One of these songs that sound a bit like an artist that you really like (like April Lavigne) and then you discover that they’re not sung by said artist but by someone you had never heard (Fefe Dobson in this case), Ghost is a contagious, catchy tune. I always feel inclined to dance to Ghost, and the lyrics are somewhat funny to be quite honest. The video portrays Fefe Dobson as she discovers her (perhaps former?) boyfriend making out with someone else and being discovered (thus “acting like he just saw a ghost”). For your listening pleasure, Ghost by Fefe Dobson (this is the original video. Strange that the music company allowed embedding!)
Just like a go-go-go-ghost
Watch me go-go-go-ghost
Now I’m gone in your photograph
I bet you wish you could get me back
Now I’m stuck in your memory
A mistaken identity
What’s her name?
What’s she like?
Does she know that you’ll never treat her right?
What’s her name?
What’s she like?
Do you leave her in the middle of the night?
You act like you just saw a ghost
I watch you getting way too close
Now I know why you’re never there
Now I know so it’s my turn to disappear
You act like you just saw a ghost
I caught you (Caught you)
Now I know
Now I know why you’re never there
Now it’s my turn, watch me disappear
Just like a go-go-go-ghost
Watch me go-go-go-ghost
The only gift that you ever gave
Was that you let me just get away
I hope I haunt you in every dream
And you feel a little misery
What’s her name?
What’s she like?
I should warn her that you’ll never do her right
All your games
All your lies
I need to tell her maybe I can change her mind
You act like you just saw a ghost
I watch you getting way too close
Now I know why you’re never there
Now I know so it’s my turn to disappear
You act like you just saw a ghost
I caught you (Caught you)
Now I know
Now I know why you’re never there (Never there)
Now it’s my turn, watch me disappear
Just like a go-go-go-ghost
Watch me go-go-go-ghost
Just like a go-go-go-ghost
Watch me go-go-go-ghost
Now you see me
Now you don’t
You must’ve thought I’d never go
Thanks to you I’m taking back my soul
You act like you just saw a ghost
I watch you getting way too close
Now I know why you’re never there (Never there)
Now I know so it’s my turn to disappear (Disappear)
You act like you just saw a ghost
I caught you (Caught you)
Now I know
Now I know why you’re never there (Never there)
Now it’s my turn, watch me disappear
Just like a go-go-go-ghost
Watch me go-go-go-ghost
Just like a go-go-go-ghost
Watch me go-go-go-ghost
Just like a go-go-go-ghost
Watch me go-go-go-ghost
Just like a go-go-go-ghost
Watch me go-go-go-ghost
I am always amazed at young kids who play in a music band, particularly because I grew up alongside with my brothers with classical piano musical training. We performed in public and gave concerts, but I never really felt that we were a rock band because we didn’t perform all together (each one played a piece or two at each concert). That’s why I love music bands, particularly those that are really young. And Duck Soldier won my heart this weekend at Fraser Fest 2011 in New Westminster.
Duck Soldier is a band composed of several youngsters (all of them look in their teens) and mostly a R&B/Soul/Funk band. We rocked and danced at Aretha Franklin’s Respect, Would I Lie To You (Annie Lennox) and several others. My video may not capture the quality of their music, but I really liked them. And more importantly, the effort that they paid to entertain the audience was really what made the evening.
From their Facebook bio:
The most soulful funk band in town! Dropping the beautiful funky vibes all over New West and beyond, this 15-piece juggernaut will knock you out with their fantastic renditions of classic soul music. They also are doing what they can to save the planet, preaching racial and spiritual harmony, and an all-out war against environmental degradation!!
As you know, I love supporting local, culturally diverse performances that represent the amazing diversity in this city. And a double-feature play opening next week, Troika and The Troubles, produced by Resounding Scream Theater, is exactly that. Moreover, and full disclosure, my good friend Lauren Kresowaty will be acting in Troika. All the more reason to promote it.
Photo credit: Sean Griffin
Written, directed and performed by Ukranian Canadians (for Troika) and North Irish (for The Troubles), the plays explore issues of identity, community and cultural heritage. Sometimes humorous and sometimes touching, the plays express the difficulty to deal or stay in contact with our cultural origins.
This is a quick giveaway as I have a pair of tickets for the plays’ premiere on Wednesday, August 3rd. To enter my contest, post a comment telling me something you find important about your cultural heritage—Canadians included. As you know, my own heritage is Mexican (though Spaniard is there too!)
To earn a second entry, post the following on your Twitter stream:
Told @hummingbird604 about my cultural heritage to win tickets @ResoundScream http://is.gd/dY57I3 what’s yours?
From the Resounding Scream website, a bit of information on The Troubles:
What would they call you? Not your name, love…your side?” Based on personal accounts of the conflict in Northern Ireland, The Troubles is a thought-provoking show that draws upon the voices of five distinct characters to explore questions around community, morality, and loyalty. A boundary-pushing story of love and violence, The Troubles speaks that which has been forgotten.
Photo credit: Everett Jelley
And on Troika:
Weaving together folktales, memoirs, history, and pop culture, Troika tells the story of growing up Ukrainian Canadian in Western Canada. With cast members hailing from the big city of Vancouver, the suburbs of Edmonton, and a small town in Saskatchewan, Troika uses elements of music, movement, and story telling to take a sometimes poignant and sometimes humourous look at what it means to celebrate culture and heritage two generations removed from the motherland.
I will draw a random winner on August 1st, Monday, at 2pm. And as usual, I will inform the winner by email and on this post. Anabelle (whom as you know is my brand spanking new Project Manager) will be there to cover the premiere of the play, so look for her review sometime next week!
This used to be my theme song. From the times when I was dating The Ex, one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard, Natalie Merchant (of 10,000 Maniacs’ fame) sang Break Your Heart, and as I was researching YouTube videos I found a duet with N’dea Davenport. Natalie’s voice is absolutely beautiful, but Ndea’s compliments the song extremely well. For your listening pleasure, Break Your Heart with Natalie Merchant and Ndea Davenport.
An amazing celebration of Japanese heritage, the Powell Street Festival 2011will take place this weekend from 11:30am to 7:00pm and it’s entirely FREE. As you may know, I hold a special place in my heart for Japan and I’m really keen to know more about the Japanese heritage that once was settled on Powell Street.
The Powell Street Society puts together the Powell Street Festival this coming weekend with some amazing displays, great food, booths, etc. Events will take place around Oppenheimer Park (400 Block Powell Street), Firehall Arts Centre (280 E. Cordova), Vancouver Japanese Language School & Hall (475 Alexander), Chapel Arts (304 Dunlevy), Japanese Canadian National Museum (6688 Southoaks, Burnaby), Blim (115 East Pender)
From the Powell Street Festival website:
It’s been thirty-five years since the inaugural Powell Street Festival, and in that time we’ve grown from a small community event to a full-blown arts & culture celebration attended by thousands each year. We are grateful to all the participants, volunteers, funders, attendees, and our DTES community for supporting our efforts these past thirty-five years, and we look forward to at least thirty-five more. In the meantime, we look forward to welcoming you to Oppenheimer Park for the 35th Annual Powell Street Festival!
The Powell Street Festival is an annual celebration of Japanese Canadian arts, culture and heritage that features something for everyone: dance, music, film and video, visual arts, martial arts demos, amateur sumo tournament, craft vendors, traditional displays, and of course, tons of scrumptious Japanese food.
PSF is the largest event of its kind in Canada and the longest running community arts festival in the Lower Mainland. We provide a much-needed venue for emerging and established, professional and amateur, and traditional and contemporary artists in the Japanese Canadian and Asian Canadian communities.
You may recall my recently-published 6-months self-assessment. For the past couple of years I have really debated whether to close Hummingbird604.com for good, keep it alive with a minimum commitment to it, or try to maintain a decently regular blogging schedule. I love my blog, I love the opportunities it creates for me and for my readers. I love what I do outside of my professional life, and at the same time, sometimes I find it a bit overwhelming.
I made a promise to myself that I would at least give having additional support a whirl. I have now found two amazing young women who are working as my interns. They are part of my Universe Domination Project team (yes, I don’t plan to dominate the world. Too small. I’m going for the universe!)
Meet Jessica Brodeur, Intern Content Manager for Hummingbird604.com (far right on the above photo) and Anabelle Bernard Fournier (middle, on the above photo), Intern Project Manager for Hummingbird604.com. Both of these wonderful young women went through the rigorous screening process of finding the right fit for people who *get* me. You’ll see bits and pieces of me reflected in them, and I’m hoping the experience will be one of learning and growth for them. I am, as you know, very keen on mentoring people.
I am a Geography student at UBC particularly interested in urban studies and development, which is where my love for Vancouver began. I studied portrait and documentary photography, and shoot for my music blog. The interplay of blogging, design, urban culture, and new media really brought me this direction. I’ve also felt extremely fortunate and proud to be Canadian as I’ve learned about and explored Canadian cities, history, and artists (particularly musicians) over the past few years in school and more recently because of blogging – which brings me back to my love for Vancouver. As I’m thinking more about my career, this is a great place to be and it will be so fun!
Hello! My name is Anabelle and I’m HB604’s new project manager. I’m originally from Montréal; I come to Vancouver through Victoria and Edmonton, and finally chose to settle here because I love the mountains, the water and the great restaurants. Vancouver is the most beautiful place I’ve ever had the chance to visit and I couldn’t pass the occasion to be part of it.I decided to join the HB604 team to get to know the city better and get involved in its cultural life. Working with Raul is a blessing and I enjoy every opportunity to meet new people and do new things. As an English graduate degree holder, I’m interested in any form of narrative art (performed, filmed, written or painted) and in discovering new cultures and points of view. I look forward to telling you all about plays, movies, performances and exhibitions in the city and to read your comments about my posts!
Of course, the fact that I have support interns also means that my projects have additional help too, and that means that you’ll see them also involved with The Network Hub and my other projects. Honestly, it’s fantastic to now have people I can trust to help me run the day-to-day operations of Hummingbird604.com. For the next three months, we’ll see how things go, I forecast they’ll go great.
Obviously, it’s still me writing, blogging and attending events, but now I have two more people who can help me cover events that I previously would have been unable to do simply because I can’t possibly be in two places at the same time. My blog is still my own personal canvas, but I now have two additional contributors to the fabric that is my life. And for that, I feel very blessed.
Both Anabelle and Jessica will be covering a few events for me, so look out for their posts and please provide them with constructive comments. They’ll learn from the experience, and so will I. To the PR folks who pitch me regularly – please help me provide Anabelle and Jessica with a great experience. And to Jess and Ana – welcome to the team!
This year again, Public Dreams Society is organizing the Illuminares Lantern festival. If you haven’t heard about this unique event, imagine hundreds of participants, performers and puppeteers walking together with thousands of lanterns. You may remember I wrote about Illuminares last year too.
Illuminares 2009. Photo credit: Monnibo on Flickr
The 2011 Illuminares festival revolves around the heron. An iconic Vancouver bird, the heron represents the spirit of the city: its life also depends on a balance between urban landscape and the natural world that surrounds and punctuates our space.
During the weeks before the July 30th procession, PSD is holding puppeteering, performance and lantern-making workshops. The heart of Illuminares is community engagement–they need community members to help puppet the giant 30-foot heron that will lead the afternoon walk from Harbour Green Park to Canada Place and the evening procession to the Vancouver Convention Centre. The workshops are open to everyone on donation and you might get a chance to manipulate the giant heron on Saturday.
From the Illuminares web site:
To lead the lantern procession this year, Public Dreams dreamt big with the creation of a 30-foot illuminated heron puppet. Inspired by the work of French puppeteers Royal De Luxe and their Giant Little Girl puppet, the giant bird has been built with a cross-sector team of Vancouver’s best puppeteers, designers and engineers. Now Public Dreams is looking to the community to bring this magnificent creature to life!
You can also get involved in one of the flash mob performances or simply make a lantern to take with you on the evening of the festival. There will be people from the Stanley Park Ecological Society educating visitors and participants about the Stanley Park herons.
The Illuminares festival is situated at the crossroads of sustainability, creativy and community engagement and performance. Festivals where people participate instead of passively watch or visit are rare; don’t miss your chance to get involved in one of the most original events in Vancouver this summer. Hopefully we will be able to attend the event (either myself or someone from my Universe Domination Team – you’ll get to know them soon enough!)
This blog post was contributed by Angie, the lucky winner of my The Kulth Music Festival 2011 weekend passes. She tweets at @Chickypoo333. Thanks Angie for this contribution!
I was the winner of two passes to the Kulth Music Fest in Coombs, BC. this past weekend. I had entered a contest that Raul posted on Twitter @Hummingbird604. Very excited to say the least to actually win a contest was the first thrill but after realizing the value of the tickets as well as backstage passes ($135 x 2)I was very happy to be the recipient.
I live just 10 minutes away from the fairgrounds the festival was held at so that made for a two day event. I didn’t know who I was going to invite as I am a single girl and I didn’t want to go by myself, that’s no fun! Turns out my childhood girlfriend just moved back to the area from the Okanagan and she was so into going.
We decided to go the first day just to check it out and pick up the passes. The weather was dreary and didn’t look good for hanging out at a music festival. We walked about and bought some hats from one of the vendors, they have the nicest most down to earth kinda people at these events! Checked out some of the bands, they were really good too! Reggae, Blues, a bit of everything.
Aidan Knight & Hebegebe were two groups we managed to see and dance a little to. We left soon after as it was raining a bit harder. Torrential downpour by the time I got home, felt so bad for those that were camping at the Festival:(
Sunday, weather got better, sun actually came out in the afternoon so off we went to the Kulth Festival Day 2 for some more music! The bands were playing, people dancing, Beer Garden Open life was good! We ordered a burger and a wrap and sat in the bleachers and listened to the music play. We walked down to the stage and hung out dancing to Current Swell, Rob Paine and closed it down to Ron Sexsmith. He played for longer than anticipated and came back for an encore to everyone’s delight!
The show was finally closed by the Lone Piper, a young man from Qualicum whom I happen to know, Keefer McMahon. Talented kid and the audience loved it! Thank you once again Raul for the tickets to the Kulth Music Festival. It was a good experience and I was happy to be part of it.
Thanks to Angie for this guest post. I’m always thrilled that my contests winners have a great experience! All photos on this post were taken by Angie for this guest post and used with permission.
Among the crazy things I love doing is getting away, be it within my own city (a “staycation” as they call it) or within relative close distance of my home town, Vancouver. I recently stayed at the Magnolia Hotel, a boutique hotel located in downtown Victoria. In fact, I enjoyed my visit so much that I came back for a quick overnight visit recently, and I brought along my mom.
You may remember that I also enjoy trying to provide opportunities for my readers to taste things that they might not think or plan to enjoy themselves. Thanks to the kindness of many of my partners in the industry I’m able to offer “staycations” and getaways, and this time I’m partnering with the awesome folks of the Magnolia Hotel to offer you an opportunity to win a weekend holiday getaway.
The prize package consists of 2 nights accommodation at the Magnolia Hotel, $100 credit for the Magnolia Hotel spa and free parking (in case you decide to drive into Victoria). This prize pack should give the lucky winner a nice opportunity to enjoy the many things that you can do in the capital city of British Columbia.
To enter my giveaway all you need to do is comment on this post telling me (if you have visited Victoria before), what activities you enjoy doing while there, and in case you have never visited Victoria, what you might want to check out on your getaway. You can also earn an additional entry by posting the following text on your Twitter stream (total of 2 entries):
Told @hummingbird604 my favorite activities in Victoria to enter to win a wknd getaway @MagnoliaHtl http://is.gd/bYIoei Which are yours?
The Parliament buildings. Photo credit: Derek K. Miller on Flickr.
Just steps from Victoria’s picturesque Inner Harbour, The Magnolia Hotel & Spa wins over guests with its unbeatable location and service. The award-winning hotel, voted one of the top hotels in Canada by Condé Nast Traveler readers and recognised as one of the Top 10 Luxury Hotels in Canada by TripAdvisor’s® 2011 Travelers’ Choice® awards, is one block from the harbour and the city’s best restaurants, shops and entertainment – exactly where you want to be during your Victoria stay.
Searching hotels in Victoria for an event venue or spa getaway? Check out our new meeting space and see why businesses are making us their corporate hotel. Plan a spa retreat with the girls and slip into Zenlike bliss at our newly expanded Spa Magnolia. Try Prime Steakhouse for lunch or dinner, a favourite in Victoria since opening in 2009. Our complimentary deluxe continental breakfast gets rave reviews.
Discover the kind of undistracted, unmatched service you can experience only in a boutique hotel with just 64 rooms.
I will draw a random winner on the next Travel Tuesday (August 9th, 2011 at 2pm). I will inform the winner by email and on this post. *The winner must provide their own transportation to Victoria.
For someone who loves deep house, it’s kind of bizarre that I haven’t made more of an effort to grab tunes from Weekend Players (an electronica/deep house duo). I loved their tune 21st Century but in Francois K. Mix. Couldn’t find it, so you (and me) are stuck with the Transfer Club Mix. Hope you enjoy it. It’s a good, nice listen though.
I’ve written before about how the Downtown East Side is such a derelict, impoverished area, one that (if I had the time and the emotional resources) I would research (anthropology of poverty has been always a topic that raises my intellectual curiosity). When I first heard that Save On Meats had closed a couple of years ago, I was devastated. Save On Meats was such a great institution in the Downtown East Side. Well, someone decided to renovate it, take over the lease and take the risk to reopen again. And I’m SO GLAD they did. The burgers are just as amazing, the service is incredibly good and the staff is definitely very human.
Extremely well trained to do what they’re doing. And the nice renovations to the place (both to the meat market/butcher’s market and the actual coffee shop/diner) are a big part of what’s again giving Save On Meats traction.
I ordered a very basic burger with a side of mashed potatoes and a milkshake. Nothing really fancy, and that’s perhaps the one thing that keeps attracting me from Save On Meats. It’s such a no-frills diner. That’s how it was before (well, before it was MUCH smaller and the coffee shop was within the actual butcher’s market). But even now it retains a feeling of a diner.
Somewhere where you can bring your friends for a basic, inexpensive, “fuel-for-the-body” burger. I had the pleasure of sitting with my friends Karen Quinn Fung and April Smith, as well as shuttle from my table to Erin Mussolum’s for a quick chat. And the burger itself was really tasty, the patty was well cooked (cooked the way I prefer, let me just say that) and as I mentioned, it’s pretty basic sustenance but definitely worth visiting, particularly if you’re in a rush to continue working as I was. Glad to have Save On Meats in the DTES neighbourhood.
Disclosure: I paid for my dinner on my own dime. As always, I retain editorial control on anything review-like that I publish on my site.
This year, like last year, I’m lucky to have my Mom here in Vancouver with me for her birthday. I’ll be taking her out for dinner (not sure exactly where, last year we did I think Quattro on Fourth Avenue, and this year I might do the same, but different location (maybe Gusto Di Quattro in North Vancouver). For me and my Mom, really where we eat or what we do to celebrate is kind of irrelevant. The most important thing is just to spend time with each other.
For me my Mom is my rock, my confident, my best friend and the person who inspires the most to work hard. On your birthday Mom, I just want to tell you how proud and honored I am to be your son. Much love always and I hope you enjoyed your visit with me and also with my brothers in Calgary and Los Angeles.
I had eaten at Campagnolo on Main before (with Tony Nicalo) but never actually thought of writing about it. Recently, my good friend Lisa Thomas-Tench invited my Mom and I to have dinner there (my Mom and I have always had a very strong friendship connection to Lisa and this was almost certainly the only chance we’d all get to have dinner together while my Mom is in town).
I don’t know if it’s the fact that I had been to Campagnolo already or the fact that I was there with Lisa and my Mom, but I think the service was absolutely spectacular and fast. The evening went by without even noticing the pass of time. We started the evening with a martini and I asked for a house salad.
I ordered a Polderside Chicken (cacciatore sauce, sunchokes, red swiss chard at $21, regular price point for main courses in casual/fine dining restaurants). My Mom ordered a traditional Lasagna ($19, but it brought along a salad) and so did Lisa.
My Mom raved about Campagnolo’s Lasagna as one of the best she had tasted anywhere. As for my chicken, I think the presentation was great, the execution wasn’t stellar but overall, it was a very nice dish. I think at an Italian restaurant, it’s a bit of a mistake to deviate away from the traditional pastas/pizzas, but I liked the chicken. I was just expecting a bit stronger flavours (used as I am to Puttanescas and Arrabiata’s and the like).
But if there’s something we all agreed upon was that the dessert is always supremely well executed, and this wasn’t the exception when we were there for dinner.
The best part of dinner was simply spending time with two of my favorite people (Lisa and my Mom). Obviously, eating together was great and the food at Campagnolo (and service) were stellar, but overall the main plus of the evening was just hanging out.
Affordable, casual Italian dining in a warm and welcoming space. Campagnolo serves rustic dishes inspired by the Piedmont and Emiglia-Romagna regions of Italy in an open, spacious room highlighted by original old growth fir wood beams. Owners and savvy restaurateurs Tom Doughty, Robert Belcham and Tim Pittman of the award winning Fuel Restaurant have created a pleasurable and entertaining dining experience for guests.
Overall, I had a great time, and I would probably come back to Campagnolo for their Tagliatelle.
Disclosure: Lisa invited both my Mom and I for dinner. I wasn’t paid to write this review, nor was I required to do so either. The purpose of this blog entry is just to describe and document our experience at a restaurant we all really liked. In any review I write or publish on my site, I retain editorial control at all times. Should you have any questions/concern feel free to contact me via e-mail through my contact form.
I love Italian food, that’s definitely not even at question. And I love Victoria, BC. Recently, I had to go back to Victoria as my Mom had to return a dress that she bought that didn’t fit her properly. Being a reasonably good son, I decided to take her back to Victoria, and we went for lunch to Zambris. My good friend Cassandra Anderton had sung the praises of Zambris a few times and I figured it was about time I checked it out.
And which better companion than my own mother, whose taste is quite demanding. Mom and I were starving by the time we hit Zambris because we had travelled quite a long distance (we didn’t fly into Victoria the second time) so we ordered a Zambri “Cesare” Salad ($10), an interesting variation on the trusty Caesar salad.
The addition of bits of boiled egg was a bit weird, as was the distribution of the lettuce leafs (and it almost tasted like watercress, in my opinion). As usual, because I hate cheese, I removed it from my plate but my Mom says it was great. And I wanted more capers/anchovie flavour in my Caesar salad. Weird, no?
We were offered some olives and crusty bread to kill the hunger at the beginning of our lunch, but the bread crust was extremely hard and in a way, I wish we hadn’t been offered the bread because it really wasn’t appealing at all. Olives were nice though. And the service was stellar through and through. The waitress was extremely prompt with water and the bread and olives.
We then ordered our lunch mains. I have always had a thing for gnocchi, whereas my Mom prefers traditional Italian dishes, like tagliatelle. Mom ordered in the end a Tagliatelle Bolognese ($13, egg pasta and meat sauce, at a very reasonable price point although some may consider it a bit pricey for lunch time). I ordered a Gnocchi with Sausage Ragu (potato dumplings with home-made sausage meat and braised kale at $14, again decently priced for the portion size but perhaps a bit pricey for lunch-time price points).
I have no complaints about my Gnocchi. The kale added flavour and I loved the sausage meat combination. I wish my gnocchi had had a bit more garlic, but then again, that’s just because I love Wild Garlic’s dishes. My Mom says that beyond anything she’s eaten in Vancouver, Zambris’ tagliatelle is perhaps the best one she’s tasted. And that says a lot.
Overall, I loved Zambris, and would definitely come back for dinner sometime.
Disclosure: I paid for both of our lunches (Mom’s and mine’s) on my own dime. I wasn’t paid to write this review, nor was I required to do so either. The purpose of this blog entry is just to describe and document my experience at a restaurant I really liked. In any review I write or publish on my site, I retain editorial control at all times. Should you have any questions/concern feel free to contact me via e-mail through my contact form.
While I did attend the opening day of Pinkberry Canada, I didn’t have the time nor did I want to brave the masses of people waiting in line for a cup of frozen yogurt, so I decided to come back the next evening with JT. We had to rush since we went there right after watching Captain America: The First Avenger. To note: driving all the way from Metrotown in Burnaby to the Village at Park Royal in West Vancouver took me all of 20 minutes at the very most, and that was driving normally on the Highway 1. Had I taken transit, that would have never happened. Sigh. One of the drawbacks of being a proponent of sustainable modes of transportation.
But I digress.
I’ve tasted frozen yogurt in many forms, and from very different providers. Two of my favorites are Qoola (usually on Denman and Davie in the West End) and Scoop! (in Kitsilano, near 4th Avenue and Maple). I was really eagerly expecting Pinkberry as my friend Melanie Hoyt from Chicago had mentioned it was really good. I did try it and I’ll fully admit that while it was really fluffy, light and tasty, I wasn’t as impressed as I expected to be.
The staff was kind enough to provide me with samples of all flavors, but I settled (not surprisingly) on mango. I added toppings of kiwi, mochi, strawberry, mango and a few others. The yogurt was really tasty, not tart but just light and easy to digest from what I consumed (8 ounces).
The service, however, does deserve special mention. All the kids working front line at Pinkberry Canada are extremely eager and keen to provide you with great service. I will admit that for an 8 ounces portion of frozen yogurt, $7.50 was a tad steep (considering that if you want to keep things the frugal way, by comparison, lunch at Spin Roll Sushi is that much, $7.50, a frozen dessert treat costing the same is a bit on the steep side).
The above said, as a day trip (e.g. as part of a series of activities, like hanging out at The Village at Park Royal and then finishing your day with a frozen yogurt treat) Pinkberry Canada is definitely worth the trip up to the North Shore. But if I want to just satisfy my frozen yogurt desire, I’ll definitely stay within the Vancouver area.
Disclosure: I paid for my frozen yogurt on my own dime. I just wanted to write about my experience visiting Pinkberry Canada after the press junket. As usual, I retain editorial control over anything I publish on my site.
I’ve been friends with the Holmes’ (Paul and Katharine) for the better part of 3 years. They have opened their house and hearts and have always invited me to speak to any of the events (social media or WordPress-related) that they organize. I think that, without fault, I’ve spoken at all of their events so far. Katharine shares with me a love of all things geek, AND martinis).
And she is (like her husband) an extremely kind-hearted woman. Katharine, today and every day, all the best for you. Miss you and Paul and hope to see you both soon (and your little guy too!). Enjoy your day.
You may (or may not) know that we’re opening a new location of The Network Hub, the coworking launch pad where my consultancy has a home. Yes, we are expanding, and the host location is River Market at Westminster Quay. You’ll probably see a slew of blog posts about it as we move forward with construction, etc.
Today I had a crazy day but I gave myself permission to come check out the 22nd Annual Hyack Fraser Festival 2011 (FraserFest 2011) in New Westminster. It’s important for me to check out what’s happening in the community in New Westminster as our goal is to strengthen our ties with the local community and provide a launching pad for entrepreneurs in the New Westminster/Tri-Cities/Surrey/Langley areas.
So, I came to check out the local festivals, and my first experience was this FraserFest2011.
You can check the event schedule here. I know for a fact that tomorrow, Sunday July 24th, from 10am to 4pm, there will be a Centre Stage with awesome music. I had a chance to check out a little bit of the food vendors, artisans and booths all around the Quay right by River Market.
I have some video of the Duck Soldier kids (who were amazing with some renditions of Respect, Dancing On The Street and Would I Lie to you) but that will have to wait until tomorrow when I can upload the video. For now, you can check out my iPhone photos on this post and you can check my Flickr set later tonight. And you should come down tomorrow Sunday to New Westminster, to the Quay (Skytrain Station: New Westminster). 10am to 4pm, it should be a lot of fun!
Admittedly, this weather has been flip-flopping between good and bad weather. But when the weather was decently good, a couple of weeks ago, I accepted an invite by Kintec Footwear to take my Mom and myself to check out some sandals. Given my recent interest in capris (short pants, not short enough to be shorts, but not long enough to be pants), I think sandals do provide a great way to feel comfortable.
I will fully admit that before visiting Kintec Footwear (and despite having done a PhD thesis focused on leather and footwear and having a degree in leather science), I rarely thought of how well footwear fits. Particularly in times when money has been tight, I’ve focused on buying whatever footwear is discounted. So I really loved the refreshing honest approach that Mike (the manager at Kintec Footwear) took.
He described how Kintec Footwear focuses on improving the condition of whoever comes into the store. The customer may not have the cash to spend in a $300 shoe, and in that case, they provide alternative measures that may mitigate the condition that the customer may have. That honesty is definitely refreshing, instead of focusing on selling you the most expensive footwear, they tell you what you may need and some alternative measures if you can’t afford the highest-priced item. I don’t think I’ve seen this approach in many retail stores.
I chose to go with sandals, and I chose one from the broad selection that Kintec had. I went through their 5 step process (and was admittedly fascinated with the computerized approach, more than anything because it reminded me of the research centre where I used to work in Mexico). I had realized how my feet sometimes seem to get tired (this was, probably, due to the fact that as a child I had flat feet).
It wasn’t until I engaged in this conversation with Kintec Footwear that I realized that I probably need to pay a lot more attention to my footwear and maybe not so much at the price, or try at least to find something that will help me structurally rather than just taking a cosmetic approach and use the sandals that look pretty. Instead, I am now using sandals that were fitted to my feet by Kintec Footwear.
And I have walked quite substantially long distances, still feeling well and not tired. I’ll definitely come back for a set of well-fitted shoes for the fall term (when I teach 2 courses per term I think I need to pay WAY more attention to whether I’m feeling tired or not).
Disclosure: My set of sandals, and my Mom’s, were compliments of Kintec Footwear. I wasn’t paid to write this review, nor was I required to do so either. The purpose of this blog entry is just to describe and document my experience with the sandals and the whole process that Kintec Footwear uses with every customer, not only with the media. In any review I write or publish on my site, I retain editorial control at all times. Should you have any questions/concern feel free to contact me via e-mail through my contact form.
As you know, I sit on the Executive Board of The Network Hub. I have blogged about The Artwork Hub project before, whereby The Network Hub opens its walls to providing a space for up-and-coming local artists in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland to exhibit their work. This month’s Artist in Residence is Jason Athen. And because membership has its privileges my readers will have exclusive access to the opening on Monday July 25th. All I ask is that you register via the Eventbrite.
In 2007, US-born Athen moved to Vancouver and has become a rising artist, showcasing his work at many prestigious galleries such as Gastown’s Canvas Lounge, Petley Jones Gallery, and Athington Studios. He has also been involved in various special events hosted by McCarthy Tetrault, Steven Colbert Show, D.M.S. Dogwood Monarchist Society, and Variety – The Children’s Charity Telethon.
In a rather daring move, Athen hopes to find his artist’s signature look by trying new ideas and learning from new experiences like this one at The Artwork Hub. Athen will be showcasing a combination of furniture and canvas work. I think this will be a really unique exhibit and I am looking forward to seeing it.
For readers of Hummingbird604.com who would want to attend Monday’s opening of the exhibit please follow this link and register. Space is limited and assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis. See you all on Monday!
I had the chance to listen to Sea Sick by Bonnie Dune (Cory Monteith‘s band) at the Pinkberry Canada launch yesterday, and loved the tune. So here’s for your listening pleasure.
[below is a clip that I got on my own camera – you’ll have to wait and download the song once it’s available on iTunes]
Bonnie Dune is composed of:
Justin Wilczynski – Vocs/Guitar
Seth Roberts – Guitar/Vocs
Cory Monteith – Drums/Vocs
Joshua Kerr – Bass
Jason Massey – Producer/Co-writer
Some nice air kept me up all night in bed
My eyes are closed but I can see it
Something nicer that shook the ground where I’m standing
All the rights words that she said, she said
Sea sick this better be ocean
Stay close come this far
Sea sick this better be ocean
Stay close
Nicer for many things all start running
Facing my own fears one more time
Some nicer made me feel humor with me
All the hours that she said, she say
Sea sick this better be ocean
Stay close come this far
Sea sick this better be ocean
Stay close
Sea sick, oh, hold your breath
Hold your breath
Sea sick this better be ocean
Stay close come this far
Sea sick this better be ocean
Stay close
Sea sick this better be ocean
Stay close come this far
Sea sick this better be ocean
Stay close come this far
Sea sick this better be ocean
Stay close come this far
Sea sick this better be ocean
Stay close.
And below you can see a short video that I shot from their performance at the Pinkberry Canada launch.
One of those crazy things. I love The Village at Park Royal, I love good music, and I love frozen yogurt. My good friend Mel (who lives in Chicago) says that Pinkberry is some of the best frozen yogurt, so I had to attend the launch of the Pinkberry Canada store at The Village in Park Royal, West Vancouver. I attended very briefly because I had to attend the launch of the Vancouver Queer Film Festival too, so I stayed literally 20 minutes at most.
Justin Wilczynski and Cory Monteith from Bonnie Dune
One of the biggest draws for this launch, I will have to admit, was seeing Cory Monteith (of Glee fame) and his band, Bonnie Dune. Admittedly, more than anything I love Monteith because he is Canadian, primarily raised in Victoria. And the music they play is nice as well (I fell in love with Sea Sick).
But the draw for me as well was the delicious frozen yogurt. And the staff, instead of being totally scared of the thousands of fans who were lining up for a bit of a treat, were incredibly sweet.
I did get to try a little bit of the Pinkberry Canada frozen yogurt but I’ll have to pay them a visit later next week. And make sure next time that I am able to spend more time at the event, because I’m sure the concert was a lot of fun and I didn’t really get to enjoy it. Congratulations to Pinkberry on their Canadian launch!
I had the chance to attend the launch of Celebrate Queer Vancouver and the Vancouver Queer Film Festival 2011 (as you may remember, I usually cover VQFF every year, and for the past couple of years, I’ve given away tickets and passes to the festival).
Paul from Out In Schools, Jay the official VQFF Twitter Scribe and Mark from GayVancouver.net
It was great to see folks from the City of Vancouver supporting VQFF and the queer community, especially the Mayor of Vancouver, Gregor Robertson, Councillors Andrea Reimer and Ellen Woodsworth and Parks Commissioner Constance Barnes, in addition to a number of other VIP folks and allies of the queer community (including Jay Minter and Brian Webb).
You should totally check out the lineup of events for Celebrate Queer Vancouver and for the Vancouver Queer Film Festival. I was planning to take a holiday in August but given the relevance of Celebrate Queer Vancouver and the fact that from the 11th to the 21st of August we have Vancouver Queer Film Festival 2011 I think I won’t be taking holidays. Hope you can join us in this celebration of acceptance and equality.
We were also treated to a performance by the Vancouver Men’s Choir, where my friend Jay sings. You can check a brief clip tomorrow, singing Material Girl by Madonna.
Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in Canada, and melanoma skin cancer – the most deadly form of skin cancer – is one of the most common forms of cancer for people between the ages of 15 and 29. The good news is it’s also the most preventable. Over-exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) from both the sun and indoor tanning equipment is the major cause of skin cancer. Using indoor tanning equipment before the age of 35 has been found to increase the risk of melanoma by 75 per cent.1 And, the UVR emissions of indoor tanning equipment can be up to 5 times the intensity of the mid-day sun. In BC, in 2010, the Canadian Cancer Society estimated that there were 790 new cases of melanoma – and 130 deaths. Despite 10 years of ‘sun safety’ messages, Canadians’ sun protective behaviours have not changed. Telling people to seek shade, wear sun protective clothing, apply sunscreen, and avoid tanning salons has not worked. 27% of young women (ages 16-24) use tanning equipment.4 Students tell us that they are aware of the dangers of tanning, yet they still do it.
Photo credit: Stacey Berisavac of the Canadian Cancer Society
What I found interesting about the campaign (beyond the request for the BC government to introduce legislation to prevent youth younger than 18 years old to use tanning beds) is the press junket approach they did. Not only is the video funny, but also they had an event at the beach:
Burnie and Scarlett Burnadette, two sun burnt personalities, strolled Kitsilano beach with visibly painful sunburns. They were joined by the Canadian Cancer Society’s Tanning is Out Ambassadors, who busted the myth that having a tan is ‘healthy’ and reminded beachgoers to seek shade and cover up.
Photo credit: Stacey Berisavac of the Canadian Cancer Society
I support cancer-focused charities and enjoy campaigns that are creative and innovative. This one is an example.
I remember even in my early years of graduate school, I heard somewhere the phrase “the medium is the message”. While I can’t recall where I saw a debate on whether Canadian Marshall McLuhan had actually written “the medium is the message” as such (and I recall having seen an online debate about it), it’s been widely accepted as a key McLuhan phrase. It’s been at least linked once.
By the way, thanks Lois Patterson and Robert Ballantyne for extracts of McLuhan’s works (also thanks to Karen Quinn Fung for this discussion on Marshall McLuhan and Me. My good friend Jesse Hirsch is involved in the 100th anniversary celebration of McLuhan’s birthday in Toronto (check McLuhan 100). I’m an academic nerd, so I am fascinated by academic studies and analyses, and media unfortunately does not escape my analytical mind. I always keep thinking (for better or worse) on the future of media, on the impact of social media in the transformation of the media landscape and the global evolution of society in a fully connected, networked world.
It’s clear that McLuhan had a big impact in society, and in the way we think about media, communications and the evolutionary structure of connection amongst individuals. Happy birthday, Marshall McLuhan.
