels when you climb them. Geographically/geologically speaking, they're very interesting too...but anyways.

[Beginning of the boulder field]

It took us about eight hours round trip with app. 2.5 hours for lunch break and wandering around the top for a bit.

[Looking northeast at the Western Lion from where we ate lunch]

[The other side of the shoulder where we ate lunch, looking west.]

You continue up for about another 45 to 60 minutes. Many people stop at the ridge area connected to the Western Lion.

[North east view of the two Lions at the place where many people stop...wish I had a wider angle lens.]

Only one in our group traversed the face of the Western Lion to make it to the very top. While the skill-level to get across isn't very difficult, it's an exposed face and if you slip, death is a possibility and not unheard of.

I was watching one, slightly chunky, asian guy making his way across and I thought for sure I was going to photograph his death. He looked very inexperienced. Fortunately, I later saw he made it to the top.

My mom will be happy to read I didn't do it...but only due to not enough confidence in my ankle and the protests of Anton.

[The side continues further down with a steep drop.]

The rest of us continued on further. You can descend around the back, up and around to the ridge portion between the two peaks - it takes about another 45, round trip. Fewer people were hanging out there. You had a nice view of both peaks and a stunning view of the northern mountains behind the peaks, they seem to go on forever.

[Me enjoying the view.]

[You can see why backcountry hiking and mountaineering is addictive...you always want to explore just a bit further.]

[The Western Lion that some people can make their way up to the top of.]

[Pretty mountain heather. The bumble bees enjoyed it]

My only "complaint," was it was relatively busy. Again, I'm a spoiled B.C.-Interior girl who likes to believe she's the only person who's walked the trail before. The Lions felt pretty high traffic and weekend-touristy. We played tag with a couple different groups and passed several others.

All-in-all, though, it made me miss wilderness life and the Interior.

Who am I kidding living here in the city pretending to be the chic urbanite? I'll always have a strong yearning for the simple complexity of the mountains.

Part-way-through-the-year resolutions...kind of

2010-08-24T21:52:00.005-07:00

As I wend my way through life there are moments when I pause and reflect on who I am as a person....

*static.

Actually, this won't be a sappy post. While there is a time for thoughtful reflection, there are also times when you just have to make a "readjustment" to keep yourself sane, prevent shutting yourself into that little shell called routine or just because you think it's a good thing - if you know what I mean?

So I'm making some mental notes and ~~writing them down~~ posting them for all the world to see...that's how these things work, right?

- LESS COMPUTER. Since my work revolves around being on the computer all day working, with a bit of Twitter and FB in between (it's all about social media networking, right?), I'm going to try and cutback on my "recreational" online habits. I know my eyes are going to thank me and maybe some of my real-life friends - actually I'm not nearly as bad as other people I know. Don't worry blogging is equal parts therapeutic, updates for the family, (what I think is) interesting information for others and personal enjoyment, so I'll be keeping it up.

- EXERCISE. I'm active, I know, but I can be a bit of a "binge" exerciser going on spurts or doing a lot only once or twice a week. At least half an hour of something, even walking each day, is my goal. If I do, I feel less fidgety from pent up energy, though it might be trickier once the fall schedule starts rolling. Since the townhouse complex I live in has an indoor pool with a hot tub and sauna, I have no excuse, even on miserable rainy days.

- CHURCH. I'll tell myself I'll go once a month, for the "fellowship" aspect and worship - I love the music). *The following may be irrelevant to some readers...But for those of you concerned - you probably know who you are - I still undoubtably have an active faith in God. I am, however, questioning and losing my faith in church culture, mindset and politics. I feel the questions I do have about faith (which I believe is healthy) have outgrown the one-line answers of my childhood. At this point, I feel they need to be wrestled with and debated in fresh air, outside of that whirlpool culture. But of course, this isn't an "I'm right, you're wrong" situation, I love you all and believe Church consists of people and the community you create with them.

- MORE CALLS HOME: Despite my aversion to phones, I think my mom would appreciate it, enough said.

- READING: I used to devour books, now my reading is limited to recipes, blogs, half-hearted attempts to read classic novels on my "to read" list, non-fiction that makes me sound informed and intelligent (Well, I enjoy them too) and weekly required readings for school. I shall make a more concerted effort to read for pleasure. P.S. I still prefer reading my ink on dead trees...what's with this Kindle stuff anyhow?

- TAKE MORE PICTURES OF MYSELF...but I'm not talking cheesy self-portrait, Facebook/Myspace shots. Recently I've realize if I don't take my turn in front of the camera once in a while, the world will have no photo evidence of my existence. It may be a bit narcissistic, but I like to think of it more as leaving a visual legacy.

- EARLY TO BED, EARLY TO RISE. I'm a big believer in "the early bird gets the worm." I think I'm way more productive in the morning, granted I'm not sleep deprived from puttering around or being up online until the wee hours of the morn. Thus, I propose to start getting better sleeps.

That being said, I think that's a good place to conclude and start putting these into practice.

Let's see if we get the approval from the resident big-headed midget.

...And we get the official okay from her.

Something tells me I'm in a strange mood right now...

Anyways, goodnight Tuesday, see you soon Wednesday.

Grinding up Grouse Mountain

2010-08-22T21:51:00.010-07:00

Another featured highlight from around the Lower Mainland...(Capilano Supension Bridge, the Richmond Night Market)

Well-known amongst Vancouverites, the Grouse Grind is a popular workout for locals and a physical challenge to achieve for many tourists.

It's not something you do necessarily as a "nice" hike for the scenic view or wildlife along the way. Mostly you do it for the heavy breathing, sweat stains and clock time.

It's very similar to a stairmaster the whole way up.

The Grind is located at the Grouse Mountain ski hill on North Shore of Vancouver, about a 30-45 minute drive from downtown Vancouver, of course that depends greatly on the rate of traffic.

Before this year, I'd done it once last summer with Anton and a friend. Though not agonizingly difficult, it was a lot more challenging than I'd expected, but I don't think I was in as good shape at the time.

This year I've done it twice, once when my mom was here and again this past weekend with a friend and Anton.

[ With my mom, fogged in, but warm and humid]

[No view of the city on the way down unfortunately]

I found it a lot better this year and managed to do it in 1 hour 5 minutes - my goal was an hour. I think that's about average for those who don't do it very regularly. The fastest times this year hover around 39 minutes. The best times ever are 25:42 for men and 31:04 for women.

[Brittany and me at the top. The rocks are a popular spot for those who get to the top first and wait to congratulate their companions as they come up.]

Choosing a sustainable pace is important. I'm more the Hare, going at a fast pace, but end up taking a few quick breathers while Anton is the Turtle who goes slow and steady with no breaks.

The Grind is free to climb up, but they catch you on the way down. You're not allowed to descend the trail, so it costs $10 to take the gondola. It's fun to take though, and on clear days you get a good view of the city.

[Entering the gondola, about an 8 minute ride down.]

Some more Grind numbers:

Length: 2.9 km (1.8 miles)

Elevation: 853 m (2,800 ft)

Gain: - Base: 247 m above sea level (900 ft)

- Summit: 1,127 m (3,700 ft)

- Total stairs: 2,830

Statistics: Annually, over 100,000 people hike the Grind

Average time: It takes up to an hour and half to complete the hike.

- For Novices, up to two hours is recommended

Participants: Hikers range from 7 to 90, with an equal male/female split.

[Summit]

Once you've finished and you're soaked in sweat with 'noodle-y' legs, there are a few things you can do at the top

- There's a lumberjack show, always a hit with the out-of-town tourists. Of course, I'm always a skeptic of those shows and hate to get dragged into them, but once I'm in the crowd they're usually somewhat entertaining.

- Coola and Grinder are two grizzly bears who were orphaned as cubs and now live in a habitat enclosure set up for them. Currently, there's also a mother black bear and her two cubs that roam around higher up on the hill - not in enclosures.

[Chairlifts are a lot warmer in the summer.]

- You can walk another 10-15 minutes up the hill or take the "scenic" chairlift to the top where the wind turbine: Eye of the Wind is. It's huge.

[Its blades are 38 metres (125 feet) long.]

- There are a zipline, tandem para-gliding and helicopter tours too, but they're above my budget.

.....So if you're ever in Vancouver and want to test your strength and endurance, check out the Grind...or forego the exercise part and pay the $39.95 (adult rate) to take the gondola right to the top.

Work and a good time are the same

2010-08-22T13:17:00.010-07:00

Sunday already?

This weekend went by so quickly. It was a long week and I feel I need at least one more day to recover.

Working overtime can be tiring, but it can also fun, especially when you get to meet fellow bloggers.

{Kym and I at the Urban Glamour Market}

As I mentioned, I'd had the idea to write about young Richmond entrepreneurs who've started online business. It was a really fun article to write. If you wish to, check out the full article: Young entrepreneurs open up shop online to do business.

{The night was hosted at Gastown's Terracotta Modern Chinese Restaurant}

Wednesday night was the Urban Glamour Market in Gastown, so I'd arranged to meet Kym from Herrohachi there to observe her "live and in action" at the handmade arts and craft market.

{Kym with one of her 'neenja' pillows}

{Making a sale. The table was a lot emptier at the end of the night}

There were about about 10-12 other vendors there. Many of them also have online stores. Kym said it's fun meeting bloggers for the first time at these local events.

It was great fun. I ended up staying the whole night and catching a ride with her back home. We found out we're both in the same neck of the woods in Richmond.

{Kym with some tasty "lollicakes," the girl selling them sold out that night}

For a while I'd been eyeing Kym's "I'll shoot you" photographer's shirt and Wednesday gave me the perfect opportunity to pick one up. I love it, I think it's my new favorite t-shirt.

{Having to do a self-portrait, I needed the assistance of a mirror...thus the mirror-imaged words. :P}

Why do I love my job?

2010-08-17T22:27:00.008-07:00

...I love meeting new people.

I'm also not usually a name dropper about who I meet, but today's a bit of an exception because I'm working on a story idea I came up with.

Through blogging, I've met a few 20-something-year-old bloggers who are also stretching their entrepreneurial wings and have started online shops.

Most rely largely on social media, blogging and local arts and craft markets to build clientele. One of whom is Kym from Herro Hachi.

I knew she was from Richmond - the same place I currently live - and thought it would be interesting to do an article on local, young entrepreneurs.

Kym passed along the names of Lawrence and Claudia who also live in Richmond and recently launched their online etsy shop LemonPie. So today I got to sip a Starbucks shaken green iced tea and ask Lawrence question after question about LemonPie and online marketing.

(Some business cards and pins Lawrence passed along)

It was interesting to hear about their experience and it was the first time I'd met someone for the first time who I'd previously only known through a blog interface - that was fun.

Tomorrow I'm headed down to the Urban Glamour Market in Gastown to meet Kym and check out what happens at craft markets.

...Yep, I love my job because I get to meet new people, learn about the things they're passionate about...and have the opportunity to do unique things and get into cool events for free like this, this and this)

Whether my "interviewee" is famous, a community member, child, volunteer, musician, whatever, I enjoy learning more about what they do, the project they're passionate about and questioning them to get to the heart of an issue.

That might be why I enjoy writing features and expose pieces best. Give me a humanitarian/social issue, science & tech, health, music or profile story to work on and I'll be happy.

To be honest, heavy duty government, finance, bureaucratic and other more traditionally "hard core journalism" stories usually make my eyes cross and I have to try really hard to understand and sort it all out.

Despite being an introvert, I guess when it comes to the heart of an issue I'm a people person.