Nippy

Boy it's been chilly in Vancouver. Maybe I've grown accustomed to the nice warm summers we've been having but I thought I sensed a bit of Winter's nip in the air today. It's particularly disheartening when it's wet, cold and still dark out but it's already 8 am.

Yet all is well when I get my early morning cup of hot cocoa! I've weened myself off of coffee. In fact, I get far too jittery to concentrate when I'm cranked up on adrenaline, chronic cortisol and caffeine to top it all off. Right now I'm sipping a large mug of thick cocoa from Soma generously sprinkled with cinnamon. It also takes some of the stress away probably because it's so very comforting.

Lets backtrack for a moment back to the first day of school at UBC--Imagine Day. I bumped into my bioinformatics prof this year, Joanne. She's part of a the Terry Project and was telling everyone about K'Naan coming to the Chan to do a talk/spoken poetry. I went and to my surprise he was extremely humble and so honest that it was really funny. He even did a couple of songs for us. I'd like to quote/paraphrase what he said as he reached behind for his Starbucks, "Now I apologize. I feel like this is the 'justice crowd'," as he raises the cup, "Sometimes you're stuck between your ideals and shit that tastes good."

Watch K'Naan at Terry UBC here.

By the way, Dr. Allen Sens in the video is an amazing instructor and is much more engaging in class. I highly suggest taking ASIC 200. It changed my approach and perception of every socio-economic-scientific issue since then. It forces me to see the bigger picture at all times.

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.

[via Kampiscines]

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.

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.

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."

Catch the Wind

Just got home from Kamloops and went windsurfing the morning after with Nicky & friends. Did a 2-hour introductory lesson with Windsure on Jericho Beach.

Jericho Beach with instructor Melissa [via kampiscines]

Wetsuits, check. [via kampiscines]

I wouldn't really consider what I did today windsurfing. There's a lot of awkward falling into the water but eventually we got the hang of it. I'll call it an accomplishment anyways. I forsee more windsurfing to come.

The Days Just Keep Getting Better...

Lucky number 33 :)

Vancity Allie is one of my favourite Vancouver blogs. She'll occasionally have contests for the sweetest and raddest things. This time she had a draw for a $50 certificate at West Restaurant, the West cookbook and Blue Water Cafe cookbook. And I won it!

Much thanks to Allie and Shelley McArthur, Communications Director of Top Table Restaurants! I'm so excited to try the dishes you suggested.

It's All Gonna Break

Man, busy just doesn't even begin to describe it. Or maybe I'm just completely burnt out. I love my job. It's fun, educational (both for me and the students), experimental, full of opportunities and indescribably rewarding. 

Rae.

Justin & science camper.

Daisy, Daisy, He loves me, He loves me not;

Enjoy the sun & hopefully the waves, this week.

Sunday Afternoon

Strolled around the Steveston Farmer's Market again with Nicole. It was an overcast but warm afternoon. I absolutely adore farmer's markets.

Hungry Cat usually carries my card, cash and most importantly my camera but that means his whiskers get a little mangled. Well anyways, Nicole promised to bring Lego Chef everywhere so we introduced our two sidekicks.

Hungry Cat finds Lego Chef very delicious.

At the local toy store. This is for Rae's obsession with moose.

Bought this adorable ring from the market.

Hungry Cat peaks out of my vintage Dior bag.

I have difficulty concentrating on work at home so I went to Calhoun's at 10 pm (free parking after 10). Then I received this text from my mother.

"Time to come home. It is dark. Beware of vampires n werewolves. Real werewolves do not hv abs. Mom" 

Thanks mom. It's good to know that I will never fall for a real werewolf then...

The Underwear Affair Fundraiser

I didn't raise as much as I had hoped but it was a fun night nonetheless. The BC Cancer Foundation had generously organized this fundraiser at Doolin's Irish Pub. The place was really fun and sweet. We all had a hell of a good time and even got free cover for the Cellar below! Some runners even stripped down to the underwear to raise money for the cause.

So after a good conversation, beer & burger we went downstairs to the Cellar for a night of dancing.

Did I mention that I got caught in a bidding war (only because my friend handed my a 10 bill) for this man, Clifford, at the fundraiser's auction? Good times.

Alright, I better get ready for another night downtown. Have a safe night everyone! Happy Canada Day

G-20 Protest Ramblings

Does anyone even know what the G20 Summit is about now? The media has focused so much on the protesting that there is relatively very little news about what the summit is actually discussing. In fact, this post isn't even really about the G20 Summit. It's going to be about the 'hipster revolution'.

[via Philogynist]

Hipsters look like they're intellectual, artistic and well-intentioned individuals who strive to defy the mainstream trends. Yet we'll tell our future generations that back in the day, hipsters are just reincarnations of the 60's hippy and that people will never change.

 Jasmin-O-Saur: fervent advocate of free speech and destroyer of the opposition's signs. File Under: Hypocrisy.

UBC's full of them. For instance: the infamous SDS' (Students for a Democratic Society) fervent and outspoken resistance to the university, campaign to rid Canada of the military [1] and hilarious bonfire next to the grassy knoll [2] which resulted in student arrests. They decried police brutality which is utter blasphemy. These over-privileged kids are so used to complaining that they forgot to propose an actual practical solution. They're so young (in fact, they're a couple of years older than I) that they still hold on to their glorious ideals of world peace. But I must say that these protesters are a step up from the G-20 riots which are not only violent but none of us have any clue what they're actually protesting about...

This reminds me of the protesters that hung giant "Free Tibet" banners across the Golden Gate Bridge. When asked to point out where Tibet actually is on a map, some protesters had no idea. If you have a cause and want to do good in the world, maybe you should spend some time figuring out exactly what the hell you are advocating for before you start making a fool of yourself.

Stop giving hipsters a bad rap.

---

[1] I actually attended the SDS public discussion at UBC about the 'evils of the military' and the 'conspiracy behind it'. Everyone seemed to be invited to this forum so I went with two of my friends who happen to be in the Canadian military. Obviously they didn't show up in uniform. We in fact sat quietly in the back of the room while we listened to them preach to the choir. At the front of the room was a table set up for SDS executives and speakers.

They started the meeting by appreciating the fact that we were on "stolen native land". They passed around a petition that was against the UBC underground bus loop. On the back were valid points on why we shouldn't have this new development. Yet when I watched the petition being passed around, I saw that no one had read it. They just signed--blindly.

As the speakers were talking, I can see heads nod in agreement. I wondered how much these people actually knew about the military and the topic. Then my favourite speaker, whom I affectionately called "Jasmin-o-Saur", stood up to talk. She was passionate but made very few arguments and spent most of her time complaining and accusing. I was infuriated and had to step out of the room to breathe. When I re-entered, she looked smug.

When it came time to ask questions, my friend bravely stood to ask a question. He wasn't angry and the question was valid but it was obvious he wasn't one of them. You can see one of the panelists look in shock and the first thing that came out of their mouth was, "Are you in the military?" It was an irrelevant question. After attempting to dodge the question, my friend eventually answered "Yes" The room was tense and awkward. Since then the tone of the forum had dialed down from extreme to moderate. That sucked. Then they were outraged that my friend had brought along a voice recorder to record this. We were stunned because there were shouts like "This is how the government gets you!" (By the way, these shouts came primarily from guests that were invited to come speak from the US). It wasn't until after the forum that my friend and I spent time emailing and phoning government groups about voice recordings. It turns out that it was ok to record the forum as long as it was a public forum. Well, that was an SDS fail.

Finally when the discussion was over, we all had an opportunity to speak to the guests and panelists. They're pretty chill when they're not all angry. They asked us if we liked the idea of war. No, none of us, not even my friends in the military, like the idea of war. Ideally war would be non-existent but the SDS was asking for a movement to abolish the military. Great; So Canada would be the first and probably the only country to rid themselves of military defenses. Smart move. Oh, and what about peacekeepers?, we asked. We ask our peacekeepers to stand in-between two countries that hate each other and don't give two sh*ts about the collateral.

This is when I legitimately started hating on the SDS.

[2] Then there was the grassy knoll protest. It was the epitome of the 60's protests. People dancing as if they were perpetually high, horrendous live music (honest to goodness bad music), ribbons, tents and hippies that I never noticed on campus before. It was as if you took an old hippy film and have it regurgitate it's contents in the middle of our student space.

As a joke and a statement, some students came out and protested the protest. We were armed with signs like "10 Things Better Than the Knoll" and symbolic shovels. In fact, I had a lot of fun reading the discussion boards and wall of the FB group "Students for Reasonable Protest". Even Emporer Karl Palpatine got involved, srsly. The content of that group was both seriously thought-provoking and ROFL-worthy. Jasmin-o-Saur, who is obviously a big proponent of free-speech, also dropped on by to leave a few... encouraging... words behind.

But I digress. Back to the bon-fire. At night a giant bon fire was lit next to the knoll. I suppose it's some sort of hippy ritual to dance and sing around it. Oh, and did I mention that it was a giant bon fire that was right beneath some dry and very low overhang? When the fire department and police came to put out the fire, the protesters stood in their way (literally). So they arrested them and rightfully so. They were there to save the very knoll the protesters sought to protect. Why would you jeopardize the very thing you want to save?

My First Book

Ok, no, it's not really my first book but I did co-author it with Mandy Chan. It's an educational booklet about the disappearance of bees.

Mandy has much more credibility than I do. She works with Dr. Leonard Foster at UBC on the life cycle of bees. We never actually met each other in the making of the book but we did lots of email :) You can check it out or better yet purchase your very own copy through genegeek.

Nicole also cowrote a book on the Mountain Pine Beetle for educational purposes.

Just thought I would mention that :)

Mounting the Chief

The last time I attempted the Stawamus Chief was when I was a wee little girl. I didn't even realize that it was the Chief until I reached the balanced rock today where I almost slipped off the edge of the cliff as a kid. I went today with Jake and we reached the first peak. We spent a long time up there just eating lunch, chatting and screwing around with the chipmunks.

Foliage got in the way. Looks pretty decent, still.

I also wore my new Lululemon Ultimate Running Socks today. They were pretty great. My feet felt good throughout the hike and stayed blister free. However, when I got home I discovered that they wore out really fast and there was a small hole in one of them. Unfortunately I ended up handwashing them and letting them air-dry to prevent further wear. If they lasted longer, then it would have justified the $15 spent.

SMH and PACE Debut Show

At the Firehall Theatre in the heart of the downtown east side was the SMH and PACE (the Prostitution Alternatives Counselling & Education) society debut comedy show. It was an unconventional comedy show put on by four incredible women who have such amazing energy and stories to share.

One of the most inspirational acts was by Cheryse. She has such enthusiasm about womanhood, freedom and the realization of her true self, it's honestly touching. She made me love the fact that I am a woman. Life is tough but women are tougher.

The SMH and PACE crew plus the very special Cheryse.

Look out for the documentary on the PACE program called "Humour Me" which will come out in about a year.

Dr. Hamish Nichol Memorial Benefit

Dr. Hamish Nichol was the kind of compassionate and sympathetic psychiatrist everyone should have -- at least that's what Pat tells me. He taught Psychiatry at UBC and worked at the VGH Voice Clinic. He was also a man that gave to the community and the environment.

So in memory of Dr. Hamish Nichol, Stand Up for Mental Health put on a benefit for the VGH Foundation at the Yale Hotel.

It's such a small world! I had met one of the volunteers the day before at Lululemon Lab. She sold me those pants!

  And that's Jim O'Hara, the Vice President of the VGH Foundation.

I'm continuing to volunteer with SMH to develop SMH Campus Days to dispel discrimination, stigmatism and prejudice of mental health illnesses through humour. Participants are those who are affected by mental health issues. They undergo workshops with SMH Founder, David Granirer, to create their own comedy act about their illness. David also suffers from depression, but he's also a counselor, an author as well as a comedian!

We're Always Running for the Thrill of It

I've been training for the 10K Underwear Affair for the BC Cancer Foundation for cancers below the belt. Aside from doing training runs (an activity that I usually loathe), I've been reading books and stocking up on running gear to hopefully improve my stride. Oh, and Daily Mile has really helped!

Dropped by Lululemon Lab today on W Broadway and Cambie. It's a pretty sweet concept design lab.

I bought a few things including a pair of Women's Ultimate Running Socks ($14 CAD). They're pretty darn comfortable and cute. The socks claim to have arch support, reduce blisters and wick moisture while running. I'll make a review after a few runs with them on.

Bought this book: "Zen and the Art of Running". It's more about Zen than running but I'll also write a review on that later.

Easter Seals 24-Hour Relay for Kids

Easter Seals is an organization that provides children with disabilities a chance to attend a camp to do things they normally aren't able to do. It's a wonderful opportunity for them.

Yesterday was the first day of the 24-Hour Relay at Swangard Stadium. The point is to run laps around a 4km course over 24 hours. We also signed up for bocce and volleyball. It's so much fun and I can't wait to do it again next year!

Brought our phriend, Quatchi, to the celebration.

My new Laurentian Chief moccasins. I could wear moccasins to most anywhere. They're amazingly comfortable and so adorable. My only concern is that they get dirty easily and don't add a lot of support for my feet. Anyhow, I love them. 

Hanging out in the tent.

Relaxing at the beer garden with a few friends. Got a little sunburned.