Archive for the ‘Vancouver’ Category

Ten Random Pictures: Of Tea Things


I’m a little tired today; I was up quite late last night coordinating my little Easter getaway.

It dawned on me that Easter was just two weeks away and I hadn’t made any definitive plans.

I’m looking forward to spending a few days in New York come Easter – it’s always nice to get away.

A work colleague said to me this morning;

“The older you get the more you realize that it’s easiest to travel when you’re younger”

This made me a little sad because there are still so many places I want to see and I’m not getting any younger.

So I’m sleepy and little out of it, thinking of happier well rested times…

Here are ten random pictures of tea things I love today;

Tea
The O Dor

The last time I was in the tea shop, I had one of those rare fulfilling episodes of contentment.

It’s a feeling I want to have over and over again.

Sweets

I read on another blog this morning that everything tastes better in pink.

Surely, they’ve been to this magical place too…

Macarons

Guy calls macarons ‘fashion food’, In our other life on universe parallel

I bake delectable macarons and have two perfect kids called Esi & Kew, they were born potty trained.

Pink

More pink…

Truffles

When I was a kid, the only foods I was interested in eating were the cute and colourful kind.

Colourful Tea

Colourful tea tins…

Tea at Blenz

Teas with interesting names…

Assam Tea

Assam tea isn’t as fancy and prized as Darjeeling tea, but it’s probably the most widely drank tea.

Granville Island Tea Co

Tea at Granville Island…

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Odds & Bits


Art Gallery

I hurried home from work on Friday to catch the opening ceremony of the 2010 Paralympics on TV.

It was a lovely and inspiring show; I look forward to the next two weeks

The Paralympics are going to be a mellow and calmer affair than what the Olympics were

granville

I’m sure this image has been making its round on the internet.

The boss sent this in an email; the first picture is Granville Street on the last day of the Olympics and the one beneath is Granville Street a week later.

Pretty amazing huh?

One other thing to come out of the Olympics is this video for Haiti recorded in Vancouver during games.

A group of Canadian artists dubbed Young Artist for Haiti recorded K’naan’s Wavin’ Flag.

Proceeds from the song will go to Free The Children, War Child Canada and World Vision Canada.

Here’s where you go to find out more about getting the single and contributing towards a worthy cause.

PS: I have a picture and video heavy post coming soon from the K’naan concert last month.

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Of Farms & Snow Capped Mountains


I secretly want to live on a farm!

Seriously, it’s been a fantasy of mine since… forever

Two

I doubt I’ll ever live on a farm though, because I know first hand how trying to live out your poorly thought-out dream can become a nightmare.

I don’t know the first thing about farming, I hate the smell and I don’t like dirt.

Maybe I’m just in love with the idea of living on a farm.

Farms

I took these lovely and dreamy pictures on my last trip to the States last month.

Another reason why I love the Aldergrove-Lynden Border Crossing are the farms that dot the way.

Mountain

And the mountains with their snow… they were just being begging to be captured.

Barn Farm

The silo in the picture on the left has a neon green star at the top (click to enlarge), I wonder what the story is behind that.

So I can’t live on a farm, I think I’ll settle for living in a converted silo… in the city.

Work

Colourful farm equipment makes me happy.

Cry

Church signs in Lynden always makes me smile; even when it’s about crying.

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Shacks


My mom accuses me of romanticizing the first few years of my life.

“I don’t know why you think you lived in some hippie fairytale… those were really hard times” she’d say

The truth is, I don’t remember much about that part of my childhood and yet, it’s a much talked about and probably the most pivotal time of our past.

In theory, it’s an idealistic story – a young large family move into the wild, determined to live off the land.

Maplewood Mudflats Recreated

The art installation on Georgia Street reminds me of the old house from my childhood.

Vancouver Art Gallery Offsite

Our house, a similar shack, was wide and painted a cheery yellow on stilts.

It looked forlorn and out of place in the middle of the tall lush greenery.

My father built it with his ‘bare hands’ and we would live in it for years.

A House in Mud

The art installation on Georgia Street by the Shangri-la Hotel is by artist Ken Lum.

It’s a scale model of three squatters’ shacks that used to be in the Maplewood Mudflats in North Vancouver.

Art at Shangri-la

Lum recreates the cabins of renowned writer Malcolm Lowry, artist Tom Burrows and Greenpeace leader Dr. Paul Spong.
Propped up on stilts over the surface of the Offsite reflecting pool, the huts strike a sharp contrast with the surrounding downtown architecture. ( Vancouver Art Gallery Offsite)

Homes

I went with my mom to see the shacks; she admits it reminds her of our little house, it’s much like it.

She stares at it wistfully for a long time, as if it’s the actual house.

Houses

“It looks so beautiful here among these tall buildings, cars, and the shiny pool…

If you took one and placed in a forest in the middle of nowhere, it wouldn’t look so beautiful” She says.

Ken Lum Ken Lum

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Les Femmes sont des Personnes


I had an uninspiring weekend, but the kind that usually feels one with keenness for the coming week.

I babysat my favourite little tykes, so their parents could go catch Alice in Wonderland in 3D.

My mom can’t understand why the kids can’t see Alice in Wonderland with their parents “It’s a creative children’s story, it stimulates kids imagination”

I explain that this version might be a little dark for kids “Of course it’s dark… your sister used to be afraid of it”

True, but my sister is afraid of anything animated, Coraline freaks the hell out of her; she thinks it’s creepy.

My mom insists that we tell the kids the story of Alice in Wonderland; we end up with a re-enactment of sorts.

The kids especially love the Duchess and the Cook bit; I swing the little one dramatically in my arms while singing…

Speak roughly to your little boy
and beat him when he sneezes
he only does it to annoy
because he knows it teases.
Wow… Wow… Wow…

While the older boy runs around screaming “More Pepper! More Pepper!”

It’s totally hilarious and chaotic – I almost doubt they’d have had that much fun at the theatre.

I also made banana bread with the last semi-sweet chocolate chips I got on my last trip to Trader Joe’s.

My mom proclaims it “OK” but I actually don’t try it until this morning – it more than “OK”, it’s awesome!

I did another 48hrs fast this weekend, I plan on doing once every month but keeping it low key and unfussy – I probably won’t mention it again. I don’t want it to become a big to-do.

Women are persons

It’s International Women’s Day, today is the 100th anniversary.

This year’s theme is ‘Equal rights, equal opportunity: Progress for all’.

One day, in a perfect world there’ll be no need for special days for a specific set of people.

Wed 20 Jan - 10 Wed 20 Jan - 9

Wearing:
Scarf: Fabric Store
Jacket: American Eagle
Blouse: Forth & Towne
Pants: Grey Ant
Shoes: Clarks

Wed 20 Jan - 8 Wed 20 Jan - 6

I don’t quite remember where the necklace is from but I’ve always loved it.

Wed 20 Jan - 2 Wed 20 Jan - 5

The End!

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