Category Archives: Random Thoughts

Random Thoughts

Power Tools Are My Friends

Posted by on February 19, 2011 at 4:00 pm.
Danny and Me

Danny and me at the shop

The little wrench sign was lit up on Henry’s dashboard so I asked the Twitterverse if anyone knew of a good deal on oil changes. My buddy Danny DM’d saying he was going to get his girlfriend’s Honda serviced and could do mine at the same time. I thought he knew a guy with a shop, but it turns out Danny is that guy with a shop! Haha

Henry and I went to Wing Lee Auto Collision on Clark Drive this morning and I got to learn how to change Henry’s oil, filter and even rotate his tires! Knowing how to do everything yourself is a hundred times cooler than being that chick in the waiting room reading a magazine while someone else does everything and then hands you a bill with items you don’t question because you have no clue what anything is. Was it dirty? Yes. Was it worth it? Abso-eff’in-lutely. Anything where I get to learn new stuff, wear coveralls, and get filthy is uber-awesome in my books!

Here are a few things I learned today and pictures to prove I changed Henry’s oil, filter and rotated his tires.

Tips for Car Owners

  1. When a car has been wrecked to the point where it needs a complete overhaul, the car is placed on a large platform and clamped on while it’s being repaired. So, if you’re ever in the market for a used car, look for bite marks behind the front wheels and in front of the back wheels where these clamps would be placed to see if it’s undergone some work the seller hasn’t told you about.
  2. Hub caps are different from rims. I have hub caps. They’re the cheap plastic caps that come with the car and are literally punched into place (I did that today ;) ). Rims are those fancy metal plates that people pay extra for.
  3. When mechanics refer to a “thread”, they’re talking about the spiral around a screw. Never force a screw into place — especially if it’s the one connected to your engine oil tank. If you grind down the thread on the tank, you’re screwed; you’ll have to replace the entire tank which will cost you several thousand pretty pennies.
  4. New car oil looks like liquid honey. Used oil looks like tar and smells like a car shop.
  5. The cap on the oil tank under the hood probably has a few numbers and letters on it that specify what type of oil you want to use (denoted by the “W” which tells the mechanic how thick or thin the oil should be). The thickness / thinness of the oil you use will also depend on the climate in which you drive you car, so the oil you use may change if you move to a colder / warmer province / state.
  6. If you drove for a while before getting to the shop, let the oil and tank cool down before you uncap the tank.
  7. When you uncap the oil tank, the container for your used oil shouldn’t be directly beneath it. It should be about half a foot further back because the oil doesn’t just drip out — it spills out like a fountain. I’m glad I was off to the side of the opening when I did this! I was surprised at its fountain-like nature though, so I dropped the screw in the oil bucket. :P
  8. Never overfill your oil tank. If you do, the oil may travel to another part of your system (I don’t remember the name of it — it’s the part that looks like a giant can with holes in it; little guys who want louder cars remove this part to try and look cool).
  9. For your safety when using manual jacks, you should have those concrete triangular blocks underneath the bar that runs between your two front tires when you go underneath the car. These blocks prevent your car from coming down on you if the jacks give in.
  10. Servicing your own car is actually pretty easy. When you pay an arm and a leg for it, it’s because the oil and filter aren’t cheap, or the mechanic hates doing it, or a combination of the two. If you’re getting a “deal” under $60 for an oil and filter change, it’s because you’re getting a cheap filter and bulk oil. The cost of buying the oil and filter I got for Henry today at regular consumer prices would’ve been over $60 (no service included).
  11. A “pneumatic” system is something that uses compressed air (like the hand tools that you use to screw the tires back on).

Thanks Danny! :)

Arts, Film & Photography, Random Thoughts

I Could Feel My Pupils Dilate

Posted by on January 19, 2011 at 11:12 pm.

I just got back from watching my first PuSh Festival show of the season and if Circa is any indication of what the rest of the festival will be like, I can’t wait!

Before you read any further, I highly recommend… No, I really absolutely insist that you click HERE and purchase your ticket for one of Circa’s remaining three shows (January 20, 21, 22) right now before it’s too late! I take full responsibility for your enjoyment because I know you’re going love it. <– Period.

Review: Circa

Circa at PuSh Festival 2011

Circa at PuSh Festival 2011

The show starts with a beautiful specimen of a man throwing himself on the ground as if he’s a separate being altogether and his body is an object made for this sort of thing. He begins to move what seems to be every muscle in his body one at a time with the character you’d find in a drama combined with the fluidity of dance and rigid structure of a calculated machine all at once. I could feel my pupils dilate.

Not once was I bored during the 80 mesmerizing minutes of Circa’s self-titled performance. The set includes a wide arrangement of different styles and moods and it’s all amazing — from the quirky redhead spinning hoops, twisting her arms, and showing the curiosity of a four-year-old as she contorts and chases her body, to the strong muscular man determined to stay in the moving spotlight while exerting enough effort to make MY neck cramp watching him as he does something as simple as raising his arm.

This is not what you normally think of when you think of a circus or even acrobatics. At least, when I think of acrobatics I usually picture the rubber band troupes that fly across the air and land on each other’s shoulders as though they weighed about as much as a helium balloon. Circa on the other hand showcases the strength behind each individual movement; you can see the dedicated effort behind every twitch, stretch, jump, and bend. In this small venue (UBC Frederic Wood Theatre), you can also see the strands of hair that remain floating in the stage light after a series of lifts and pulls by the head. I especially love that both the men and women act as base supports for each other. They walk all over each other as if the person on the bottom is a shifting building and the person on top can always find another arm, leg, neck, shoulder, back, or muscle to explore.

I don’t want to continue describing the entire show (you should just go see it for yourself!) but there is one more thing I want to mention. My favourite act is the woman who danced on a vertical rope. I realize that sounds weird, but I’m not sure how else to describe it. She lifted herself and climbed up with only the strength in her one hand and moved, contorted, stretched, balanced and fell gracefully across this hanging rope as if she was suspended in water. She moved beautifully and with such fearless security in her movement that I couldn’t help but be thoroughly impressed.

When the show came to its end the entire theater stood up to clap, cheer, and clap some more. The five performers had to come out to bow two more times before we finally let up.

Arts, Film & Photography, Random Thoughts

I’ll Shoot You… With My Camera.

Posted by on December 20, 2010 at 10:30 pm.
Photoshoot with Phil

Stand right in the puddle. There’s great light there.

The Original Plan

For my 25th birthday, Ang and Morten arranged for me to have my photos taken by a professional photographer. We had a couple of meetings beforehand to discuss “the look” I was going for, what types of photos I liked and disliked, location etc. and I was totally psyched about the upcoming shoot.

The day finally came, and… it was pretty much a disaster. Ang, Morten and I were late, the makeup artist was even later, she made me look like a friggin’ clown with mismatched eyebrows and skin like sandpaper to boot, the makeup took much longer than expected which meant that we had little time before the sun went down since our appointment was in the late afternoon, which also meant that we didn’t have the time to get to the location we had planned on using, both the photographer and I were low on energy by this point, and in the end all of this was reflected in the photos. :P This was technically one of the photographer’s first photoshoots since he’s normally an event photographer (and a great one at that) so I don’t want to make it sound like he’s a bad photographer or anything like that. It was just one of those learning experiences.

Photoshoot with Phil

Anny Chih

My current Gravatar

After several days of not knowing what to do with the photos, Phil asked if I’d want to spend an afternoon taking photos in Richmond. He isn’t a professional photographer, but Phil likes to dabble in the art as a hobby and owns a spiffy Canon. We first met at last year’s 12x12 Vancouver Photo Marathon where his interpretation of the ‘panhandle’ theme won the prize for ‘Best Aesthetic’.

Ang and I met up with Phil in Richmond and the first location we went to was a half-empty parking lot where a corner of it had “great natural lighting”. I don’t know how he found it, but he was right. It did have great natural light! This time, I did my own makeup and followed Phil’s recommendations to eat a decent breakfast so that I’d have more energy. We also met earlier in the day so we didn’t feel any time-constraints.

Within a half-hour as boasted, Phil took some great shots (one of which is currently my Gravatar, Twitter profile pic, and Flickr icon). The rest of the afternoon was spent taking fun photos on one of those grassy highway dividers, and a short path in a small park. They were really random locations that don’t look like they’d be ideal shoot locations but they all worked so well. I had a great time and have included some of my favourite photos from all the locations in the gallery below.

Thank you Phil! :)

Tips for Aspiring Photographers & Photo Subjects

  1. Eat something before you head out on a shoot (this goes for both subjects and photographers because if one is tired, the other will feel it too).
  2. I know photographers work in different ways, but I found that with a snap-happy photographer I ended up with lots more usable photos because expressions change in fractions of a second. One photo would turn out only “okay”, while the next one that only had the slightest difference was perfect.
  3. Meet an hour earlier than the time you’d like to start shooting. It’s better to finish earlier, than not have enough time to get a decent shot.
  4. (Photo Subject) If you’re Asian, get an Asian makeup artist. It’s difficult to find a non-Asian makeup artist who doesn’t overdo the eye makeup.
  5. (Photo Subject) All makeup artists should know this already, but not all do: when you’re getting your makeup done, make sure you’re sitting in an area with equal lighting on both sides of the face so you don’t end up with one eyebrow a good 0.5 cm longer and darker than the other.
  6. (Photo Subject) If you’re doing your own makeup, apply a bit more colour than you normally do so that you don’t look like a ghost if the light ends up being a little harsh.
  7. (Photo Subject) Avoid synthetic fabrics. They reflect light and have a tendency to either overshadow your face, or appear to have a strange rippling effect. Cotton works best.
  8. (Photo Subject) Avoid wearing solid black / dark tops because they also tend to draw attention away from your face and towards your chest.
  9. (Photo Subject) Although most of us have a “preferred side”, take photos from both sides to get a broader range of looks.
  10. Always have a comb and a bottle of water handy. I forgot the comb and kept using water to keep my hair in place.

Some Photos from the Photoshoot with Phil

Unedited photos

Random Thoughts

Introduction to UFC

Posted by on November 21, 2010 at 5:51 pm.

UFC Rampage vs. MachidaI went to my friend’s place last night to watch the UFC Rampage vs. Machida match and was all ready to partake in the post-discussion on Twitter about it. But no. The one time I actually watch the match, my tweet feed is void of #UFC hashtags and angry comments about unfair scoring and dirty foot stomping tactics. This is what blogs are for. Heh. The following is my UFC-watching alter-ego writing:

WTF!!!?? Machida was ROBBED!! ROBBED I tell ya! Even Rampage was shocked at the judges’ ineptitude to score an obvious ass-kicking in the octagon during the third round. It was decent of Jackson to say there should be a rematch but what was with all the foot stomping!? That ought to be banned.

Man, even worse than that though was Hughes’ knock-out by Penn. Brutal. You could see Hughes mouth the words “what happened?” in a daze of confusion after being pummeled in mere seconds — totally anticlimactic after the hype about this being their third fight against each other. They’re both spent really.

All in all, the fight card was pretty good with the exception of the chicken-walking antics of Falcao and Harris. Booo.…

Oh, and gotta mention Davis’ Mr. Wonderful kimura-esque move. NIIICE!

Totally sounds like I know what I’m talking about right? ;)

Tips for the Beginner UFC Fan

  1. The numbers under graphics that show a fighter’s name are the number of fights they’ve won and lost (in that order).
  2. It’s not called a “game”, it’s a “match” or a “fight” (LOL — I got caught with this one).
  3. The first hour is the “pre-lims” (preliminary round) where the lesser known names fight. The second hour is the main event.
  4. Each fight goes on for three rounds unless there’s a tap-out / submission (they tap the opponent or ground to signal a defeat), a knock-out, or a TKO ( Technical Knock Out — the ref decides they can’t continue).
  5. Fighters are not allowed to hit the back of the head or the groin area. If a fighter is hit in the groin, he can request up to 5 min. rest before continuing.
  6. If a fighter fights a “pro” match, s/he cannot go back to “amateur” status, even if s/he loses.
  7. There are several “weight classes” that fighters compete in. If someone says “she cut to 135″, it means “she lost weight to make the cut into the lower weight class division”.
  8. If there are terms being thrown around that make no sense to you, they’re probably types of maneuvers.
  9. A “fight card” is the series of matches fought during the event.
Family Fun, Random Thoughts

I Can Eat.

Posted by on November 6, 2010 at 5:49 pm.
Cupcake Eating Contest Group

Me and some of my cheer squad after the contest

I saw a tweet a few weeks ago about a cupcake eating contest at Bakers Market and decided to sign up because I love cupcakes and I’ve never entered an eating contest before. I didn’t think much about it.

A couple of days ago I got a DM from 100.5 FM The Peak asking if I was still participating and if they could interview me the day before the event. That’s when I started wondering if I should be prepping for this. I tweeted that I was still competing and a flood of well wishes from tweeps started filling up my ‘mentions’ column. Apparently people like to see me eat! LOL

What was originally just a random fun thing to do with a friend or two turned into a contest with a name (I was the Cake-a-tar-i-an), theme colour (light pink), and no less than 13 cheerleaders who came donned in pink shirts to chant “GO ANNY EAT EAT EAT SWALLOW!!! SWWAAAAALLLOOWWW!!!!” behind me. I think at one point Lisa screamed “OPEN YOUR THROAT!!!” and I started laughing so hard that it was difficult to swallow the first couple of cupcakes I shoved into my mouth. I have the best friends and family ever!

In five minutes, 12 contestants (9 guys, 3 girls) stuffed their faces with as many cupcakes as they could. After the tweets of support I got really nervous about the contest and worried that I’d disappoint everyone by only eating two cupcakes or something.

Cupcake Eating Contest Eating

I think this is around Minute 3

Minute 1: I began with a cupcake in hand and peeled the liner off while biting down at the same time. Bite. Squish. Water. Swallow. Swallow. Chew. Swallow and peel. Second cupcake. Bite. Water. Swallow. Chew. Swallow. Gulp. Swallow.

Minute 2: Lisa pointed out a smaller cupcake. I grabbed it. Peel. Bite. Chew. Water. Swallow. Squish. Swallow. I realized that some of my cupcakes were denser than others (different flavours and cupcake bakers) and started weighing my cupcakes as I chewed. Peel. Bite. Chew. Squish. Water. Saw a piece leftover. Squished it with my hand. Stuff. Swallow. Water. Swallow. Swallow.

Minute 3: I’m out of lighter cupcakes!! Damn. Grabbed a chunky chocolate one. Peel. Bite. Water. Oh shoot, I wasn’t thinking. Should’ve squished first. Swallow. Swallow. Water. Swallow and peel. Bite. Squish. Swallow. Water. Swallow.

Minute 4: Oh geez, gag reflex is started up. I find myself nodding as I try to swallow hard. Lisa’s screaming beside me. “SWALLOW!!! WATER!! DRINK!!! OPEN YOUR THRROOOOOOAAATTT!!!” Bite. Water. Swallow. Swallow. Swallow. Swallow. Gag. Swallow. I hear a girl in the audience say something about worrying that I was going to throw up. Bite. Swallow. Squish. Swallow. Water. Squish. Swallow. Mmm.. this one’s mint!

Cupcake Eating Contest Ten

TEN!!

Minute 5: “THE GUY BESIDE YOU IS BEATING YOU!!! SWWWWAAAALLLLOOOWWW!!!!” and “STUFF IT IN YOUR MOUTH!!!” is all I hear at this point. There’s water everywhere from the guy beside me who has tipped over his bottle and reached for my third one. Bite. Swallow. Squish. Gag. Swallow. GAG. SWALLOW. Gulp. Water. Swallow. Bite. Swallow. Stuff. Stuff. Swallow. Swallow. STUFF. And TIME.

So how’d I do for my first eating contest? I’m proud to say that I beat most of the guys by eating TEN cupcakes in FIVE MINUTES and placed THIRD!!!! :D I won a tub of ice cream.

The winner (the messy guy beside me who grossed out most of the audience by literally stuffing his face and dropping chunks in his shirt in the process) had 18, and the runner-up (a tall girl on the very end) ate 11. The New Zealander on my other side who had a fantastic team cheering him on ate seven, the rest were between six and nine and one very neat eater had three.

These photos were taken by Morten Rand-Hendriksen and Philip Wu:

Arts, Film & Photography, Random Thoughts

Sneak Peak at the 12x12 Vancouver Photo Marathon Exhibit

Posted by on October 16, 2010 at 2:28 am.
Vancouver Photo Marathon Exhibit Set-up

Sneak Peak at the 2010 Vancouver Photo Marathon Exhibit

When someone asks you what you worked on yesterday or what you’re planning on doing tomorrow, can you answer right away without thinking about it? Most of the time, it takes me a moment to remember and sometimes I can’t remember at all because it’s simply not worth the effort. Other times though, there’s something to be proud of and something to look forward to.

I’ve been working with the 12x12 crew on the 2010 Vancouver Photo Marathon* these past couple of months, and this year’s exhibit is finally ready for public viewing! The actual marathon took place on September 12th, but the 60 marathoners haven’t seen their prints yet and no one except the crew and  judges know who took the winning photos.

Just like last year, the days leading up to the marathon and exhibit are the busiest. Today was no exception. Ang, Morten and I packed the trunks at 9:15am with the pre-mounted boards and framed winning photos (all done earlier this week in the Chih-Rand-Hendriksen sweatshop), signs, wires, etc in the morning and drove to Vancouver Photo Workshops (VPW) where the exhibit will be held tomorrow night. While Ang and Morten began setting up the rigging with Wayne and Dan, I went to a fabric store to pick up covers for the unveiling of the winners, and then to Opus to pick up their 24 x 36 inch canvas prints. We started hanging the boards around 11am and finished around 9pm (much earlier than last year’s 11pm end time).

This year’s set-up went amazingly smoothly! Last year, each photo was individually mounted on the walls, but this year each marathoner has his / her own photo board with all 12 exposures and a mugshot hung from the high ceilings of the VPW. Gotta say, it looks pretty cool.

I was going to post some more pictures from the setup, but I realized as I was going through them that the close-up photos reveal full series and photos of the marathoners that took them so I can’t post them tonight! You’ll have to come down to VPW tomorrow between 6 and 10pm to see for yourself!

12x12 Vancouver Photo Marathon Exhibit: Raw Talent
Saturday, October 16th 2010
Doors open at 6pm | Winners revealed at 7:30pm
Vancouver Photo Workshops
14 West 7th Avenue, Vancouver BC
Free Public Event | RSVP  HERE

Check out photos from the marathon on the 12x12 Vancouver Photo Marathon Group Flickr stream.

*What is the 12x12 Vancouver Photo Marathon? The 12x12 is an annual photography contest where marathoners have one roll of 12 exposure film to capture 12 randomly selected themes (open to creative interpretation) that are drawn at the top of each hour from 8am to 8pm. The event was created by Morten Rand-hendriksen and is now in it’s second year. Read more HERE. The 12x12 is a not-for-profit event, and would not be possible without the amazing support from sponsors like:

London Drugs for developing all the film
Opus Framing & Art Supplies for providing all the mounting boards and canvas prints
Vancouver Photo Workshops for lending us their fabulous space, manpower and know-how (and also for providing all our marathoners with a free film photography workshop this year!)
Blenz Coffee for letting us set up camp at their Yaletown location for the marathon and providing much needed caffeine fixes
Vancouver Lookout for showcasing the winning photos in a private gallery (tres cool!)
Six Cent Press for our nifty new buttons featuring Viktor Bounce
Beau Photo, Vancouver Is Awesome, Pearson Technology Group Canada, Sablok & Sablok, Joby, & Future Looks for the wonderful prizes

Random Thoughts

Jon Dore at Lafflines

Posted by on October 8, 2010 at 11:47 pm.

<3 Bee, Jon Dore, & me <3

Earlier this year I went to a Just for Laughs — Best of the Fest show at Jimbo’s Comedyworks in Montreal. I had such a great time that I almost bought another ticket for the next night. I’m glad a didn’t. I don’t know why this didn’t cross my mind earlier since it’s only logical, but it turns out that comedians recycle their jokes. Yeah, I know. Obviously, right?

Jon Dore hosted the show I watched in Montreal and I thought he was a hoot. Who can resist a tall bearded man who drinks beer and can pull off wearing flannel in July? Certainly not me! So, when Scene in the Dark announced a contest to see Jon Dore at Lafflines, I jumped at the chance! I won their second pair of tickets for tonight’s 8pm show and took Bee (she has a thing for beards and beer bellies). Thanks Scene in the Dark! :)

Review of Jon Dore at Lafflines

The show was great. The host for the night, Ivan Decker, made me laugh so hard that by the time his bubble tea jokes came around I was tearing up. The next opening act was… well, not so great. I felt kinda bad for her actually because there was a definite volume shift in the room after she began her set.

And then Jon took the stage. Smiles all around! If I was to be completely honest though, I was disappointed. I heard most of these jokes before from his show in Montreal this year, and from his set at the 2009 Just for Laughs festival. They were hilarious the first time, but when you know what’s coming up next, it kinda takes the excitement out of it. The handful of jokes that were still new to me gave me the giggles, but I wish I had caught last night’s show instead which I heard was fabulous and had a bunch of material I hadn’t heard before. Still, it wasn’t a bad night and Bee and I got a picture with Jon! <3

If you’ve never seen Jon Dore live and you’re looking for a good laugh, I highly recommend seeing his show! You can still catch him tomorrow at Lafflines (8pm & 10:30pm shows). But (and there is a but), if there’s any comedian you think is awesome, limit yourself to one show per year (even if he’s a lovable flannel wearing beer drinking bearded Canadian).

Outdoor Fun, Random Thoughts

It Wasn’t Me. It was the Bike!!

Posted by on August 28, 2010 at 7:52 pm.
Bixi on Mont Royal

So happy at the lookout on Mont Royal with my Bixi rental bike. Scratch free! :)

The bike brakes had been making some pretty awful screeching noises the last time I took a ride through the park. And after seeing how smooth braking could be when I rented a BIXI in Montreal, I decided I should take the bike to see the Bike Doctor (by the way, I’m not making up the name — the place is actually called The Bike Doctor). The guy at the shop said I could probably use a complete tune-up and since the tune-up would include the brake adjustments I figured I might as well.

My parents bought the bike in the early 90s for my sister and it was left relatively untouched from the mid-90s until 2003 when I first learned to ride with the help of my dear friend Denis. I still remember his first words of encouragement “You want to ride a bike?! But you can’t even walk! [laughs]”. He’s so supportive!

After a couple of hours of falling and a mini-meltdown on my part, the idea finally came to him that the bike seat was too high for me (my sister is a lot taller than me). We lowered the seat so I could touch the ground on my tippy toes, and a couple hours later I was riding like a five-year old. Huzzah!

Each time I got on that bike though, I was always very nervous. I’m not particularly skilled at balancing and I’d fallen oh so many times (you’ve seen what a bush can do to me when I’m on a bike). I always figured it was just me -  I sucked at cycling.

When I picked up the bike from the shop today, that usual bit of pre-biking dread came over me. “Oh geez, I hope nobody’s looking. Should I walk it to the park first so I don’t risk hitting a car when I fall? I hope I don’t get another scar today. Please, not another scar.” And then something magical happened…

I got on the bike and I COULD RIDE IT!!!!!! :O There was control. There was smooth braking. There was gliding and maneuvering and I could even STAND on it without any problems!!!

I used to struggle to stay on that thing and would get tired after a half hour in the park even though it’s relatively even. But today, I went through the park no less than three times, cycled through the neighbourhood, didn’t hit any person or bush and didn’t even come close to hitting a car, was able to stop at the stop signs and my nerves were still so calm after an hour that I even ventured onto Kingsway!

I learned something very important today: It wasn’t me. IT WAS THE BIKE!!!!!!

First Day on a Bike

This was taken the day Denis taught me how to ride a bike.

Tips for Beginners on Bikes

  1. Before you get on an old bike, get it checked to make sure the wheels are straight, the brakes work the way they should, and nothing is loose or out of place.
  2. Before you get on, adjust the seat according to your height. If this is your first time on a bike, I’d recommend adjusting it so that you can touch the ground with your toes while sitting to avoid unnecessary bruising. You can always raise the seat after you’ve gotten the hang of it.
  3. Learn about your bike’s speed settings and how to change your gears before you get on so you don’t end up pedalling harder than you have to when you’re first learning.
  4. If you feel like you’re falling in one direction, turn your handles to face the direction you’re falling to avoid actually falling.
  5. Increasing your speed will make it easier to stay balanced on the bike, though it might be more painful if you do end up falling off it.
  6. Lean back if you feel like you’re going down.
Random Thoughts

Is it Stricty Cosmetic?

Posted by on August 17, 2010 at 8:42 pm.

As you can tell, I haven’t been writing a whole lot these past few months. Instead, I’ve been thinking a lot, realizing even more, and taking a page out of Bambi by biting my tongue because letting my words run as wild as my thoughts would no doubt get me into a lot of trouble. If you know me at all, you know that I do NOT like being censored; it feels like having my soul sucked out of my body with a slow dirty vacuum.

But, something that I hate *almost* as much as soul-sucking censorship is whinging. So I’ve made a couple of big changes to get rid of the unhappiness in my life (way to go me!). The first change won’t take effect until my next birthday, and the second won’t show any results until next year. Until then, I’m going to avoid writing about certain topics for a while, continue to be annoyingly metaphorical, and focus on trivial matters like Henry’s recent defilement. Enjoy!

Henry’s Misfortune

Poor Henry couldn’t see what was coming

I love my car. I really do. I swear sometimes that I was supposed to be born a boy because no girl I know loves her car as much as I love Henry.

On Tuesday as I walked towards him after work, I didn’t quite believe my eyes. The “I must be dreaming” thought really did cross my mind. Henry’s rear-end had been violated! :O

I squatted down to take a closer look. Something awful had scraped two long gashes through his paint. The culprit left no note, and the neighbourhood was void of any potential eye witnesses. I remembered parking between two small cars that morning, but this work was not a small car feat. No, it was a monster that did this.

I drove away from the scene of the crime with a feeling that was new to me. I felt like I should be mad, but I wasn’t. Instead, the feeling was more like when you put on a gorgeous new dress to attend a posh event, your hair is perfect, your make-up flawless, and right after you enter the doors you realize that you have the worst rip along your entire stocking. It’s obvious and embarrassing, and it doesn’t matter if you change or remove your stockings. Your outfit just isn’t quite the same anymore and a part of you is terribly disappointed. (ok, maybe I should be a girl)

The drive home was a very self-conscious one and I had a twinge of guilt for being a bit ashamed of having these two large gashes on the bumper. It was as if I had let Henry down twice.

I haven’t parked on that street since.

PS Open note to the person behind the monster: shame on you.

Random Thoughts, Travel

Yesterday’s Rain

Posted by on August 1, 2010 at 4:53 pm.

Baby Seal in North Vancouver

Oh Vancouver, how fickle you are with your weather!

My yesterday began with a lovely clear blue sky and the warmth of the summer sun while a friend and I walked along a beach in North Vancouver and spotted the cutest baby seal trying (unsuccessfully) to hide from onlookers among the rocks. “These are the moments that make Vancouver feel like the best place on earth” I thought.

As the day was coming to a close, I went to Spanish Banks to meet some friends for the last Celebration of Light fireworks of the summer. Quite suddenly, the skies turned grey, the fog rolled in to obstruct our view of English Bay, and we heard a threatening rumble. We understood the warning and began to pack up our beach belongings. Still, we weren’t fast enough to avoid the sharp attack of Vancouver rain.

The clouds spat large splotches of cold wet rain that patterned the beach like chickenpox. At first all I could think was “ow, ow, ow, ow geeezus OW!” as a scrambled to my car in highly inefficient flip flops. In the process of getting completely soaked, I remembered how different it was to walk through the rain in Montréal.

Two of my favourite things in Montreal: the rain, and BIXI bikes

Ahh, Montréal <3

I’ve always wanted to take a walk through pouring rain. You could blame it on movies like The Notebook, La Spectatrice or even The Princess and the Warrior or Spiderman. Most love stories include some form of rain.

The rain in Montréal was the kind you want to walk in. It was warm and complete, would drench you in a second, and it felt like you were being given the biggest hug by the whole sky. The great big dollops fell gently, and walking through it was more like wading through a pool; you would hardly even notice when you walked through a puddle. I couldn’t help but smile the whole way from the Mont Royal Metro to the little room I was renting on Rue St-Urbain. If only Vancouver’s skies could borrow its clouds from Montréal…

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