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!!!!!!

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.

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.

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…

The Coast Hotels Ice Martini Fountain / Sculpture

I received an invitation for Coast Coal Harbour Hotel’s Grand Opening event tonight, and went expecting a meet and greet style event in one of Coast Hotels‘ clean and classic conference rooms. I obviously didn’t read the press release closely enough!

Coast Hotels are nice, but if I had to choose only one word to describe their new $60 million four-star Coal Harbour location it wouldn’t be “nice,” it’d be SWANKY! *makes a whistling noise*

The event took up four floors and a couple of guest rooms on the fifth floor for touring. Each floor was themed and served perfectly bite-sized portions of delectable eats and alcoholic beverages (the dangerous kind that don’t taste like alcohol but would pack a wicked punch if you didn’t bother to count how many you were having). Each floor, and even the spaces between the floors, had entertainment from a DJ to an orchestra, to a contortionist! Yeah, the contortionist was a little out of place, but entertaining nonetheless.

I met up with Elisa and Danny at the event, sampled some of the eats (delish!), and took a tour of the accommodations. The tour of the rooms felt more like an open house event at a staged apartment than a walk-through of a hotel. We went through an Executive Suite, and one of their Comfort Rooms – both of which had private balconies and those signature comfy Coast Hotel beds that Ang loved so much on our trip to Victoria last year when we stayed at Coast Victoria Harbourside Hotel & Marina. The bathrooms had both showers and baths, and the kitchen area really did look like one out of a staged apartment right down to the squared-off cabinet handles. All very modern and clean. My favourite features of the rooms were the balconies, high ceilings, comfy beds, and wallpaper (yes, I notice hotel wallpaper).

If you ever have guests flying into Vancouver and you want to impress them, book a room at Coast Coal Harbour Hotel! Or better yet, throw a swanky event like this one in their ginormous ballroom (5,000 square feet) that will really knock their socks off. You bought your Lotto Max ticket right? haha

Pictures From the Grand Opening Event

[View with PicLens]

Tourism Tasmania goody bag and prizes that I won at the event. I love prizes that are alcoholic - especially when they're illegal (it's illegal to sell Moorilla Wine in Canada)!

I’ve been working in Marketing & PR for an adventure travel company for about six months now, but I don’t think I’ve fully adjusted to being on the other side of the Client / Operator and Freelancer / Employee  lines just yet.

As a travel blogger, I worked my way through destinations writing my own contracts, creating my own itineraries, and making pitches for sponsorship deals. Suddenly I’m the one being presented with pitches from companies, journalists and bloggers, marketing trip itineraries created by my boss, and working with pre-existing contracts. While at one point I had to convince tour operators to provide me with trips, I’m suddenly exposed to all sorts of “FAM” opportunities available for just about any travel operator without any distinction. It’s all a bit weird. You know what the sucky part of it is though? I can’t go on any of these trips because I have a 9 – 5! What a catch-22. LOL

I took on this position because the job description essentially outlined what I had been doing for myself the previous year, except for a company that would provide a regular paycheck. I spend most of my days on the computer writing, pitching, blogging, brainstorming, creating newsletters, interacting with past, current and potential clients, organizing events, keeping up to date with the latest industry trends, and analyzing a bunch of graphs, numbers etc. Once in a while I get to go on a trip to see what it’s all about, and check that things are operating smoothly in our destination. Most of the time, I don’t notice a huge difference in the actual work (except maybe when I’m working on ad campaigns). But I do occasionally have those “huh.” moments. Tonight was one big “huh.” moment.

Taste of Tasmania

Tourism Tasmania has been travelling around North America for about a week putting on events which showcase a handful of suppliers from wineries to accommodation services to wildlife boating and fishing tours. I attended their Vancouver Taste of Tasmania function tonight as a representative from my company.

This isn’t the first tourism-related function I’ve attended, but it’s the first one where I didn’t have time to put down my bag or sample the wine before being introduced to the Director of Marketing and Commercial Operations for an entire state and the Director of Fishing Tasmania in the same breath. Suddenly as a potential client rather than a freelance media junkie, I was someone worth introducing at an event.

Tasmanian Cheese and Appy Spread

At the same time though, the other travel company and agency representatives that I would normally be able to strike up an easy conversation with about travel services seemed automatically turned off by my presence (presumably because they thought our companies were competitors? *shrugs*). It was a strange role shift for me. I wondered at one point whether I was doing anything differently at this function compared to other events, but concluded that I was still the same ol’ me right down to my shirt (a favourite of mine that I bought three years ago at a sample sale). I took my notes on the presentations, chatted with a potential operations partner about new activities that will be available in 2011, sampled the cheeses and wine that were flown in from Tasmania (both of which were excellent – especially the smoked cheddar), and nibbled on chicken skewers, smoked tuna, and ridiculously tender lamb chops.

Working on the other side definitely has its perks, but I have to wonder how much of the attention is deserved? I’m not about to look into the measurement of return between a blogger’s word and an operator’s contract because I have enough stats to look at each week. But I like to think that if I can be a travel blogger one day and the head of marketing for an award-winning adventure travel company the next, both bloggers and company representatives should be treated equally. It’s not as if I changed, so why should you?

Please Note: This is in no way a post specifically about the people from Tourism Tasmania (which by the way are all very personable), but rather my personal insights on the tourism industry in general in regards to new media. If anything, the Taste of Tasmania event highlighted how well the team put together an event which made its guests feel very appreciated.

Thank you Tourism Tasmania for a wonderful event!

When I first saw the trailer I wasn’t 100% sure I wanted to watch the film because I thought it might end up being too sex-centric. It’s not. Even though there are oodles of sex scenes, threesomes, and masturbation going on, I (surprisingly) didn’t really notice. At least, it didn’t bother me (a sign of a good film).

Year of the Carnivore is one of those quirky films that can’t be categorized as just a comedy or a drama, and I laughed out loud on more than one occasion while watching it. I giggled to myself through most of the film mostly because the script is well written and the film is well produced, but partly also because I’d lived some of those moments in my own life. For those of you who know me well, watch the film and you’ll know right away what I’m referring to! Hahaha

Even if you don’t know me well, you should still watch the film. I think most girls can take an assortment of personality traits and life histories from the characters in the film and see themselves in their own lives when they were at “that age.” Vague much? Yeah, I know. And this is exactly why you should watch the movie and see what I’m talking about. Even if (worst case scenario) you can’t relate to any of it, you’ll still have a few laughs!

Seriously, go watch it!! Year of the Carnivore opens in theatres Friday, June 18, 2010 (tomorrow).

Year of the Carnivore

Sammy Smalls is a 21-year-old tomboy who works as a store detective, catching shoplifters for her boss who beats them up so they never re-offend. She is head over heels for scruffy musician Eugene Zaslavsky. He’s perfect for her, but doesn’t want to be in a relationship.

After a disastrous one-night stand, Eugene suggests they play the field to get more experience. Following his advice, Sammy hatches a plan catapulting her on a quest that takes her through her neighbours’ bedroom, the public swimming pool, and finally to blackmailing shoplifters into giving her sex lessons in the woods behind the supermarket.

“One of the funniest and most touching comedies about sex and maturity.” – Ramblings of a Film Geek

“Sook-Yin Lee’s characters are endearing and her sense of physical comedy is strong.” – The Toronto Star

I got into a fight with a bush. The bush won.

I ventured out yesterday to find a cafe for some quiet writing time and ended up walking around Vancouver for nine odd hours because I didn’t feel like heading back yet (it was a very Forrest Gump moment). I passed several cyclists along my route from Downtown to Davie, around English Bay and Stanley Park, through Chinatown and sketchy East Hastings, past Broadway and the Drive, and all the way along Kingsway to Metrotown. When I finally arrived home at around 10:30pm, I thought “this would’ve been a lot faster on a bike.”

Today I took out the old beater, inflated the tires, and set off for a nice easy ride through the park. *sigh* The saying “it’s as easy as riding a bike” has always irked me. A good friend of mine taught me how to ride a bike when I was 17 but I haven’t ridden one since.

Learning as an adult is very embarrassing. While the “I think there’s something wrong with your bike” comments are sweet, I can only honestly reply with “no, it’s not the bike. It’s me.” Despite going a pathetic 5km / hour with brakes ready at both hands I managed to land in a ditch and then a thorny bush. I know it’s just like when I first learned to drive a car – practice makes perfect and eventually the fear will go away. Still, it’s not exactly a self-esteem booster to come home with arms and legs covered in cuts, a bloody tissue in hand, and a twig still stuck in your shoe. It’s going to be a painful summer…

The moral of the story: For the love of all things good, please teach your kids how to ride a bike while they’re still kids!!

Chris & Me In Berets (cheesiness intended) at The Narrow

I wonder sometimes what my life would’ve been like if the Internet had never existed. I imagine I’d have a pretty boring job and know very little about the world. I’d probably only have met a fraction of the people I know today too. Of the people I wouldn’t have met, there are a few that I would’ve wished I had and Christine Estima is one of those few.

Chris was a fellow Top 50 candidate for the Best Job in the World and we’ve kept in touch via e-mail, Twitter and Facebook ever since. She decided to venture over to the West coast for some of our world-famous outdoor thrills so we finally had an opportunity to meet in person this week!

If you read Chris’ blog and tweets before meeting her, you’ll feel like you’ve already met because her writing is so true to herself. We gabbed for hours with barely a breather and if the concept of time didn’t exist we’d probably have been able to chatter on for a while longer. This girl has loads of energy, a ‘tude to match, and the worst dating stories ever (LOL)! She’s a hoot and a half and I can’t wait to see her when she returns from her action packed week in Whistler. <3

Sidenote: All skytrain stations should have internet booths! My phone died on my way to meet Chris and I didn’t have her number written down. We had been in the middle of a text chat about where and when to meet so I wasn’t sure where I was supposed to be. I was close to asking someone with a data plan if s/he could send a tweet on my behalf but it all worked out in the end and I spotted her across the street.

Since I’m not planning on venturing out into the world tonight and unleashing this evil bug onto a group of unsuspecting shoppers at the supermarket or coffee shop, I decided to open up the pdf version of The Art of Solo Travel by Stephanie Lee that Craig Martin from Indie Travel Podcast sent to me for review. I figured I might as well spend the evening reading about the adventures of others if I can’t go out on adventures of my own.

The Art of Solo Travel

This is probably the easiest book review I will ever write. Why? It’s the shortest travel book I’ve ever read! Seriously. I’m not even the fastest reader and I finished it in 20 minutes! It’s only 48 pages. The Introduction begins on page 5 and the Author Bio starts on page 46. There are six parts to the book, each of which gets a dedicated title page, four check-lists that each get a page, and a page of travel resource links. In the end, there are only 30 pages of text, most of which consists of lists (ex. Ten Easy Ways to Save Money, reasons why Google is Your Best Friend, and reasons to Quit Your Life (and Get a New One)).

I can sort of understand why Stephanie might have chosen to print short lists for the space conscientious traveller that already has a few travel guidebooks to lug around. But with all the handy gadgets she outlines (ex. E-book Readers), this really isn’t an issue anymore. I would’ve preferred to read more about her travel experiences meeting new people who helped her out (ex. about the guy in Switzerland who helped her buy a half-price ticket in Zurich – how did he get a half-price ticket? How did she meet him? Is this what she was referring to when she wrote that “travelling alone increases the possibility of romance”?) – which only got a measly half a page – than view the istock photos used for all the title pages.

Conclusion

I’m impressed that Stephanie was able to travel throughout 18 countries in six months with only $13,000 AU and I’m sure that she’s got heaps of great travel stories to share, but her first book hasn’t given me much insight into how she was able to do it or what she really got out of it, other than that she cooked a lot and was able to land a book deal with Indie Travel. I’m hoping this is her stepping stone to another more comprehensive book about her experiences travelling abroad.

–

The Art of Solo Travel is a brief introduction to travel for the girl who’s never ventured outside her hometown. I’d recommend it as a Christmas stocking stuffer, or a quick read at the doctor’s office (which I might have to go visit if this bug doesn’t let up soon). To purchase The Art of Solo Travel, visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/girlsguide.

Official Book Release: June 1, 2010
Price: $12.95 US
Publisher: Indie Travel Media Ltd.

Bonica Snapper 1080P HD Video System

Nearly a year ago, Tim from Bonica Precision Inc. contacted me and asked whether I would be interested in borrowing some underwater camera equipment in exchange for video footage of my adventures. “Damn,” I thought “if only he had e-mailed a few months ago – this would’ve been perfect for my kayaking trips” (I had used a disposable Kodak camera and the pictures are teeeerrrrribble). And then of course I left for Australia!

A couple of weeks ago while Trish was in Panama, some sneaky dribbles of water snuck into her camera and wreaked havoc on its techy innards. That got me thinking… What if my camera goes bust on my Peru trip? Come to think of it, there’s no way I’ll be able to film even half of the footage I want on this trip with my little Canon (bless it’s little wired soul) even if I avoid water like the plague. I don’t have enough memory cards and the batteries will probably be shot before the end of the four day Inca Trail hike. And there’s a whole day of whitewater rafting that I won’t be able to take pictures of with the little guy. And no, the suggestion to carry it in a zip-lock is not an option.

What to do, what to do… And then I remembered Tim’s offer! I didn’t know if he’d still remember me since it’s been so long, but I figured I might as well write him and see. He remembered me!! Thanks Tim!

Tim totally came through in a spectacular way. He came by to Burnaby tonight with all the gear you see in the picture above and spent a good hour teaching me how to use the Bonica Snapper 1080P HD Video System and all its accessories.

The camera is uber-light and comes with a watertight inner silicon skin. It’s even easier to use than my Canon point and shoot digital camera, and its accessories include a bar mount that can be attached to a bike, a surfing handle (I didn’t even know these existed – it makes the camera look like a gun), a suction mount for use on a kayak or in a car, a super heavy duty polycarbonate outer case for dives down to 180 ft, and a REMOTE CONTROL! LOL I thought the remote control was a bit of an overkill, but Tim explained that it can be used to replace the control within the polycarbonate shell if it runs out of battery. He also provided not one, not two, but THREE batteries (THANK YOU!!), camera case, wires for anything I could possibly think of hooking up to this thing, charger, a clip handle, and an extra 2 GB SD card. I walked home with a big geeky smile on my face! I can’t wait to try it out!

~ Thank you Tim! ~