Tag: Vancouver

Meanwhile in Vancouver…

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Hey all!

I have not updated in a while…but between juggling Calculus schoolwork and trying to fit in time for my family and friends, I felt at a loss when it came to blogging! But believe me, I have wanted to blog several times after my adventures! So I hope this will allow me to summarize what happened in between these two weeks! Oh, and if you need ideas on what you can do around Vancouver during summer this year, feel free to try these out! Of course, some events are limited to the days they occur…

So to begin, on the 21st of July, Carmen and I went to Metrotown to watch Captain America! It was the advanced screening so we were both excited to be seeing it! Metrotown itself is not exactly a place I like visiting, with its busy customers and practically what seems like 50% of the population of Vancouver there during the holidays, but the movie itself made the trip totally worth it! The movie was amazing and I was going to blog about my feelings and probably a short review of it after the movie, but somehow, that post never got written. I even had the title made up: “And a bunch of Canadians shouted, “GO CAPTAIN AMERICA!” Did I mention special edition 3D glasses?! They are red and blue!

So here are the Cliffnotes version of my reflections on that night. Of course, Chris Evans was eye-candy galore! But he was also a good actor, portraying the weak but strong minded Steve Rogers and then the action-packed hero we know as Captain America. The audience was wonderful, cheering together at the right moments. Many of us stayed behind, hoping to catch a glimpse of the preview of the next marvel film, but sadly, they did not show it for the advanced screening. We all complained, but that did nothing…so we all trickled out of the cinemas. There were fans in Captain America gear, which made you feel like you were part of a legit group of excited people! It was also funny how all of us Canadians were so excited for Captain America, but then again, a hero is a hero. Thanks again Carmen for the tickets and spending the day with me!

Special 3D glasses at Captain America!

Onto the next outing! If you live in Vancouver, you will know that the fireworks display during summer are a big deal to many of us Vancouverites. That is why around 300,000 people showed up to the first day of the Celebration of Lights! You needed to head out there early to get a good spot, but despite the heedings, our group had people there at around 5:30. Connie and Robert were the first ones there and then I arrived a bit later as I had to eat dinner with my family. Slowly, our group all managed to find the rest and we ate snacks and played Taboo as we sat and waited on the grass. I did not expect too much from the fireworks and was mainly there to spend time with my friends, but when the show went on, I was truly stunned. The Celebration of Lights was also a competition between countries to see who can put up the best display of fireworks and on the first day which we went, it was China’s turn to show off what they had to offer. I believe at some point during the dazzling lights, I said to someone “I feel like this is the closest I will get to magic.” The dark night sky was lit up in brilliant explosions of color. There were many different explosions and effects that the fireworks brought about, but my favourite were the ones that cascaded down like a curtain of stars.

After the show, there was the problem of getting home. No doubt, public transit would be congested so we decided to walk to Broadway. It was quite nice walking across the Burrard bridge at night and I eventually found myself on a bus and well on my way home!

iPhone quality..sorry!

Then came hiking. Yesterday, Monica, Josh and I ventured to Lighthouse Park and Whytecliff Park in west Van! Lighthouse park was a series of many trails that you can choose to explore. I had no idea where I was going, but Josh seemed to know his way, and Monica seemed willing to take whatever road seemed most dangerous. And so we hiked. Hiking made me realize how out of shape I am, but asides from that, I have not felt that close to nature in a while. It was nice seeing all that green and it really felt like you were a part of nature while you got lost in the towering green giants of trees. Of course, I was scared of the spiders, bugs, wild animals and whatever else was kept in secrecy among the leaves and bushes. However, we made it out alive and then made our way to Whytecliff park. There was less walking and hiking involved at Whytecliff, but the view was equally gorgeous if not more. We just relaxed near the cliff’s edge, watching the sun slowly set and the waves gently roll by. I saw a seal amidst the waters and I quickly pointed it out to my friends, but it slipped away before they saw it. By the time we got back to Vancouver, it was quite late and we had to Yelp check what there was to eat. William joined us along the way and we eventually settled for Korean food. We were actually craving sushi, but after walking in to an all-you-can-eat place and being told it was $26 (price was sans tax and tip) per person, we booked it out of there. We were also wanting to try “Guu” or “Guu with Garlic” but somehow we went to Ma Dang Goul. The food was delicious, but we were so hungry you could have given us stale bread and we would have scarfed it down.

Whytecliff

Asides from keeping up with things around Vancouver, I also started watching TV shows. I guess that is what a big chunk of my time is used for these days. I just roll in bed and watch them until I get tired. Not the best activity there is, but I am addicted. I finished Game of  Thrones (wonderful TV show by the way! Would not be surprised if I write something about it soon!) and then realizing I had nothing better to do, I started to watch Dexter. Both AMAZING shows and thus why I do not feel guilty wasting my life on them…well, not too guilty anyway.

Well, that is all for now! Hope your summer has been as fun as mine so far!

Karen

Contingent Contemplation: Harry Potter- End of my childhood

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It all ends here…=(

So a day ago, I watched the last Harry Potter movie– Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. It was amazing. I re-watched Part 1 the day before and I was pleased to find that the two movies connected seamlessly! I was prepared for a sobfest at the cinemas so I was armed with 2 packs of tissue!

Waiting in line was not as long and tedious as I thought it would be! My friend Edna lined up for the whole day! Well…from 11:50am til the midnight premiere! And I got in line at around 3:20ish in the afternoon, prepared to be super bored while waiting– or at least super cold! But time flew by! We started off with some board games, namely Taboo and then moving it on outside with Cranium as we were sure to get loud and rowdy while playing! We took trips to the food court, Safeway and basically walked around Oakridge Mall several times. Later on at night, we started a game of Wizard Ninja, with more and more random strangers joining in! Super fun! We took pictures with some of the fans who dressed up as characters from the movie, watched people freestyle rapping and invented new spells! =)

Josh and I trying to reenact the part where Harry and Ron goes for the Gryffindor sword

Cranium to pass the time =)

Waiting…

When it was finally time to enter the theater, everyone was super excited! We all sat down waiting for the movie to start, and of course, everyone applauded when it finally came on!

It occurred to me the night before the midnight screening that my childhood was coming to an end. I am now seventeen and when you’re seventeen, you feel like you have grown up and left your childish ways behind. I like to think that way anyway. Harry Potter was a connection to my childhood. It seemed like only yesterday when I read Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (yes, I read the 3rd book first. I don’t know why, but I was like 9-10 back then so don’t judge). I remember pre-ordering the last book back in Hong Kong and then reading it in Thailand after picking it up and then realizing I had to leave for my family vacation the next day. I also remember thinking “At least there is still the movie! Harry Potter does NOT end yet!”. But now, what else is there to look forward to? I will always remember the magical adventures that was Harry Potter…but that is not the point! I do not want it to end! Its end seem to symbolized an end to a period of time in my life where I was happier, more innocent and more carefree. A time when I actually checked my mail for my Hogwarts acceptance letter when I was 11! (I never did get one when I was 11…obviously. But at that time, I did not give up hope! I remember rationalizing to myself I would get it next year because my birthday was late and Hogwarts started before I turned 11.)

Anyway, I do have a bit of hope left for Harry Potter as my friend Josh introduced me to Pottermore. It was created by J.K Rowling so that the story never ends! I seriously NEED something like that in my life! I am super excited to see what will be in store!

Oh and before I forget, here’s a excerpt of a dialogue from the FAKE HARRY POTTER fans ahead of us in line that day. We were second in line, so despite being fake fans, they were there first. Which was kind of annoying.

Fake fan #1: Hey, which house is Cedric Diggory in?
Her friend: Either in Gryffindor or Hufflepuff, I think?
Another friend: Yeah, in Gryffindor I’m pretty sure.
*All murmurs in agreement with an “OH YEAH!” from Fake Fan #1*

Infuriating.

Credits to Josh for Photos, thank-you William for helping me get the tickets! TY ADRIAN FOR GETTING ME A PAIR OF THE 3D GLASSES!! EKK! Thanks to everyone else who helped make the time fly by!

Just had to include this! Stolen off Tiffany, but I’m sure she stole it off somewhere too =P JKS THX!!! XD

Doing my part to help Vancouver become the Greenest City by 2020!

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Hey all!

Very exciting news…at least for me it is!! I have been wanting a bike for the longest time since coming back to Canada. To be honest, I wanted a bike back in Hong Kong too, but it was too hot most of the time for me to want to go out and bike.

I went with my dad to Canadian Tire to look at bikes and walked out with one that I LOVED! Now I can go explore further than my legs can usually take me, and I am sure my friends who already have bikes can give me some heads up on how to properly use it around the city. However, to begin, I searched up the city bylaws regarding cycling and now know the required accessories one must have to legally ride a bike.

http://vancouver.ca/engsvcs/transport/cycling/safety/regulations.htm#provrights

Here are some that I still have yet to buy:
-front lights
-back lights
-a bell

Asides from this, I have to get a lock. I already have a helmet…but must get the other accessories! Anyone know a good place to buy cheap bike stuff in Vancouver? =)

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Greenest City 2020

 

Anyway, moving on to the topic of Vancouver Greenest City initiative, biking will definitely help this cause! For those of you who do not know, the Greenest City 2020 initiative has a goal for Vancouver to become the greenest city in the world by the year 2020. We already have one of the smallest carbon footprints in the world and is one of the best places in the world to live in! Our ambitious new goal is to be the best at being green!

It is not only vehicle emissions, but also other aspects such as clean water, a green economy and allowing for the availability of local food. Ambitious, it is, but there have already been significant steps taken since the formation of this goal in 2009.

What gets to many citizens is the cost. The newly installed bike lanes downtown cost a whopping $3.2 Million. Will they be as useful as intended? How much of the population will actually use them? I feel it will be hard for everyone to suddenly turn to biking. Cars are just too useful a way to get directly to your destination. However, with more programs steering towards sustainability, perhaps encouragement and changing of mindsets will appear. 2020 is coming up soon, especially with the vast amounts of change that we want to happen. But at least we are getting the idea out there. It will help raise awareness for the cause and I believe change will eventually occur. Again, I’m only an optimistic 17-year-old voicing her outlooks on Vancouver’s future! So ignore me if you disagree =) Now armed with my new bike, I hope I will be contributing more to this initiative!

Karen

And so the blog begins!

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Hey everyone =)

With encouragement and inspiration from my friends, I have decided to finally take up blogging. To be honest, I have blogged before but you will probably never find my other blog. But anyway, moving on with the present, this will be my official blog! I have never been good at keeping journals or diaries, and who knows how long this blog will actually last, but regardless, I think you should read it and have a peek inside my brain!

I still have no idea what I will be posting on here. Most likely, I will be documenting my life. If you are a friend of mine and is reading this, I hope you will appear somewhere within the posts of this blog sometime in the future! I doubt my life is that interesting. Let me put it this way: if my life was published into a book, it probably would not be a bestseller. However, it also probably would not be on the discount shelf as stock waiting to be cleared by the bookstore. =) At least that is how I want to see it, and hope it is seen!

Karen