tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78132719600234655882023-11-16T04:28:15.844-08:00Where is Liza?My little adventures. Experiences in the Metro Vancouver area, sometimes in my travels: places, food, wine, museums, art galleries, concerts, shows, outdoors, books.Lizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078014237950859654noreply@blogger.comBlogger119125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813271960023465588.post-78951312017274985242013-07-02T22:35:00.002-07:002013-07-02T22:35:18.743-07:00A Girlie Girl on the Westcoast Trail<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguf42paMPc_CNCj1L-XxbvC4_XAzhjKMfbCzc8LptlGmnnodJP7BGgI887ZXtxE7hSPcU1Y1Bfk1nJpIV7mZOBO033bbfkiblOQklEe1g3e7SXjdRtHGVN_izJdCZlXzWW57lmj9X3ht7e/s1600/WCT2013+091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguf42paMPc_CNCj1L-XxbvC4_XAzhjKMfbCzc8LptlGmnnodJP7BGgI887ZXtxE7hSPcU1Y1Bfk1nJpIV7mZOBO033bbfkiblOQklEe1g3e7SXjdRtHGVN_izJdCZlXzWW57lmj9X3ht7e/s320/WCT2013+091.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I do not intend this post to be a guide on the trail, after all, there are many detailed accounts from experts. This post is about my perspective as a non-athlete, 5' 1 city girl (well, mom, actually). </span><br />
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<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'd be the first to acknowledge that I am not athletic nor tough. It took me over a year to convince myself to actually decide that, yes, I will do it -- this infamous trail that have claimed some lives. Despite all the facts stating that, no, it's not for you, Liza, I did as I do when I'm afraid, just closed my eyes and jumped anyways (not literally, obviously). I did <a href="http://www.blistersbliss.ca/" target="_blank">read up</a> a lot on it, so that I knew what to expect (it would be irresponsible if I didn't.) It was more than just a physical achievement, the <a href="http://www.westcoasttrailbc.com/trail_guidebook_map.htm" target="_blank">West coast Trail</a> was a "mind thing. Determination played a huge part in finishing it.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It wasn't important to us to do it in record time (on our third day, five guys with only camel packs with the goal of doing it in ONE DAY passed us! Apparently, they swam across the river too.) We took 7 days to do 77 km (included a 2 km hike to Thrasher Cove campsite, which was known to be one of the more difficult section, it's not on the path, many trekkers we have met chose to bypass this beautiful place).</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ladders</span></b></h4>
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<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Picture this, a decrepit looking wooden ladder, maybe up to 200 rungs, wet, muddy, some rungs missing. It's raining, I had at least a 40 lbs pack (probably heavier when rain soaked) on my back. The worst thing about it was not the things I have said above, the worst was that I have pulled my thigh muscles and there were <b>70</b> of these ladders! I admit that when looking down below the side of the cliffs, these ladders were where I had thought, "I will die." Sometimes, the rungs on the ladders were so far apart, I couldn't completely reach it - talk about a leap of faith. And just to cheer me up, there's also the thought of where there were many ladders that descended, there were probably just as many to climb up. Yup, pulling myself and my pack up. All that said, I actually preferred these ladders because at least, I knew exactly where my foot will go with each step.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Log Bridges</span></b></h4>
<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Once again, wet, mossy and muddy -- and most definitely slippery. Some uphill, some skinny, some very fat, sometimes notched, some only cross hatched, some over a ravine only a few feet down, but some may be up to 30 ft down a creek. You may think that a nice fat log would be preferable, that would be true except, when it came time to come down the thick log, it was a monumental task for my short legs (you can't just jump down because down is a tangle of very thick roots and maybe over a foot deep of mud).</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Roots</span></b></h4>
<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The tangle of roots were wearisome and frustrating. One of the most common injury was twisting your ankle. I did that a lot -- thankfully, no serious injury. I did trip on one, fell down and hit my eye (black eye is the result), I had a great difficulty in getting up because my pack was so heavy. </span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Mud/Bog</span></b></h4>
<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's a horror story of mud! Days and days and days of mud (seven days as a matter of fact). Nobody knows mud until they have seen the mud specifically on the south end of the west coast trail. Seriously. It was endless. We wasted so much time trying to figure out how to cross a simple mudfield. My natural instinct was to avoid them (impossible), even though, I kept telling myself to just go. I did eventually slog through most of them. Sometimes, I tried to slog through the bog, and my leg kept sinking and sinking, and would not reach bottom, so I would pull it out (think suction sounds). I really really wanted to avoid the mud above my knee and gaiters because the mud would have entered my shoes and then I would have had to hike for several hours with mud inside my shoes -- having my feet wet and squishy were uncomfortable enough. It was true that the trail does somewhat get better on the north side, but there were still plenty of mud. </span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Broken Boardwalks</span></b></h4>
<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It wasn't a big deal when the boardwalk was only over a foot of mud, but often, it's more dicey than that. (For Rick, he was able to just leap over.) Sometimes, you step on a slippery boardwalk and it will break. Sometimes, the plank wasn't attached to anything. Sometimes, the broken boardwalks will be on a steep side and front angle. </span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 or 3 ft ascent/descent</span></b></h4>
<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I hated these with vengeance!!! They were so hard for me because my legs couldn't reach the ground or the step. Often, there were no foot holds because everything was soft mud. The roots, which were often my foe, were at the same time, helpful in pulling myself up or down for support. Going backwards was my solution, but sometimes I just had to slide down my butt. Remember the heavy backpack, though, every move I made had to be controlled because the pack could end up throwing my weight off and I would go hurtling forward.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Wet</span></b></h4>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVMaxpfCQ5YBgQNG-fkNcAyQB5sopoY4F8dPGBoS6U589uIQFT9yKz0mTfqLQfiZF5J_zPy5rSUO2ppZ565AvI53YwubNM5b8HrKPY_SYtE2cvDpayfakUm8chyuwJcazOftr5gY8NeQ1b/s1600/WCT2013+128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #7f6000;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVMaxpfCQ5YBgQNG-fkNcAyQB5sopoY4F8dPGBoS6U589uIQFT9yKz0mTfqLQfiZF5J_zPy5rSUO2ppZ565AvI53YwubNM5b8HrKPY_SYtE2cvDpayfakUm8chyuwJcazOftr5gY8NeQ1b/s320/WCT2013+128.JPG" width="180" /></span></a><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Imagine waking up in the morning in your tent and starting to prepare for the day's hike by putting on wet socks, wet pants, wet everything. (Even though, we had spare dry clothes, we didn't want to waste them by wearing them in the rain, we saved our dry clothes for when we were finished for the day.) We would pack our wet tent and wet everything and carry these wet things on our packs which were now even heavier than when we started.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Why it's All Worth it!</span></b></span></h2>
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<li><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The ancient and enormous trees that are <b>still alive</b>!!!</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The wall of ferns growing on the uprooted roots of a gargantuan trees (talk about vertical garden).</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The various shades and textures of moss (I would be in the middle of a ladder when I would stop and admire sometimes).</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The shock of red/orange of a wildflower on a rocky piece of land in the middle of the ocean on a low tide. </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The constant roaring and and always breathing ocean at the campsites.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The spectacular walls of headlands.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The people you meet along the trail - woman from Colorado, a seasoned hiker who had done the Patagonia, early 20s with her parents in their 60s; a German PHD student by himself who attended a conference in Vancouver; Monique who owns Chez Monique, the burger joint close to the halfway point (we walked away very full after dropping $75 on burgers and beers), she was from Quebec, her dad was Algonquin I think but her light skin and eyes makes it obvious that she takes after her mom who was Irish; the lighthouse keeper's wife who tended a very nice garden, their supplies arrive by helicopter ...</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Walk on the sea floor and watch sea anemones open and close with the gentle moving water, sea cucumbers, a rainbow of seaweeds, sea urchin shells, crabs rushing here and there ...</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">See sun bleached skeleton of I'm not really sure what, sea lion, maybe?</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The air.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The salmon berries.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The sense of awe when arriving at yet another spectacular campsite.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The fear/exhilaration of crossing a fast moving and very cold river or creek.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Getting in and out and riding the cable cars.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The suspension bridge.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The view at the suspension bridge.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The many many bridges -- some better than others. All more slippery than the next.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The numerous bald eagles.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The sweet candy that the guy who took people across the Nitinat crossing gave me.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Finish at the beach in Bamfield holding hands (no mud!!!).</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Sense of accomplishment of what your mind and body can achieve/capable of under great stress.</span></li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi94oWX541IOmYnfaZLjvOX4GMi41RYSAJCpmWHzzi4912qrxenSJxUuN1fhXnJ3Xf5TKsKwaiGMdGlv9KLm30Kpt7xQGMBMhir2BQuIYyt9zM_YXEAtJ7n1yT53DWbG6AYGGLAV-jRNYNq/s1600/WCT2013+188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #7f6000;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi94oWX541IOmYnfaZLjvOX4GMi41RYSAJCpmWHzzi4912qrxenSJxUuN1fhXnJ3Xf5TKsKwaiGMdGlv9KLm30Kpt7xQGMBMhir2BQuIYyt9zM_YXEAtJ7n1yT53DWbG6AYGGLAV-jRNYNq/s400/WCT2013+188.JPG" width="400" /></span></a><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Tips</span></h3>
<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Prepare your mind for hardships.</span><br />
<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Don't rush! Enjoy and appreciate it every moment </b>(maybe not the mud part, that's just unpleasant)..</span>Lizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078014237950859654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813271960023465588.post-8338478230883227872013-04-19T19:34:00.001-07:002013-04-19T19:36:15.045-07:00Girl Power in Richmond: Roller Derby<span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What I knew about roller derby before I went to see the <a href="http://www.terminalcityrollergirls.com/">Terminal City Rollergirls</a> last weekend, was that the women have cool and sometimes funny, sometimes graphic nicknames such as Laurence of a Labia and Victory Slap, they get to wear cute and sexy outfits and they get bashed around. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuTINiBfQN_y_1b5MS49QEldgLWswFxYJgZrEWEdgan5xeaxZ1OF-1E3rTdb0fSq4xouOoSNFm4VpXQF7iJnqI5asekmPUSZIJW-Lh5or62xrFwUOhWqW3-EBATFMSKOxr-QvF4sM8KTAz/s1600/roller3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuTINiBfQN_y_1b5MS49QEldgLWswFxYJgZrEWEdgan5xeaxZ1OF-1E3rTdb0fSq4xouOoSNFm4VpXQF7iJnqI5asekmPUSZIJW-Lh5or62xrFwUOhWqW3-EBATFMSKOxr-QvF4sM8KTAz/s400/roller3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riot Girls</td></tr>
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<br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> I was correct on my assumptions above, but obviously, there was so much more to it than that. I regret that I did not research the rules of the game before going. It wasn't as violent as I thought it was going to be (like on tv), but there was a lot of falling down involved. After a few <a href="http://rollerderbydictionary.tumblr.com/Dictionary" target="_blank">jams</a> (two minute races between teams to score points) I eventually began to somewhat understand the gist of this girls only sport. I chose my favourite team (Riot Girls) and "jammer" (the one who scores and has a star on her helmet) and spent the rest of the evening just enjoying the derby. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Aside from being confused about the rules, I found it to be quite entertaining. It actually reminds me a bit of men's hockey (bashing each other, blocking, racing). The league seemed like a good community of colourful people who were just out to have fun, with many volunteers helping out. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I think I will go again. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The next one will be on <a href="http://www.terminalcityrollergirls.com/tickets" target="_blank">May 4th</a>, at Minoru Arena in Richmond.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>Lizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078014237950859654noreply@blogger.comMinoru Arenas, Richmond, BC V6Y, Canada49.1645038 -123.1428932999999749.1632058 -123.14541479999997 49.1658018 -123.14037179999997tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813271960023465588.post-59176144399259089882013-04-12T17:48:00.001-07:002013-04-13T10:12:36.397-07:00Too Busy to Go Out -- Washing My Hair with Baking Soda<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLL86LLnRtg214VWYrBFkzhsM8SjwE4puDxtenP5OoHPjG_OmV1QyhM3riWrrhH76RVxmkWG8TvONcClizyI3iamHC5ATo20bX8i5LkCB5PGRoAuPzNqQ1jDJVB_4HM9ShQKr2LFjUh_b/s1600/IMG1737+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLL86LLnRtg214VWYrBFkzhsM8SjwE4puDxtenP5OoHPjG_OmV1QyhM3riWrrhH76RVxmkWG8TvONcClizyI3iamHC5ATo20bX8i5LkCB5PGRoAuPzNqQ1jDJVB_4HM9ShQKr2LFjUh_b/s200/IMG1737+(1).jpg" width="150" /></a><br />
<h4>
<span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I am so not a <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=granola">granola</a> (not that there is anything wrong with being one). I shave my legs so that they will be silky smooth, I generally wear make-up, and I have nothing against using store bought products. So, that said, I will tell you how thrilled I am, that my bathroom, is now the new kitchen, complete with a teeny tiny fridge (did you just roll your eyes?). </span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In my kitchen/bathroom, you may find baking soda, apple cider vinegar, yogurt, avocado, lemon and coconut oil -- these are not for consumption. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitBo8WyJLYekNql2vxaeYc5HtrhNcq8SoF9nkNQTABBbG02xfrlH1jMBOa-ZiavnMcmNr2K7WwXdbsZYchT1Sc_SZ0iMMgXBcf0LmxwoedOCdNgeONVH9pmeCC43KVMcOZY1x-FFbd2raS/s1600/IMG1718.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitBo8WyJLYekNql2vxaeYc5HtrhNcq8SoF9nkNQTABBbG02xfrlH1jMBOa-ZiavnMcmNr2K7WwXdbsZYchT1Sc_SZ0iMMgXBcf0LmxwoedOCdNgeONVH9pmeCC43KVMcOZY1x-FFbd2raS/s400/IMG1718.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making it look pretty: In the recycled soap pump, I put in the ACV (apple cider vinegar) <br />
conditioner, to its right is the baking soda (container from Ikea) and in the pretty container is the coconut oil.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Let's start with <b>baking soda shampoo </b><span style="color: #444444;">{<b> </b>ratio is not absolute, a heaping tablespoon or 2 of baking powder to 1 cup water }</span>. I have heard about this concoction before, but because I associated it with something for the aforementioned granola types, I dismissed it without ever entertaining the idea of giving it a try. What changed my mind is a friend's post and ravings on Facebook (thanks Lisa). A recommendation from a personal acquaintance weighs in so much more than from a complete stranger. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So, I try it. I will tell you, though, that it is strange to use. It's obviously nothing resembling shampoo at all. It is basically gritty water. Two squirts and I did my best to work it in my scalp and all through my hair. As I am rinsing, I immediately feel my hair get really soft (like after conditioning). I decided to just leave it at that and not use any conditioner at all, after all, it feels soft and untangled already. I blow dry it - no mousse, no hair spray</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> -- nothing at all. The result is fantastic. My hair feels really clean and light. As if it has been stripped off years of gunk. It's voluminous, bouncy and shiny. <span style="color: #666666;">{ </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">If you feel that you still need a conditioner, there is ACV -- <b>Apple Cider Vinegar Conditioner</b> -- half water, half apple cider vinegar. }</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0wXC3DKA-Beqpq9e_y5hp3yyUtA8GwP82QvvfJCJ9am21dxSVkSd26gNlLdMxaUo9AyY4aTj44fHISncVGPGXaUIfXhKvF_NKuAprbSrlgbmCJsETD5Z01In5aMLdePCZPMc0bnRbOcBa/s1600/IMG1691.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0wXC3DKA-Beqpq9e_y5hp3yyUtA8GwP82QvvfJCJ9am21dxSVkSd26gNlLdMxaUo9AyY4aTj44fHISncVGPGXaUIfXhKvF_NKuAprbSrlgbmCJsETD5Z01In5aMLdePCZPMc0bnRbOcBa/s200/IMG1691.jpg" width="181" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In general, my hair is quite healthy -- it's not very thick (having children thins your hair like you wouldn't believe), I have never coloured it (maybe once when I was 16) and I don't use any curling/straightening iron. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My almost 21 year old daughter however, has massively thick, permed, sometimes corn rowed, sometimes pink hair. She LOVES the baking soda & water concoction. She raves about it to all her friends. She uses it with the ACV conditioner (make sure to rinse well).</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwr8kHnjRH3q-u7JfcnBAGVodwDdERCPXsXo7M0HOkO0ZrEiOiPMBpVaHdaiys3J4CkCxqm9PLB0ipgqHGdSEoDNgpHtS8ZvgpjXtuETuYIFDjte3sy_VIkTIZQiSTfxLVuYYp0BWXfrrq/s1600/IMG1738+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwr8kHnjRH3q-u7JfcnBAGVodwDdERCPXsXo7M0HOkO0ZrEiOiPMBpVaHdaiys3J4CkCxqm9PLB0ipgqHGdSEoDNgpHtS8ZvgpjXtuETuYIFDjte3sy_VIkTIZQiSTfxLVuYYp0BWXfrrq/s200/IMG1738+(1).jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coconut oil in this antique container that <br />
I bought at a garage sale for .50 cents.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The other thing I use for everything is <b>Virgin Coconut Oil</b>. It is so useful for so many things like moisturizer, lotion, make-up remover, deodorant, and it is </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">fantastic for massage -- because it is solid and melts immediately when it touches skin - there are no drippy mess. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Just google it and you will discover its many uses. (Plus, think of the counter space you will gain.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So, next on my wholesomeness experiment will be the yogurt and honey and avocado skin care. I'll keep you posted.</span><br />
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Lizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078014237950859654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813271960023465588.post-90626703316891491922013-04-06T17:27:00.000-07:002013-04-06T17:36:10.626-07:00Steveston Fish Market<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2W0-jueL1I1bUXAz5yYr2vRklKNk8s2-M8IYNtwx9bGEMMlj_hyWXZ1RoyPQcGEAHjxxE3HxRCQvuZPZqGh_nwueztWMP2F_yWEGHjC0njBiMFJ7sCxnbNB5nVP_acNB0MouDDzACkhW6/s1600/IMG1653.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2W0-jueL1I1bUXAz5yYr2vRklKNk8s2-M8IYNtwx9bGEMMlj_hyWXZ1RoyPQcGEAHjxxE3HxRCQvuZPZqGh_nwueztWMP2F_yWEGHjC0njBiMFJ7sCxnbNB5nVP_acNB0MouDDzACkhW6/s400/IMG1653.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If you are Asian, and live in the Lower Mainland, you are probably familiar with the <a href="http://www.stevestonivillage.com/stevestonfishmarket.html" target="_blank">Steveston Fish Market</a> in <a href="http://www.steveston.bc.ca/activities.html" target="_blank">Steveston Village</a> in Richmond. Sure you can buy fish at Safeway, all clean and gutted, but it's not the same as getting it fresh from the fisherman (fisher?). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Eating/seeing a whole fish on the table freaks out many people who have only been exposed to fish and chips, but it's a very normal fare for many Asians and Europeans. Today, walking through the wharf we see sea urchins, perch, cods, lemon sole, shrimps in various sizes, octopus, and some other ones that I've never heard of. The smell of freshness is mouth watering. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgka4Wvs-t792GdroMV3LYeH7vy3eCzHt0mAz4w8zmNU4hHK6FZx3dF92mnR4xuPVPusSvRAZtssrf4sTjdXPQGYRwbQ8QxS-4g_Locnj2J6tr-k5Nu-xvpKA5kHBMOLBPjv18EeVnYuf70/s1600/IMG1652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgka4Wvs-t792GdroMV3LYeH7vy3eCzHt0mAz4w8zmNU4hHK6FZx3dF92mnR4xuPVPusSvRAZtssrf4sTjdXPQGYRwbQ8QxS-4g_Locnj2J6tr-k5Nu-xvpKA5kHBMOLBPjv18EeVnYuf70/s200/IMG1652.jpg" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Most people walking in the market are looky-loos -- looking with great apprehensions at those sea creatures with bulging eyes. If you are feeling brave, a good starter I would recommend (dare) is to try some fresh shrimp -- no cleaning or gutting required. It's very easy to cook (rinse, toss in a hot pan with a little garlic and olive oil, sprinkle of sea salt or if you want, just toss in a pan with a little water - when it turns pink and opaque, it's done).</span>Lizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078014237950859654noreply@blogger.comSteveston Village, Richmond, BC V7E 3M1, Canada49.1261377 -123.1828770000000249.1235402 -123.18791950000002 49.1287352 -123.17783450000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813271960023465588.post-87401119508709407352013-04-02T10:53:00.000-07:002013-04-02T12:49:37.056-07:00Vancouver Art Gallery: Art Spiegelman CO-MIX: A Retrospective of Comics, Graphics and Scraps <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwOyHK117BvqT82lX6AC9NkmCzsygJ8y74gT3zKeKwDSDT8SOKb2gxbuhxaioDWb7U1ER9X21vItXxa-m-aNz_dVwmc4abP6_mrD_F53HnvdpdrkD5O1G0x_E1I_YWXAzfjg0DhOpWkp2P/s1600/vag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwOyHK117BvqT82lX6AC9NkmCzsygJ8y74gT3zKeKwDSDT8SOKb2gxbuhxaioDWb7U1ER9X21vItXxa-m-aNz_dVwmc4abP6_mrD_F53HnvdpdrkD5O1G0x_E1I_YWXAzfjg0DhOpWkp2P/s320/vag.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">VAG [Where is Liza?<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;">©]</span></span></td></tr>
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<h4>
<span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If you aren't a fan of graphic novels, you may not be familiar with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Spiegelman" target="_blank">Art Speigelman</a>. I am quite certain that you have seen his work, though, especially his often controversial <a href="https://www.google.ca/search?q=Art+spiegelman+new+yorker+cover&hl=en&sa=X&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&ei=xBRbUbSpDYqqigK6zIEg&ved=0CC8QsAQ&biw=1280&bih=802" target="_blank">New Yorker covers</a>.</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">His most famous work is Maus. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"</span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px;"><b>Maus</b></i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px;"> is a </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphic_novel" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; text-decoration: none;" title="Graphic novel">graphic novel</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px;"> completed in 1991 by American cartoonist </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Spiegelman" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; text-decoration: none;" title="Art Spiegelman">Art Spiegelman</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px;">. It depicts Spiegelman interviewing his father about his experiences as a </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_Poland" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; text-decoration: none;" title="History of the Jews in Poland">Polish Jew</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px;"> and </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holocaust" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; text-decoration: none;" title="Holocaust">Holocaust</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px;"> survivor. The book uses </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-modernism" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; text-decoration: none;" title="Post-modernism">postmodern</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px;"> techniques—most strikingly in its depiction of </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_(classification_of_humans)" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; text-decoration: none;" title="Race (classification of humans)">races of humans</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px;"> as different kinds of animals, with Jews as mice, Germans as cats and non-Jewish Poles as pigs.</span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px;">Maus</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px;"> has been described as </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memoir" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px;" title="Memoir">memoir</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px;">, biography, history, fiction, autobiography, or a mix of genres. In 1992 it became the first graphic novel to win a </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulitzer_Prize" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; text-decoration: none;" title="Pulitzer Prize">Pulitzer Prize</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px;">." </span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px;">-- Wikipedia[</span><span style="font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.1875px;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maus]</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I strongly advice that you join the <a href="http://www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/visit_the_gallery/tours.html" target="_blank">tour</a> rather than just viewing the <a href="http://www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/the_exhibitions/exhibit_co-mix.html" target="_blank">exhibit</a>. Hearing about who he is and his experiences is a big part of appreciating his work. It will be at the VAG until June 9, 2013.</span></div>
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Lizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078014237950859654noreply@blogger.comVancouver Art Gallery, 750 Hornby Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2H7, Canada49.28291 -123.1204212000000123.7608755 -164.4290152 74.8049445 -81.81182720000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813271960023465588.post-30166366388628426342013-04-01T21:55:00.001-07:002013-04-01T21:55:39.385-07:00Oyster Dome, Deception Pass, Anacortes<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-FtYti57n_TD_bSDC0NNVgaUrk-cqNjUR9CtEzNFR5OARIGfbfogyvG4iLKy1D942AOzxMVi6e10_4jHlZEBp0Nqs1LESOit4w346CAvz2cVvAOCi0vCQp1jMZkXdy6jduxW7hz5mB_Fz/s1600/DSCF8425small2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-FtYti57n_TD_bSDC0NNVgaUrk-cqNjUR9CtEzNFR5OARIGfbfogyvG4iLKy1D942AOzxMVi6e10_4jHlZEBp0Nqs1LESOit4w346CAvz2cVvAOCi0vCQp1jMZkXdy6jduxW7hz5mB_Fz/s400/DSCF8425small2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;">View at dusk from Lighthouse Point trail in Deception Pass </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;">[Photo by: Where is Liza</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;">©]</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>We</b> all know by now how beautiful the Pacific Northwest is. Knowing this, I am still in awe every time I am staring at its splendour.</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The <a href="http://www.visitsanjuans.com/" target="_blank">San Juan Island</a> area in Washington is the equivalent of our <a href="http://www.vancouverislandoutdoor.com/" target="_blank">Vancouver Island</a> (without having to take the ferry and shelling out your life savings). It consist of various islands, breathtaking cliff side views, arbutus trees sprinkled everywhere, hiking trails aplenty, and that small town feel that makes you feel like you are on vacation.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Our first stop of on this road trip is <a href="http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/oyster-dome?b_start:int=5" target="_blank">Oyster Dome</a> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">off Chuckanut Drive, south of Bellingham.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The original plan was to do either the 3.8 mile or 6.5 mile hike. This didn't happen because we did not get our <a href="http://www.discoverpass.wa.gov/" target="_blank">Discovery Pass</a> that is necessary to park in any of the Washington area parks. We are however able to drive all the way up to the lookout point which is of course spectacular. It would have been very cool to see hang gliders because it is known for it, but oh well. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Aside from knowing that we will be camping, we actually haven't made any concrete plans on where we will be staying. So we keep on driving south and figure that we will make a decision when we see something interesting.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2y63JYZOlxx7-RnptB8wSRCM5GdhwBc6yFm39qirFJxG37cJCk-1U9bSPKwQazrOiYqQlPb4IVnJhQijp7yxrugapchGfrQCFI7YeGAUO03EaNf5jboXvPOL4F25P6fH0nuoK80j-ekVI/s1600/DSCF8446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2y63JYZOlxx7-RnptB8wSRCM5GdhwBc6yFm39qirFJxG37cJCk-1U9bSPKwQazrOiYqQlPb4IVnJhQijp7yxrugapchGfrQCFI7YeGAUO03EaNf5jboXvPOL4F25P6fH0nuoK80j-ekVI/s320/DSCF8446.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;">[Photo by: Where is Liza</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;">©]</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM7W6nm230Bwz_ykJXtpj5F9CQf_7r9t-mLxu_i4H4ExRde9YeZ-42EPUmxJnPsvA6WCDWh9H70E_Yl7KoO_MWNDp05BO1sTVDZ1aoA8xsjcf3YLmkTumtBaXE4N-sWX8sc-wQVQwQ-pL0/s1600/DSCF8424.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM7W6nm230Bwz_ykJXtpj5F9CQf_7r9t-mLxu_i4H4ExRde9YeZ-42EPUmxJnPsvA6WCDWh9H70E_Yl7KoO_MWNDp05BO1sTVDZ1aoA8xsjcf3YLmkTumtBaXE4N-sWX8sc-wQVQwQ-pL0/s200/DSCF8424.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;">[Photo by: Where is Liza</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;">©]</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Interesting" has brought us to <a href="http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/seasonal-hikes/hikes/deception-pass-headlands" target="_blank">Deception Pass</a> campground. It's perfect -- no Discovery Pass required to camp for the night. With the sound of the ocean in the background, we set camp at around 7 pm. 15 minutes before 8 pm, we are putting on our headlamps for a hike to Lighthouse point. At this time, there is still some light, but it is getting dark. We follow a trail that goes to the beach and then up to the forest, and then to more of that breathtaking stuff I've been talking about (see first photo above). It is rugged, wild and crazy beautiful. (After a few minutes, it did get quite dark; I'm sure glad that I brought those headlamps). The hike only took about an hour, with plenty of stops for photos and ooohings and aaahhhings. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;">[Photo by: Where is Liza</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;">©]</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The next day, we drive to <a href="http://www.anacortes.org/" target="_blank">Anacortes</a>, which is in Fidalgo Island. It's a very quaint town with buildings that feel like it's been there for a very long time. I can just imagine that this place must be quite populated in the summer/tourist months. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #666666;">Washington Park - Anacortes </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;">[Photo by: Where is Liza</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;">©]</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For the future, we drive to see the other state park in the area -- <a href="http://www.cityofanacortes.org/parks/WaPark/wa_park.htm" target="_blank">Washington Park</a>. And yup, it's beautiful. We prefer the Deception Point </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">campsite </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">better, but the scenery is something else. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We hope to come back to do some hiking in this area.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;">Washington Park - Anacortes </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;">[Photo by: Where is Liza</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;">©]</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;">Anacortes </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;">[Photo by: Where is Liza</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;">©]</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;">Anacortes [Photo by: Where is Liza</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;">©]</span></td></tr>
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<br />Lizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078014237950859654noreply@blogger.comAnacortes, WA48.5832466 -123.032204648.247103100000004 -123.6776516 48.9193901 -122.3867576tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813271960023465588.post-29114948882856550022013-03-30T21:40:00.000-07:002013-03-30T21:40:07.648-07:00Killarney Lake Hike - Bowen Island<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjar62GFTPGHLZksZ98sSrEYADtFZasNiIDc6f9FPeXQY8ZAKez90BJWgpd6VqpC90GLWucW5y-xvisNxafXI1zZU87KcqdBh4sr5RATmeIc0B6s-EuJM5hD6XIgIljOWPzfrdpvzkymZCu/s1600/bowen7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjar62GFTPGHLZksZ98sSrEYADtFZasNiIDc6f9FPeXQY8ZAKez90BJWgpd6VqpC90GLWucW5y-xvisNxafXI1zZU87KcqdBh4sr5RATmeIc0B6s-EuJM5hD6XIgIljOWPzfrdpvzkymZCu/s400/bowen7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This was not so much of a hike but more of a scenic stroll in an island. I had been so lazy all winter with only yoga, the occasional paddle and snowshoeing, so I know that I needed to ease into my activities. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmEGjmGa3qxHr6-u5wF270CFIXFgNX52Alidrigs6EeNKegRWG_F0kOS9NKo9M1J74kFwFQoUrZtdcv30fSe4r5lF48027OsvIGMUG2hE-ZDbLq4FgODzteNNq677YlHpM6ml9Y5HSuzYy/s1600/bowen4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmEGjmGa3qxHr6-u5wF270CFIXFgNX52Alidrigs6EeNKegRWG_F0kOS9NKo9M1J74kFwFQoUrZtdcv30fSe4r5lF48027OsvIGMUG2hE-ZDbLq4FgODzteNNq677YlHpM6ml9Y5HSuzYy/s200/bowen4.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu2HLOqZxhpRnbWciTblD68b_hFYeEfIZBNzJWcfGFy2wPKZ6c9N8pHsrcLtCf5k_AblnP03FQVJhkIay3VNbbXegG-4Z-LnfT4NTuVywtvM2Cjb52sZlb-sjwLh-x1AMb6_cK1xch9TSk/s1600/bowen9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu2HLOqZxhpRnbWciTblD68b_hFYeEfIZBNzJWcfGFy2wPKZ6c9N8pHsrcLtCf5k_AblnP03FQVJhkIay3VNbbXegG-4Z-LnfT4NTuVywtvM2Cjb52sZlb-sjwLh-x1AMb6_cK1xch9TSk/s200/bowen9.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Because of the ferry ride, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.bowen-island-bc.com/" target="_blank">Bowen Island</a> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">gives you the feeling of going "away." </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.vancouvertrails.com/trails/killarney-lake/" target="_blank">Killarney Lake</a> was a mere 9 km of easy and scenic ramble. This was the perfect place to break in my new hiking boots (hard to believe that I was so excited with this purchase at MEC, when not too long ago, I only had eyes for 6" heels). The hike around took us 3 hours, but that's only because we took a very leisurely break at the picnic area. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So now, enough with the leisurely jaunt around the park, I need a challenge. I need to start training for the <a href="http://www.westcoasttrailbc.com/trail_guidebook_map.htm#expect" target="_blank">West Coast Trail</a> for this summer which had been known as "<span style="background-color: white;">being one of the most grueling treks in North America." </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Let the games begin!</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">?</span><br />
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Lizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078014237950859654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813271960023465588.post-33479512156440417512013-03-25T17:46:00.000-07:002013-03-30T21:45:06.662-07:00Evening Snowshoeing and Fondue at Cypress Mountain <a href="http://cypressmountain.com/snowshoe-tours" target="_blank"><b>Cypress Snowshoeing</b></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFSohFT2z64l_8tXVC543XM-7vhNi25tRzNHcEGYtq9O-75oW11XtoyzZ4l6upjenU5O437aCLNtt1EnaLhuhWBf4t6ucg1mdauyxJlSBXpLang7hQ_Cu3b_JI2nScQQV-xmn7vvo3AldG/s1600/377696_10151550275181289_1460297666_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFSohFT2z64l_8tXVC543XM-7vhNi25tRzNHcEGYtq9O-75oW11XtoyzZ4l6upjenU5O437aCLNtt1EnaLhuhWBf4t6ucg1mdauyxJlSBXpLang7hQ_Cu3b_JI2nScQQV-xmn7vvo3AldG/s320/377696_10151550275181289_1460297666_n.jpg" width="251" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This was only my second time snowshoeing ever, and I loved it. It took no skills at all -- just the desire to be active and outdoors.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The first time I went, we started at around 3 pm and we stayed on the trails with the destination to <a href="http://cypressmountain.com/hollyburn-lodge" target="_blank">Hollyburn Lodge</a> in mind. It didn't take long at all to get there. We sat on the bench in front of it (it was closed that day) and enjoyed the hot apple cider and chocolate that we brought with us. We were mindful of the time because we needed to bring back the rented snowshoes by closing (5 pm).</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeTBmQk3xdMWWO9SQAP7Opup0ppdo41nG6V8K7DL3WfPT8rOfvLiFmYCiEFhff1BNqGiBcA2ncPV7qeVx9YeWMZw0_xIPpr-OPzB2FQ5Tvk7oC29MKA8R_eUAWI2y522a1LUihirHzEeWF/s1600/IMG1562.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeTBmQk3xdMWWO9SQAP7Opup0ppdo41nG6V8K7DL3WfPT8rOfvLiFmYCiEFhff1BNqGiBcA2ncPV7qeVx9YeWMZw0_xIPpr-OPzB2FQ5Tvk7oC29MKA8R_eUAWI2y522a1LUihirHzEeWF/s200/IMG1562.jpg" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The second time, we signed up on a tour for 6:30 pm. Initially, I thought it would be a waste of money because it seemed so simple a task. But actually, it was worth the $50 (you do get chocolate). Our guide who we later discovered was a Brit with his doctorate on Climatology (or something like that, it was difficult to hear with the crunching of the snow), was fantastic. He showed us a circuitous way up to the lodge. Any one can do the trail of course, if you want "easy." Our group didn't want easy, so we traversed through fresh snow piles throughout. He showed us how to slide down the slopes -- "the steeper the better." We learned the different species of trees in the area, which ones we can eat for sustenance just in case -- hemlock tasted citrusy (don't worry, it's not the same at all as the one that Socrates drank which was also called hemlock, that was an herb, not a tree). We even did some sliding (yes, on purpose, not by accident). There was a grooved area that will take you down nicely providing that you brought yourself a plastic bag to sit on (which our guide did bring for us). A few of the men did get quite competitive on who could go the furthest (yes, that would be my guy). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">By the time we arrived at the lodge, it was dark. There was a welcoming stove fire place burning, several tea lights lit, and a few lamps, which coincidentally, worked out quite perfectly as it was <a href="http://www.earthhour.org/" target="_blank">earth hour</a> by this time. There were also some warm hot apple cider and hot chocolate waiting (which we garnished with some Fireball that we brought with us, yes, we did share with everyone). Our guide then prepared our treat - chocolate fondue with plenty of dipping goodies like fruits, cakes and marshmallows. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Going down was definitely quicker that going up. T'was a good night. Can't wait to do it again on our own.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>Lizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078014237950859654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813271960023465588.post-81359824894944920962012-11-26T13:22:00.000-08:002012-11-26T13:23:35.655-08:00Paul McCartney<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8HyFpwWzmihoXEyk3OQvwSVw-oTS-mKWOlZnHaJQjqPGsFja-DO3V1K4uACI8KXXmisAKpPk5iVwWY-idvMgeWzUOclpwd7MFp3uKWf_DE5_o_3z1RKt3rTeDslo4livhOJ0GZHdO0idI/s1600/paulm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8HyFpwWzmihoXEyk3OQvwSVw-oTS-mKWOlZnHaJQjqPGsFja-DO3V1K4uACI8KXXmisAKpPk5iVwWY-idvMgeWzUOclpwd7MFp3uKWf_DE5_o_3z1RKt3rTeDslo4livhOJ0GZHdO0idI/s200/paulm.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I am lucky that I have quite a few items on my "Cool Stuff I Have Seen or Done List." I have seen Mikhail Baryshnikov and Karen Kain dance, The Nutcracker by the Bolshoi, seen art by Rembrandt, Michelangelo, Bernini that </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">made me weepy</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHTLGFsuVrmrepmAUiqUtCN-HE8dPiAYlwqQHb39GEisvqQw2BOMbr6FM5GFEB0dxbk2pli3I8W9vJF0ewSLsMOujJirsqXzAXzfwQ0Ttk0BKtmidZwHeSfR0tmrd0UwTBGL2qy3_MXLsL/s1600/IMG1261.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHTLGFsuVrmrepmAUiqUtCN-HE8dPiAYlwqQHb39GEisvqQw2BOMbr6FM5GFEB0dxbk2pli3I8W9vJF0ewSLsMOujJirsqXzAXzfwQ0Ttk0BKtmidZwHeSfR0tmrd0UwTBGL2qy3_MXLsL/s200/IMG1261.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Last night's performance by Paul McCartney is </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">definitely</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> going in that list. How cool is it to witness and be part of this legendary person. I am not a fanatic music or Beatles fan, but you don't need to be one to fully appreciate this very affable Brit. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He may be 70, but this doesn't stop him from giving a fantastic (and long) performance (2 encores with 4 or 5 songs each time, I think). At the end, he finally had to say, <i>"you know, we're all going to have to go home sometime."</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Read the <a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Review+Paul+McCartney+form+Place+with+video/7608423/story.html" target="_blank">reviews</a>, but it is the best concert I have ever been to. </span>Lizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078014237950859654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813271960023465588.post-32510652022774295242012-11-12T11:32:00.000-08:002012-11-12T11:32:11.074-08:00Yoga Conference 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A three day <a href="http://www.theyogaconference.com/vancouver/" target="_blank">event</a> of all you can have yoga and so much more.</span></div>
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<br />Lizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078014237950859654noreply@blogger.comVancouver Convention Centre, Vancouver, BC, Canada49.2893998 -123.116010149.2868108 -123.1209456 49.2919888 -123.1110746tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813271960023465588.post-71708068995923647522012-11-12T11:19:00.000-08:002012-11-12T11:19:36.192-08:00CircleCraft 2012 - Vancouver Convention Centre <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">There are still some who thinks that Craft Fairs are about granny knitted toilet paper covers (not that there's anything wrong with that). Not so. Many of the items at <a href="http://circlecraft.net/node/562" target="_blank">CircleCraft 2012</a> are high quality works of art.</span><br />
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<br /><br />Lizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078014237950859654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813271960023465588.post-77215529767266739982012-04-09T17:01:00.000-07:002012-04-09T17:01:27.155-07:00Scar Tissue at the Arts Club on Granville Island<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA5JmuJTNSQd10H5tLUmtGmgi_ggoDyAua4TFu8b1P8jsdNIE3ZXqUEAmhVTY8DGDaaifPbC8qG-fKlSsoCe-HTsTx5EUsRWFsL_QkRXG4TUkV_NPE6DnLNQ0mhE13S-3J6Ac5H0E4z0RM/s1600/ArtsClub_110125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA5JmuJTNSQd10H5tLUmtGmgi_ggoDyAua4TFu8b1P8jsdNIE3ZXqUEAmhVTY8DGDaaifPbC8qG-fKlSsoCe-HTsTx5EUsRWFsL_QkRXG4TUkV_NPE6DnLNQ0mhE13S-3J6Ac5H0E4z0RM/s200/ArtsClub_110125.jpg" width="151" /></a>I knew nothing about <a href="http://www.artsclub.com/20112012/plays/scar-tissue.htm" target="_blank">Scar Tissue</a> until I was reading their promo brochure. It was a play based on a <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/562336.Scar_Tissue" target="_blank">novel</a> by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Ignatieff" target="_blank">Michel Ignatieff</a> (yes, the politician) about a family coping with the mother's Alzheimer's Disease and facing the reality that the children and grand children may carry the same genes. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> This story was written for the reality of looking into the sometimes difficult relationships we have with our parents and siblings and maybe trying to understand and forgive not only their flaws but also our own. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
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</div>Lizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078014237950859654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813271960023465588.post-77905062680445919652012-04-09T16:26:00.000-07:002012-04-09T16:26:03.665-07:00Banana Leaf on Davie<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXSJ0sVJD_TPsQ7B5haaasY664UJgYWHsB-zeEc8SaDf1mndgSmhub-xg_wMCl9c_gq-whsL_4KyrxFYGwCDN7cAP0F0hj6bkK8mbdgynkRcMSepg8eU_4fQKrkj9oQG5ajzmnIyV56McU/s1600/IMG401+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXSJ0sVJD_TPsQ7B5haaasY664UJgYWHsB-zeEc8SaDf1mndgSmhub-xg_wMCl9c_gq-whsL_4KyrxFYGwCDN7cAP0F0hj6bkK8mbdgynkRcMSepg8eU_4fQKrkj9oQG5ajzmnIyV56McU/s320/IMG401+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibMnS3rotpdvU1eV81TaPz62cPvHdf1SKCI-Bv-ycmsP8sXnraBlJLY_l2f5oiicQQNlzqfBMUTKFRTVWtN7N6QBECl7mad0iOQ4SGBEf7tMoS6GSjexeM09h9K81zjEfSNAUUFvZSmgNU/s1600/IMG398+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibMnS3rotpdvU1eV81TaPz62cPvHdf1SKCI-Bv-ycmsP8sXnraBlJLY_l2f5oiicQQNlzqfBMUTKFRTVWtN7N6QBECl7mad0iOQ4SGBEf7tMoS6GSjexeM09h9K81zjEfSNAUUFvZSmgNU/s320/IMG398+copy.jpg" width="238" /></a> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">My girlfriend and I were looking for a place to further indulge ourselves after a perfect spa day. I haven't eaten all day, so the first interesting place was it - <a href="http://bananaleaf-vancouver.com/menu.html" target="_blank">Banana Leaf</a> on Davie (former location of Kam's).</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkErhR94gHDShdkucJgMNEio2sPsRKdPmTi8UdTD35FgFPavX2JH1tIl5AjLjEZJqpyH_4aTQRDTAclriDNWMxJuY2tLABhP4gBiPJaxXTvPlL2FJ7trDlb5FjZHLML6TYjiCpL2vrfFg8/s1600/IMG396+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkErhR94gHDShdkucJgMNEio2sPsRKdPmTi8UdTD35FgFPavX2JH1tIl5AjLjEZJqpyH_4aTQRDTAclriDNWMxJuY2tLABhP4gBiPJaxXTvPlL2FJ7trDlb5FjZHLML6TYjiCpL2vrfFg8/s200/IMG396+copy.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We shared the appetizer sampler for two (A platter of green salad, chicken satay, spring rolls, roti canai & calamari), which we followed with some King Prawns, which was the special of the day. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I have eaten at Banana Leaf a few times, and although, it's not my "go-to" Malaysian place (that would be <a href="http://www.tropika-canada.com/" target="_blank">Tropika</a>), it's a satisfying place for homey Asian food.</div>Lizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078014237950859654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813271960023465588.post-80570669072205697572012-04-09T15:49:00.002-07:002012-04-09T15:54:13.783-07:00Hakkasan Contemporary Chinese Cuisine<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvrQ4XGzrDmjLW4i5glOLBIy4OxuOVBp4BQD_J9aTMg8Bc4eCR-zpAgTm1LKA8KhoY5br-mMtiF5pTh5n6AlhCIpQko8821rn92DpqP3HgArPqbaYwuWaKikz0_mNHAMS3W6Girasv28QE/s1600/IMG392+copy.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvrQ4XGzrDmjLW4i5glOLBIy4OxuOVBp4BQD_J9aTMg8Bc4eCR-zpAgTm1LKA8KhoY5br-mMtiF5pTh5n6AlhCIpQko8821rn92DpqP3HgArPqbaYwuWaKikz0_mNHAMS3W6Girasv28QE/s1600/IMG392+copy.jpg" /></a> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">There are a few things that are a bit peculiar about <a href="http://www.hakkasan.ca/index.htm" target="_blank">Hakkasan</a>, for one, its location. It's not in a hub, rather, it's amidst industrial Richmond. Another oddity is that the staff were actually friendly and attentive - definitely not a norm for a Chinese restaurant. If you are looking for familiar fare such as orange chicken or bright red sweet and sour pork, this is NOT the place. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMXkiqXc7gT7ktxwKff9wklYL75Jj8Im_OzsP84suD1Swr2Qnbh_aPgEX4Hlvw94uSfQ0cqYWwGxtUGqDWwqXkGC5yYg-_W3tWN4wE0MICNd4se-EEtTcRmxK08QYgSDkeqTl1F2HuVp6r/s1600/IMG374+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMXkiqXc7gT7ktxwKff9wklYL75Jj8Im_OzsP84suD1Swr2Qnbh_aPgEX4Hlvw94uSfQ0cqYWwGxtUGqDWwqXkGC5yYg-_W3tWN4wE0MICNd4se-EEtTcRmxK08QYgSDkeqTl1F2HuVp6r/s1600/IMG374+copy.jpg" /></a>For starter we had a curried whelk. What's a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whelk" target="_blank">whelk</a>, you ask? It's a sea snail (but imagine a regular escargot on steroids). It was chopped and curried and stuffed back in the shell. It is interesting, but nothing to get excited about. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It is followed by a seared foie gras salad in a bed of mixed spring greens and strawberries and a bowl of lobster bisque.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGdkAaQBy8-aFqgQnV_xuY7ZZxUoqQPebdaZGPavmE3kYxlyel-Djwf9LtRZ9qEfN1uvbcIcngOasdXy3Es1Pysi_mCalWW9gN9imhMW6jNpyQJRxjxHaXa2kfN9JycdeyEw9tDJXlJ8kA/s1600/IMG380+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGdkAaQBy8-aFqgQnV_xuY7ZZxUoqQPebdaZGPavmE3kYxlyel-Djwf9LtRZ9qEfN1uvbcIcngOasdXy3Es1Pysi_mCalWW9gN9imhMW6jNpyQJRxjxHaXa2kfN9JycdeyEw9tDJXlJ8kA/s320/IMG380+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Next course is a Smoked Mushroom Beancurd Crepes. This is an interesting dish that I would like to remake at home.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie_EPmLraCdxslDsEwGYsIV0VU24OEfmFUDjYKgl-Virbg6jWWxPW5KxSPz-NBSrqxwD0a6kdstoJN6dDwtzaUCSxjX3fwTUpxt7EkZaK8EDqSOo-QgJrlcGxmIE5NdgdYWB9fvDjUXmpF/s1600/IMG387+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie_EPmLraCdxslDsEwGYsIV0VU24OEfmFUDjYKgl-Virbg6jWWxPW5KxSPz-NBSrqxwD0a6kdstoJN6dDwtzaUCSxjX3fwTUpxt7EkZaK8EDqSOo-QgJrlcGxmIE5NdgdYWB9fvDjUXmpF/s320/IMG387+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a>Main <span class="st"><i>entrée </i></span>for me is a Chilean sea bass, it is cooked perfectly. There isn't any exotic flavouring on this one, it's all about the fresh ingredient and cooking technique. My friend chose the lobster. Also cooked perfectly. Both meals came with a bowl of rice.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">They will be closing temporarily soon, but I would love to come back to and try their other items. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwfNfPJQDHhT-BiM5Dq7lFOMmhTd31i_m7IX0_W42z0Ql7gLQPzWk6K143mDY7RvdRkVmBWz1-Rg8DYPsVrbY756q7lV5nwb2oLVO7XwSdGTDmuKv9qFJkNYUJyAoXl2P4kp1WX-26Dm31/s1600/IMG395+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwfNfPJQDHhT-BiM5Dq7lFOMmhTd31i_m7IX0_W42z0Ql7gLQPzWk6K143mDY7RvdRkVmBWz1-Rg8DYPsVrbY756q7lV5nwb2oLVO7XwSdGTDmuKv9qFJkNYUJyAoXl2P4kp1WX-26Dm31/s1600/IMG395+copy.jpg" /></a></div>Lizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078014237950859654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813271960023465588.post-52625365156298055042012-03-30T15:34:00.000-07:002012-03-30T15:34:34.234-07:00Neon | Ugly Vancouver at the MOV<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Zgej7zi6_P-rJ8LoYVm7BVFgW-D6gR8uawbOnWESkOA-OrGn0F0Rp84_Q86ZHxHXNYr360YmCQO2SWPbbJIVhVupRlOnnS0ZqRDK8pxh6bRqWKxF48IzDzxpY-sTnyDWxAgnDHoaI3-P/s1600/neon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Zgej7zi6_P-rJ8LoYVm7BVFgW-D6gR8uawbOnWESkOA-OrGn0F0Rp84_Q86ZHxHXNYr360YmCQO2SWPbbJIVhVupRlOnnS0ZqRDK8pxh6bRqWKxF48IzDzxpY-sTnyDWxAgnDHoaI3-P/s200/neon.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Also at the <a href="http://museumofvancouver.ca/" target="_blank">MOV</a> until August 12, 2012, is <a href="http://museumofvancouver.ca/exhibitions/exhibit/neon-vancouver-ugly-vancouver" target="_blank">Neon/Ugly Vancouver</a>, a collection of neon signs from Vancouver's past. I have to warn you, though, that you may end up with a headache as I did. The usually high up on the building signs are all in small enclosed space. This exhibition would have been better if placed in a more spacious room. Nevertheless, they are fun and definitely an interesting look of the "ugly" Vancouver. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo9Fu-KBGqE9PlJecfKGyMPVhBHH9waSlctXPtU-yJ7ks12cbfQGIdSlEJvApGyxBpMcV9XGc0XwzulY9om8cnUSO8sLYxpIbPTh1csiP6T7v5EFs-PmP-GCh62acvIjNDGG0JlG0yJtfK/s1600/neon6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo9Fu-KBGqE9PlJecfKGyMPVhBHH9waSlctXPtU-yJ7ks12cbfQGIdSlEJvApGyxBpMcV9XGc0XwzulY9om8cnUSO8sLYxpIbPTh1csiP6T7v5EFs-PmP-GCh62acvIjNDGG0JlG0yJtfK/s1600/neon6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo9Fu-KBGqE9PlJecfKGyMPVhBHH9waSlctXPtU-yJ7ks12cbfQGIdSlEJvApGyxBpMcV9XGc0XwzulY9om8cnUSO8sLYxpIbPTh1csiP6T7v5EFs-PmP-GCh62acvIjNDGG0JlG0yJtfK/s1600/neon6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo9Fu-KBGqE9PlJecfKGyMPVhBHH9waSlctXPtU-yJ7ks12cbfQGIdSlEJvApGyxBpMcV9XGc0XwzulY9om8cnUSO8sLYxpIbPTh1csiP6T7v5EFs-PmP-GCh62acvIjNDGG0JlG0yJtfK/s320/neon6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0BNTk1ICbGsi-07oDjczcPgVI1Qx7i7i7-1cPds4_uPMiiXnPXSb_Q0__DsS5ZIzQMLtNiYvaRGMeV-pBcwQKFYbYHO-2-f4oWrVLw9rJEZ5CTxMP7wfX0BiSEP7BCQVhUpzUY6ppQQRV/s1600/neon2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0BNTk1ICbGsi-07oDjczcPgVI1Qx7i7i7-1cPds4_uPMiiXnPXSb_Q0__DsS5ZIzQMLtNiYvaRGMeV-pBcwQKFYbYHO-2-f4oWrVLw9rJEZ5CTxMP7wfX0BiSEP7BCQVhUpzUY6ppQQRV/s400/neon2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgMpJWwctUC6_hTP12dkmAhGNDvkizDJmgMPfZ4OSXBgBpUb1AcKqejXNR1nYKQU9v-6IE8ir9LOK6rhDpsg-VoiD-hQ0H7NL5MVFHlx-y9_mpK7urjgKyXLX_kTAL_oHzhouG1cm1_695/s1600/neon4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgMpJWwctUC6_hTP12dkmAhGNDvkizDJmgMPfZ4OSXBgBpUb1AcKqejXNR1nYKQU9v-6IE8ir9LOK6rhDpsg-VoiD-hQ0H7NL5MVFHlx-y9_mpK7urjgKyXLX_kTAL_oHzhouG1cm1_695/s320/neon4.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA0zidF3_qdPR0UnL4qlAwgZ-WiqDwfLFfpR2rjqtjFzy2l9xZOlCwLMLskGuSwWBOMVtJbkyIUPXH7kFKq1cdMLVCH6Uc3lViEo3xMifCDsVNZGJzQkStRV5IIf6pbd8InpZw8wt-dOZH/s1600/neon3.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA0zidF3_qdPR0UnL4qlAwgZ-WiqDwfLFfpR2rjqtjFzy2l9xZOlCwLMLskGuSwWBOMVtJbkyIUPXH7kFKq1cdMLVCH6Uc3lViEo3xMifCDsVNZGJzQkStRV5IIf6pbd8InpZw8wt-dOZH/s320/neon3.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgMpJWwctUC6_hTP12dkmAhGNDvkizDJmgMPfZ4OSXBgBpUb1AcKqejXNR1nYKQU9v-6IE8ir9LOK6rhDpsg-VoiD-hQ0H7NL5MVFHlx-y9_mpK7urjgKyXLX_kTAL_oHzhouG1cm1_695/s1600/neon4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span>Lizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078014237950859654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813271960023465588.post-9815421661674200962012-03-30T15:17:00.001-07:002012-03-30T15:19:45.867-07:00Art Deco Chic at The MOV<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUVpvpH5q3IJa4nE1aEAtXkLksv_pZGvjEbzm2Rgp7nF_7HFySVNm5s_FLwTq4_JX-dzMW6u2OfeljQ22osb6pgrG6T3vcLnu-aBGVFMQHba3tkn4FfhnqZMQkEy3-DexjAOrm0cxviqCy/s1600/artdeco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUVpvpH5q3IJa4nE1aEAtXkLksv_pZGvjEbzm2Rgp7nF_7HFySVNm5s_FLwTq4_JX-dzMW6u2OfeljQ22osb6pgrG6T3vcLnu-aBGVFMQHba3tkn4FfhnqZMQkEy3-DexjAOrm0cxviqCy/s1600/artdeco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUVpvpH5q3IJa4nE1aEAtXkLksv_pZGvjEbzm2Rgp7nF_7HFySVNm5s_FLwTq4_JX-dzMW6u2OfeljQ22osb6pgrG6T3vcLnu-aBGVFMQHba3tkn4FfhnqZMQkEy3-DexjAOrm0cxviqCy/s320/artdeco.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I love fashion. [In fact, I named my daughter after one of its superstar icon (<a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/chnl/hd_chnl.htm" target="_blank">Gabrielle Chanel</a>). ]</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1iZDniTpSYsnJ9IJY_3l7GQDi24GIGSMZx5jXdQirPun9BZTCxra-_aUs2ehYXpnu5tKFU6tFV-EnqL3H4zZCb1NkqawFVjhlUPzq1OxUdmVX_i52sUAAJ8lBAT9Fh12h9O-2e4x0GVzS/s1600/artdeco6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZskdJwAc7q76ljXr0s9qudMEWqEHh7MH8MCwsMlVcxngbHyvAHObCAotF7zQZW9uYZiVUhlV9RQAN9wC8uoOoq66Ho1upltBlcggJRRT82mZMWpvJe_qBPNwBOISkqDxp3-91STmkBzE8/s320/artdeco7.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">At the <a href="http://museumofvancouver.ca/" target="_blank">MOV</a> (Museum of Vancouver) until September 23, there is a showing of <a href="http://museumofvancouver.ca/exhibitions/exhibit/art-deco-chic" target="_blank">Art Deco Chic</a>, an exhibition of what is considered as the beginning of modern fashion. Some of the garment/work of art are from Chanel, Lanvin, Vionnet, Patou, and Schiaparelli. In case you aren't able to make it to the exhibition, here are some pics (they are only taken with my phone, so they are not great quality).</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvtrrmUUA38pbRe0SoEbSjK0L6-qwCurrcv7qli6phOIn5P_3J-XlWnZSanYXGWduDVUO06HZTXFkTCNaHWfyQUxzFcOXb15SyxR1EZ4tuq4oiOys5PtKieCevM3IwnaRTouDVZkQx_VoW/s1600/artdeco1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvtrrmUUA38pbRe0SoEbSjK0L6-qwCurrcv7qli6phOIn5P_3J-XlWnZSanYXGWduDVUO06HZTXFkTCNaHWfyQUxzFcOXb15SyxR1EZ4tuq4oiOys5PtKieCevM3IwnaRTouDVZkQx_VoW/s200/artdeco1.jpg" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmQ_yo9jUO1OCqrABcm9-HJy5t4r2ZAzBfqtYRZqh2aAeOQRSOfpNZzvkmBrP9Iia38QNfXaVfMZSONxft8bwfH0lnv0JFAd6FQEgF71wwp5SCBB_qITOwuiEujGlTx8_WII6RI__K_3p_/s1600/artdeco3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmQ_yo9jUO1OCqrABcm9-HJy5t4r2ZAzBfqtYRZqh2aAeOQRSOfpNZzvkmBrP9Iia38QNfXaVfMZSONxft8bwfH0lnv0JFAd6FQEgF71wwp5SCBB_qITOwuiEujGlTx8_WII6RI__K_3p_/s320/artdeco3.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQD9uvUyUcnb77mPYQDIWI9YJzhdcOgo53o2KrJ_ZDMHzwalmfk_nVkKKXzA4eR_eM4RSgWA-6BtGz8gATWn0AxWt2tktL9Z6YSsWAveHFXA_jXlrdcHPT68FcPdIXKfe1cIMXw_JTS_XX/s1600/artdeco2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQD9uvUyUcnb77mPYQDIWI9YJzhdcOgo53o2KrJ_ZDMHzwalmfk_nVkKKXzA4eR_eM4RSgWA-6BtGz8gATWn0AxWt2tktL9Z6YSsWAveHFXA_jXlrdcHPT68FcPdIXKfe1cIMXw_JTS_XX/s320/artdeco2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihORVwXBFNRltuHmggh6q4rPgXWPqkkAKBHH3JKc2pyN5oH_EgxjCj6wXjqnvMJSeBB2aeBveDw-NF1KUdO8OZ02jj78pITRESiVbNFuh0b9iXQOjgM72kee2D2nxdyTYZ1sZFkCxxwkxJ/s1600/artdeco5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihORVwXBFNRltuHmggh6q4rPgXWPqkkAKBHH3JKc2pyN5oH_EgxjCj6wXjqnvMJSeBB2aeBveDw-NF1KUdO8OZ02jj78pITRESiVbNFuh0b9iXQOjgM72kee2D2nxdyTYZ1sZFkCxxwkxJ/s320/artdeco5.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Lizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078014237950859654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813271960023465588.post-15279520406581697732012-03-26T09:45:00.004-07:002012-03-26T10:00:14.411-07:00The Importance of Being Earnest & The Barber of Seville<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw8FYOHk-UrY_yNLtcDZdzUD4bX7_-vCTI2zg0jmcHxsYlrD1Dh6qeN2MfNKve1nybULnaF7BBmY76MPW_Su-k1_zEWhf3whu4is0LG5jQW7HkyVXaockzdM34BJtb6kYt74d-8p8aDmgQ/s1600/tickets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw8FYOHk-UrY_yNLtcDZdzUD4bX7_-vCTI2zg0jmcHxsYlrD1Dh6qeN2MfNKve1nybULnaF7BBmY76MPW_Su-k1_zEWhf3whu4is0LG5jQW7HkyVXaockzdM34BJtb6kYt74d-8p8aDmgQ/s200/tickets.jpg" width="200" /></a>I NEED ART!</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I've been in a cave for the past year. Or is it more like a tunnel? Well, OK, in reality it's only librarianship school (although there are many a times when I am in serious darkness). In any case, I'm starting to get a glimpse of light. I am coming to the end. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">For the last month, I have worked on reports on Energy Consumption in Indonesia and Japan, The Impact of the Housing Market in Canada, The Print and Non-Print Serial Collection of a Small Library, have catalogued many items, done an inventory of a photograph archive, researched reliable Image Scanning Vendors in the lower mainland, and have answered countless reference questions. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">My brain and body are aching for balance!<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I've started going to yoga again, started my training for the half-marathon in May that I have signed up for, and this last two weeks, I went to see the <a href="http://canucks.nhl.com/" target="_blank">Canucks</a> vs Bluejackets, saw <a href="http://www.artsclub.com/20112012/plays/the-importance-of-being-earnest.htm" target="_blank">The Importance of Being Earnest</a> and <a href="http://www.vancouveropera.ca/Barber-of-Seville.html" target="_blank">The Barber of Seville. </a><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">First the Canucks. I went on St. Patrick's day -- the one where <a href="http://youtu.be/r2MgZfinYLM" target="_blank">Edler got his groove on</a>. Going to a live game is so much more exciting than not. The whole place was thumpin' with that cracking ice sound and light effects. That dancing little boy was even there as mini-Fin.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div id="yui_3_2_0_1_1332776065217115" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
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On Thursday, I saw <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Importance_of_Being_Earnest" target="_blank">Oscar Wilde's</a>, <i>The Importance of Being Earnest</i> at the <a href="http://www.southgranville.org/history/stanley-theatre/" target="_blank">Stanley Theatre</a>. The main character was that guy from the A&W commercials, Ryan Beil. I did not enjoy him. His accent and intonations were ridiculous and exaggerated. I read the Georgia Straight review, they weren't impressed with the show at all. I, on the other hand, didn't mind it. I enjoyed the story and the other cast members. I found the set was quite playful and unexpected. Overall, I think it's worth seeing.<br />
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</div><div id="yui_3_2_0_1_1332776065217115" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div id="yui_3_2_0_1_1332776065217115" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div id="yui_3_2_0_1_1332776065217122" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Last night, was the third show of the <a href="http://www.vancouveropera.ca/" target="_blank">Vancouver Opera</a> -- The Barber of Seville. I really liked this one. Maybe it's because I needed a light topic after so much heaviness. This was fun and light. I really liked the female lead, she was beautiful and she was not afraid to be goofy. She was quite funny when she was mocking and mimicking the antagonist. This would be a good one to go to if you've never gone to the opera.</div><div id="yui_3_2_0_1_1332776065217122" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div id="yui_3_2_0_1_1332776065217122" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">So, that's it for my Art fix for now. Back to work for me.</div>Lizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078014237950859654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813271960023465588.post-6333958325874297642012-02-20T12:30:00.000-08:002012-02-20T12:30:21.768-08:00High Tea at the Fairmont Airport<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2fVkjqGPIJw42MNzhqRxMDzIrsLcZFhE3RVlk9M-JrK-hXZpaFZyduksPnqiu_vkc24QdaLn6ECxW3lzEWM9JqxUYhRrRu8U4PROHRcs3Ai2Kfpfchf-rnJJfqr0LmZueRjcscPgNlKRQ/s1600/close-up-table.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2fVkjqGPIJw42MNzhqRxMDzIrsLcZFhE3RVlk9M-JrK-hXZpaFZyduksPnqiu_vkc24QdaLn6ECxW3lzEWM9JqxUYhRrRu8U4PROHRcs3Ai2Kfpfchf-rnJJfqr0LmZueRjcscPgNlKRQ/s320/close-up-table.jpg" width="191" /></a>Wow, it's been a while since I've blogged here. It's not because I've abandoned <i>Where is Liza</i>, I have been so crazy busy. For one, I have way too much school work to deal with, another is because I've been contributing to another blog for <a href="http://ltaig.wordpress.com/2012/01/24/conversation-at-the-cove-with-guy-robertson/" target="_blank">Library Techs</a>. And lastly, because I have my favourite places where I repeatedly go to <span class="st">—</span> I don't want to keep writing about these same places.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This last Sunday, I went to a new place, The <a href="http://www.fairmont.com/vancouverairport/GuestServices/Restaurants/AfternoonTea.htm" target="_blank">Fairmont's</a> Airport. I went for high tea <span class="st">—</span> sadly, it was disappointing.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The ambiance was nice enough, enormous fireplace and a view of the runway (I know, it's a bit strange to have a view of the runway for high tea, but what can we do when we don't live in Victoria). </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGryC-Pgl1j4nrNowZ8MMbldtv824IaZabK7nZVRQOF8g_gM3gCD2NhsOxLL38JKGpcSDrK1WK7CZd_Qkpw-c9TNFohj7Dzv6STp4qARCT71mms_M0njaalXBs-_4-Le74Wltc2Nrgbuwc/s1600/fairmont1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGryC-Pgl1j4nrNowZ8MMbldtv824IaZabK7nZVRQOF8g_gM3gCD2NhsOxLL38JKGpcSDrK1WK7CZd_Qkpw-c9TNFohj7Dzv6STp4qARCT71mms_M0njaalXBs-_4-Le74Wltc2Nrgbuwc/s200/fairmont1.jpg" width="150" /></a>The service staff were all dressed very professionally and were quite friendly, but they didn't come back to check if our tea needed to be replenished. The tea selection was not very large <span class="st">— </span>some black, some green, a chamomile and mint. It was served using a French press. The china used were modern, all white. The biggest disappointment was the <a href="http://www.fairmont.com/NR/rdonlyres/7665E163-B825-4372-B6DC-2708D15036B1/0/FVA_Afternoon_Tea.pdf" target="_blank">food</a>. It just didn't seem special enough. There was a selection of croissant with egg salad, salmon, curried chicken on baguette slices, scones with some clotted cream and an assortment of sweets. It just seemed like the sandwiches were made way ahead of time, so the bread weren't all that fresh and the sweets didn't seem like they were made on the premise. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">For the price they charge, it definitely was not worth it. I wouldn't go back. I recommend instead going for <a href="http://www.vancouver.suttonplace.com/Afternoon_Tea.htm" target="_blank">Afternoon Tea</a> at the Sutton's Fleuri Restaurant<a href="http://www.vancouver.suttonplace.com/Afternoon_Tea.htm" target="_blank"></a>. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div>Lizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078014237950859654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813271960023465588.post-34997852295256800782011-12-19T22:48:00.000-08:002011-12-19T22:50:25.923-08:00Number 9<a href="http://www.richmond9.com/images/tossed2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="http://www.richmond9.com/images/tossed2.png" width="200" /></a>If you live in Richmond, and of Asian descent, or friends with someone who is, then you have been to <a href="http://www.richmond9.com/index.html" target="_blank">Number 9</a>. This is the only restaurant I know of that is open <b>24 hours</b>! Seriously, if at 3am, you have a hankering for Chinese food, or any other food for that matter, well, this is the place.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.richmond9.com/images/bbq.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.richmond9.com/images/bbq.png" /></a>The food is actually pretty good, too. It's not mall food (this is very important to me because I really hate mall food) -- well, the Asian food isn't, I never tried their "Western Food." The menu goes on forever, they boast 1,000 items! <br />
<br />
I was there with my sister recently and we ordered a whole roast duck, crunchy on the outside, pillowy soft tofu with garlic and chili and crispy chow mein. The waitress made me repeat my order 3 times because she couldn't believe that 2 little women could eat all that I ordered, but I wanted a lot of leftovers to take home.<br />
<br />
I don't live in Richmond, but this is a good "go to place" if you are in the area <a href="http://lansdowne-centre.com/" target="_blank">(Lansdowne Mall)</a>, or if you don't feel like looking for parking. It's also right by the <a href="http://www.greatervancouverhotels.com/canada-line/lansdowne_station.htm" target="_blank">SkyTrain</a>. Apparently, they deliver as well.Lizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078014237950859654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813271960023465588.post-29688466420197841582011-12-02T10:22:00.000-08:002011-12-02T11:19:05.418-08:00Romeo et Juliet<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://www.vancouveropera.ca/files/images/1112/R&J/rj_220x340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.vancouveropera.ca/files/images/1112/R&J/rj_220x340.jpg" width="214" /></a><a href="http://www.vancouveropera.ca/Romeo-Et-Juliette.html" target="_blank"><b>Romeo et Juliette</b></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The Vancouver Opera</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I am a newbie opera goer, so I can only go by how it made me feel. I am sad to say that it didn't make me sad. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I mean, I am the biggest cry baby -- everything makes me cry -- commercials, the news, weddings, I cry watching The Lion King, Finding Nemo and a few of the recent shows that I went to (Blood Brothers, Penelopiad).</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMjA5OTg2NDAzNV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNjE3ODMyMQ@@._V1._SY317_CR4,0,214,317_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMjA5OTg2NDAzNV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNjE3ODMyMQ@@._V1._SY317_CR4,0,214,317_.jpg" width="135" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">But not this Romeo et Juliet. It just didn't grab me. Of course, it's sad... but I just didn't feel it. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>[I think I will always have in my mind, the original Romeo and Juliet that we saw in high school (from 1968, a <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063518/" target="_blank">Franco Zefirelli</a> film -- ok, it was already an older by film by the time I saw it, I didn't see it in 1968 - I was probably busy being born. ]</i></div>Lizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078014237950859654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813271960023465588.post-48008645828496102182011-11-20T09:58:00.000-08:002011-11-20T13:03:58.334-08:00Blood Brothers at the Arts Club Granville Island<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrHdEvm-e9-COYnXpIYSaFQSquG_sKQ6JrCpyWsBux2qdyAIy2eGJrTV5_V6_cEA75ckuVr0i8QiPOmHawWzAh7wJlI4Q3csIoCBi0ia9mytObE5D_uV27F1tKSwh_6zISAvvnCGg4pWcI/s1600/blood-brothers.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrHdEvm-e9-COYnXpIYSaFQSquG_sKQ6JrCpyWsBux2qdyAIy2eGJrTV5_V6_cEA75ckuVr0i8QiPOmHawWzAh7wJlI4Q3csIoCBi0ia9mytObE5D_uV27F1tKSwh_6zISAvvnCGg4pWcI/s1600/blood-brothers.gif" /></a>The program has quoted that, <i>"<a href="http://www.artsclub.com/20112012/plays/blood-brothers.htm" target="_blank">Blood Brother</a>'s is the musical for those who don't like musicals." </i>I agree. It feels rock and roll. It really is barely noticeable that they are singing their dialogues and thoughts.<br />
<br />
Blood Brothers is a musical/play <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_Brothers_%28musical%29" target="_blank">about</a> twins who are separated at birth. The one adopted has lived a privileged life, the other, not so much, in fact, he belonged to an impoverished family. I love how they have paralleled songs about Marilyn Monroe's life to the story line. Very effective but eventually melancholic.<br />
<br />
The most memorable thing about this performance for me is <a href="http://www.johnmann.ca/music.html" target="_blank">John Mann</a>. I'm embarrass to say that I don't know him or his work at all (<a href="http://www.sotw.ca/shows.php" target="_blank">Spirit of the West</a>). He plays this somewhat devil like narrator. He's fantastic - he reminds me of the butler in the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073629/" target="_blank">Rocky Horror Picture Show</a>, but in sexy kind of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hko3Lj6IdAg&feature=related" target="_blank">Seal</a> kind of way. He sang in this commanding, concise but hypnotic devilish cadence.<br />
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Blood Brothers is at Granville Island, <a href="http://www.artsclub.com/20112012/plays/blood-brothers.htm" target="_blank">Arts Club Theatre</a> until December 31st. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://thebackstagelounge.com/" target="_blank"><b>Backstage Lounge</b></a><br />
<br />
Before the play, we went into the Backstage Lounge for dinner, it is convenient because it is connected to the theatre, plus you get a 15% discount if you are going to the show. I had the <a href="http://www.thebackstagelounge.com/menus" target="_blank">duck pizza</a> with hoisin sauce<b>. </b>Well, I'm definitely copying that recipe - went very well with a glass of cab.<b> </b>Lizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078014237950859654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813271960023465588.post-58147806661879826492011-11-13T09:28:00.000-08:002011-11-13T13:19:27.048-08:00Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjshLsBMMT_Bn4QRDIRqlsM7i6gOlILfiyZp-3oe7BNqmPp95Y-DflK73zqCpl5XTi1Lh8MHfyJh9B2xwxNLgoa6DiQLGg7dztl8HqkO2eovesfJeEoW4tFGg_Eea1LvhggV-Twoh8bOKhB/s1600/SnowFlowerpb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjshLsBMMT_Bn4QRDIRqlsM7i6gOlILfiyZp-3oe7BNqmPp95Y-DflK73zqCpl5XTi1Lh8MHfyJh9B2xwxNLgoa6DiQLGg7dztl8HqkO2eovesfJeEoW4tFGg_Eea1LvhggV-Twoh8bOKhB/s200/SnowFlowerpb.jpg" width="129" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> I happened to come upon nineteenth century China in </span><a href="http://www.lisasee.com/snowflower.htm" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" target="_blank"><i>Snow Flower and the Secret Fan</i></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> in a lounge of a hospital. It took me to a journey into rural Hunan province during the </span><a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=8966942&sc=emaf" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" target="_blank">"footbinding"</a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> era. Apparently, these teeny weeny feet (size of cigarette pack) were considered highly erotic. These poor women who belonged in the upper crust of society endured torture and sometimes death when they were about 5 years old in order to have these "lotus" shape feet (that usually stunk and rotted) so they can be "sexy" when they are of marrying age. These perfect tiny feet it seemed, can land you a wealthy husband (which were always the objective).</span><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">But this book was so much more, it was also about the life of girls in the era and how they were basically raised to be part of their husband's family, their secret language called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%BCshu_script" target="_blank">Nu Shu</a> which they used to secretly communicate with each other and their relationships with each other and their husband's families.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> As I was reading it, I couldn't help but to juxtapose it with </span><a href="http://www.janeausten.org/" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" target="_blank">Jane Auten's</a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">, </span><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pride_and_Prejudice" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" target="_blank">Pride and Prejudice</a></i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">, which was in the same era. A world apart, but ultimately, it's also about looking for wealthy husbands. Sigh... sad. </span>Lizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078014237950859654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813271960023465588.post-10489647490878852352011-11-11T14:09:00.000-08:002011-11-11T14:09:17.090-08:00Penelopiad at The Stanley<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://www.artsclub.com/20112012/illustrations/thumbs/the-penelopiad-t.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.artsclub.com/20112012/illustrations/thumbs/the-penelopiad-t.gif" /></a>The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Penelopiad" target="_blank">Penelopiad</a> is <a href="http://www.margaretatwood.ca/" target="_blank">Margaret Atwood</a>'s interpretation of Homer's, <a href="http://www.online-literature.com/homer/odyssey/" target="_blank">The Odyssey</a>. At the center of it all is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penelope" target="_blank">Penelope</a>, and surrounding her are her many maids, who also play the other many parts. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">There are occasions when this play made me uncomfortable. It is quite disconcerting watching women be men (It's interesting to see the women be the offender as men, and do a costume adjustment in front of you, to become the victim). Art isn't always beautiful, sometimes, it's there to provoke and illicit emotions -- whether positive or negative is irrelevant. This play did just that. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This is not a feel good story, and it's not for mainstream taste. But I do like it and recommend it. It is playing at the <a href="http://www.artsclub.com/20112012/plays/the-penelopiad.htm" target="_blank">Stanley Theatre</a> until Sunday, November 20. </span>Lizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078014237950859654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813271960023465588.post-43808433076092834792011-10-23T09:29:00.000-07:002011-10-23T09:29:52.506-07:00Opera Season Begins<div style="text-align: right;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLLthavQDHKrAWxDoB8jQZzMLK0kkVHAfPepgp7VNJr5QZ8VM5u8e_mi4RWDSrbjwszgzN6IR2YY6Td-UmVHWCenKCfLmu-PzfLag90VoL-KHERGLqhazOSgLWZ3c1U8WrXIxi70JHn1aF/s1600/DSCF7342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLLthavQDHKrAWxDoB8jQZzMLK0kkVHAfPepgp7VNJr5QZ8VM5u8e_mi4RWDSrbjwszgzN6IR2YY6Td-UmVHWCenKCfLmu-PzfLag90VoL-KHERGLqhazOSgLWZ3c1U8WrXIxi70JHn1aF/s200/DSCF7342.jpg" width="163" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbyGFtgkMr3vIdU8fGC1fRGgbZIdPcrcbQNpBpYDqSg3GDPdrSkWKI2JqevT_jUWHvajipFLn8n7LKvn7KSww0Q2PalvrHqm4bzGhSxUcXKVXgKbkGd8Gn8u2SYDUNWmZoUXi0ML5GJmg2/s1600/janeoperasmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbyGFtgkMr3vIdU8fGC1fRGgbZIdPcrcbQNpBpYDqSg3GDPdrSkWKI2JqevT_jUWHvajipFLn8n7LKvn7KSww0Q2PalvrHqm4bzGhSxUcXKVXgKbkGd8Gn8u2SYDUNWmZoUXi0ML5GJmg2/s200/janeoperasmall.jpg" width="150" /></a>The <a href="http://www.vancouveropera.ca/2011-2012-Season.html">Vancouver Opera season</a> opened last night with <a href="http://www.vancouveropera.ca/West-Side-Story.html">The Westside Story</a>. You're probably thinking,<i> "Really? West side Story as an opera?"</i> I did have those exact same thoughts. I couldn't really figure out how they were going to pull it off.<br />
<br />
Well, the way they did it, was to not really have it in the standard or cliché way (fat lady singing?) I have to admit, that I was grateful for this. It would have been upsetting to hear the songs some other way but the way we are familiar with it. Maria and Tony's parts were the only ones that were done in that operatic way, but even on the movie version, it was already that way.<br />
<br />
I have to say, though, that seeing it on stage was 10x better. To see it live was to feel its rhythm and its pulse -- it was as close to actually being on the streets with the Sharks and the Jets.My favourite part was the dance hall scene. I loved the transition of Maria longing to go the dance, and pouf, she was at the dance.<br />
<br />
Towards, the end of the show, I understood why this piece was chosen to be an opera -- it had a tragic ending.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtpp_UBqNPmDRA4b0NUkuiyM6jN87mXnzeMyVom77EAEqUFUnjK8AjTVXqOkjWZeHheUuWgQtJO3JryOQCoVm219qCT1J8ZItFgQGcGD9AQ4UJKZryEckHmdQ87-Heo6088BPErhlX41q-/s1600/opera1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtpp_UBqNPmDRA4b0NUkuiyM6jN87mXnzeMyVom77EAEqUFUnjK8AjTVXqOkjWZeHheUuWgQtJO3JryOQCoVm219qCT1J8ZItFgQGcGD9AQ4UJKZryEckHmdQ87-Heo6088BPErhlX41q-/s320/opera1.jpg" width="320" /></a>I look forward to the rest of the season. Coming up right after The West Side Story would be <a href="http://www.vancouveropera.ca/Romeo-Et-Juliette.html">Romeo and Juliet</a>. It should be interesting, as of course, the former, was a "modern" version of this. After this would be, <a href="http://www.vancouveropera.ca/Barber-of-Seville.html">The Barber of Seville</a> and it then closes with a big finish with <a href="http://www.vancouveropera.ca/Aida.html">Aida</a>. It's a great line up for the season (controversial choices) -- they are trying to attract the "younger" set to come to the opera, after all.<br />
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[I love their cover design for this production: The "W" of the old Woodward's Building stood for the "W" in Westside. How nice, to personalize it to our city.]<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrtVj0ksxGW_M9kvaOpSh6ax7AEuuxhdiRmVx4fXx5-tstvRfYj9JU5QdgsSVB-d0QLUyXmbBak41RS8NHOI8xl7PD_baB7zfNsbghDWbT6SvBOfI_qYmjI-s3gRR8Jcde5TeAOUiJPv1X/s1600/opera2small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrtVj0ksxGW_M9kvaOpSh6ax7AEuuxhdiRmVx4fXx5-tstvRfYj9JU5QdgsSVB-d0QLUyXmbBak41RS8NHOI8xl7PD_baB7zfNsbghDWbT6SvBOfI_qYmjI-s3gRR8Jcde5TeAOUiJPv1X/s320/opera2small.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="st"><em>après</em></span> opera</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8Tgz_Mu30rSeBjUWeSeuOfqoO0jER_jcoASHFf-WlI1ynhPJZS8yfdbqMZMgykJ_TmsfbEHtVw42vBZfVczvmwfw3XChXC8sM2EUVpW7LgOQ6l6y42tziiggf7sTJBhHM6LoJ3J6zhb9/s1600/opera3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8Tgz_Mu30rSeBjUWeSeuOfqoO0jER_jcoASHFf-WlI1ynhPJZS8yfdbqMZMgykJ_TmsfbEHtVw42vBZfVczvmwfw3XChXC8sM2EUVpW7LgOQ6l6y42tziiggf7sTJBhHM6LoJ3J6zhb9/s320/opera3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Lizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078014237950859654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813271960023465588.post-1865302677178512712011-10-16T10:28:00.000-07:002011-10-16T10:28:39.420-07:00Giovane at Pacific Rim Fairmont<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6-4rZ_HVIv0wtsJd_snQ5AvVeiVUWQMNNdDE8LaiDy5Z8twMZHD5EUy4GNfo3W0QilLFKfY2RnBTls6h0xoJQbcy6l7AqTevxcZ68wCvaZ-LQ4vHqDNUg_OILKjTOoEIqKswbwFUOoSFi/s1600/DSCF7328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6-4rZ_HVIv0wtsJd_snQ5AvVeiVUWQMNNdDE8LaiDy5Z8twMZHD5EUy4GNfo3W0QilLFKfY2RnBTls6h0xoJQbcy6l7AqTevxcZ68wCvaZ-LQ4vHqDNUg_OILKjTOoEIqKswbwFUOoSFi/s400/DSCF7328.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have discovered a new drink that I will definitely make at home. <br />
Earl Grey tea with some Amaretto served in a brandy snifter. It was perfect night time finish. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Well, I'm back at this hotel (<a href="http://www.fairmont.com/pacificrim">Faimont Pacific Rim</a>) once again, this time, late at night to have dessert and drink at <a href="http://giovanecafe.com/">Giovane's</a> -- their wine bar. There are so many wine bars popping up all over the place lately and this place looks inviting.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTjm_JUCdwIvOcru4tuDy1KFLB4FNu1wqT3h0SlYd1CgcUp3ZKsOvC-m26fYhxy4Ha1ndMKUhxwdWLcrlpM_lIHbHZ8YVTjo-NGVmyCLFHuDsuOQcBUByoqtrFf_-rjLSmfy6u5Ku85zIM/s1600/Giovane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3J1qEXwKeWligrAfRr4gaiJ4f2NPRgHi6TMzPwVcNdkSFBDe7r_SbC_yu1mEPIQoNmE1YbJuxQOP7M53VkrCigCg7DxjbtWc6WnwwzSkHbCnjS9662m78fA_Wl6Z6xi2Wt0R989o0dRwf/s1600/DSCF7325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3J1qEXwKeWligrAfRr4gaiJ4f2NPRgHi6TMzPwVcNdkSFBDe7r_SbC_yu1mEPIQoNmE1YbJuxQOP7M53VkrCigCg7DxjbtWc6WnwwzSkHbCnjS9662m78fA_Wl6Z6xi2Wt0R989o0dRwf/s200/DSCF7325.JPG" width="200" /></a>It is actually a café in the morning, and a wine bar at night -- basically, it's a casual place to hang out for a quick snack or drink. The pricing for nosh is reasonable - they have charcuterie, cheese selection, salads, pizzas, and pretty desserts.Lizahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03078014237950859654noreply@blogger.com