8.18.2010

The Northern Capital of BC

I'm here in the "Northern Capital of BC": Prince George. I'll be staying on rez at UNBC until August 20th for work. Can't say it's my favourite place in the world but I'm slowly starting to see more of BC.

Pookie, my favourite bear in the world (sorry Yogi), is always attached to my duffle bag.

Fossil leather duffle bags are the greatest. It withstood a lot of wear and still looks smashing so I'd say it's well worth the price. Mine's a men's bag but no one knows and no one cares. It didn't break my bank, it suits my needs and it's just my style.

Been itching to travel some more but really can't afford the time or money at the moment.

YXS airport is quite small. It reminds me of Langley airport or Boundary Bay airport. That's one of the first things I noticed here. Immediately after that, I noticed the smell of pulp mill. The smell lingered for at least 6 hours before my olfactory cells decided to give up noticing it. This time my view isn't a breathtaking vista of rivers and valleys but of birch trees and dense forest. It's not displeasing to the eyes but I must say that I miss the mountains and the ocean--I've been spoiled by Vancouver that way. Speaking of eyes, my eyes are abnormally dry here.

8.14.2010

Sand, Surf, Wind and Waves; Tousled Hair and Braids.

Almost 30 degrees in Vancouver today! Can you believe it? I almost couldn't.

Woke up in the morning and went for breakfast with my bff who's back in town from Toronto. We grew up down the street from one another in a very small neighborhood when we were 6 and 7. Funny thing is, we're nothing alike. We're almost complete opposites of one another but we love each other to death. By the way, we stopped at Damien's Waffles in Steveston. They were fantastic! I suggest the Vanilla waffle to start.

I love the feeling of warm sand between my toes especially after getting out of the crisp water of the ocean. It's just an amazing feeling. I don't even mind the taste of salt water on my lips.

To end the day off perfectly, I went stand up paddle surfing with Windsure at Jericho Beach. Our instructor, Dale was awesome and was very encouraging. I'll fall "gracefully" into the water and he'll just paddle by and say, "You just did that 'cause it's hot." I love the ocean. Reminds me of the time I was on Long Beach and saw a wicked kite surfer do a back flip while migrating birds encircle him during sunset. What a sight and what an impressionable memory. How lucky am I to live in Vancouver!


Also back in town: Rae! She sends me postcards from places she visits. I love her doodles (mainly because they're of narwhals). She once sent me one from Malaysia with a 'tropical narwhal' sketched in the water. This time she picked up a Sand Dollar Cookie recipe postcard from Bamfield and mailed it to me.

8.13.2010

As Promised...

...Photos of the "new" office.






Thank goodness for Craigslist. One man's junk is another man's treasure.

8.12.2010

the Tricky Part is to Come Back Home

"And I ask why would you lead on, and you reply because I can and cause I can. Sure can start, sure can leave me alone. The tricky part is to come back home." Sure Can Start - Two Hours Traffic (Canadian)

Wow. It feels like a long time since I last blogged. After coming home from Kamloops I spent some time with friends I haven't seen for a long time and those who were leaving Vancouver. Did the whole Vancouverite thing, ya know? Beach volleyball, kayaking at Deep Cove, hiking the Grouse Grind, boutique shopping, dropping by a local dive to have your favourite milkshake kinda thing....


Taj and I both haven't done the 2.9 km 30 degree incline Grouse Grind (affectionately known to Vancouverites as "Mother Nature's Stairmaster") for years but we tackled it today. Although the hike isn't for the faint of heart or the 'really-out-of-shape' beginners, it seems like everyone in Vancouver has done it and ironically love it. Perhaps it's the sense of achievement when you reach the top or the fact that you can casually slip, "Oh yea, I just did the Grind yesterday" into a conversation and sound like you're hardcore; Whatever it may be people still like doing it despite the fact that they make lame complaints about how they're overworked or 'out of shape', curse and grimace all throughout the ascent. Personally, I was surprised at how much more in shape I've become! I was honestly the most positive and peppy person on the trail and that doesn't happen--ever. In retrospect, I must have been really annoying so I'll definitely keep my positive energy to myself next time.

Other than outdoor activities, I bummed around a lot the week before. It was raining for a little bit so to cheer me up I broke out my fuzzy bunny wedges -- adorkable & had many compliments.


Then came the saddest point in my summer where I spent the evening chilling out in my bed, bawling my eyes out watching PS I Love You (again) and eating an entire pizza on by myself. By the way I had the petite Mist pizza from Steveston Pizza. I majorly deviated from my health binge but I can afford to indulge once in a while ;) Speaking of food from Steveston, I just set an alarm for 9 am so I can go and try Damien's Waffles bright and early. I think I deserve them since after the Grind today I spent another good hour at the gym.


AND (sorry this is such a random post) due to the lack of budget for office renovations, Sarah and I spent every morning and night chained to Craigslist. In my bargain/free-stuff hunting craze, I found a vintage 1950's typewriter in good working condition and surprisingly, in good shape. I had driven to Pitt Meadows by myself just to retrieve this hefty item. It was well worth it. At least that's what I tell myself. It's both functional (I have an addiction to labelling) and decorative!


Ok. That's a really lame justification but whats done is done. All I can do now is enjoy it and hope to move into an indie home.

Since so much as happened within such a short period of time, my posts aren't quite in chronological order anymore. It's a jumble of things. I'll post photos of the reno'd Phrateres office next time.

8.04.2010

I Eat Peaches Straight From The Can

Phew! The last couple of weeks have been full of adventure and responsibilities. I wouldn't want to live my life any other way :) There's so much more to be done before the end of summer too!



Took mom to West Restaurant and ordered the highly recommended Pea Agnolotti. It was the first time I ate morels--they're mushrooms that grow after a forest fire. The CBC says that BC wildfires are eating up our firefighting budget. Perhaps they can pick mushrooms after the fire. Morels are worth a small fortune especially since they have to be differentiated from their poisonous counterpart, the False Morel. It was a delicious experience but I still prefer small cozy little dives like Sophie's or the Naam.

Speaking of food, mom and I got swept up in the excitement of cooking with our new cookbooks: West and Blue Water Cafe. So immediately went to Steveston to buy sable fish collars right off the boat. Then I decided to have an impromptu BBQ with a day's prep. I even made little flags on the fly and they looked fab (the photo up top).


Of course, we bought fresh salmon for the BBQ and smoked it on a cedar plank. It didn't turn out as well because there wasn't much convection cooking since we were cooking other things at the same time. We made everything from scratch but the most popular dish was our version of the Oroshi Japadog.


Descaled and filleted my first fish. It was so much fun! I'm trying to learn as many cooking skills as I can this summer.


Also spent a couple of days at the Phrateres office renovating. As it turns out, only Sarah and I were gung-ho enough to spend some time cleaning and painting the place. I gotta say that we did a spectacular job at painting for a couple of newbs who had absolutely no idea what they were doing. Currently the commons room is filled with our furniture so we left a bunch of notes on the wall apologizing to the War Gamers and UBC Security. Will have before and after photos later.

  

Saw this hilarious corner while paint shopping at Rona. It's a tiny mirror and a stake taped to the column. The note reads:
"In case of vampire;
Break red tape.
Aim for Heart.
Stab."
And written above the mirror:
"Also for vampire activity."