Vancouver Day 21/22: QE Park and Stanley Park

I visited 2 parks in 2 days and they were beautiful parks. Queen Elizabeth Park was more of a big hill, and it had the Bloedel Conservatory at the peak, which is like an amazon zoo, but really small. It had a lot of fancy birds and plants but I didn't get to tour it cause I arrived too late. It had beautiful gardens and it was quite the walk. Not all the flowers were in bloom yet but many were and it was nice to see.

Stanley Park was just off the coast of Vancouver. I walked/jogged the whole coast in about 2 hours. Turns out I'm not very good at jogging. I thought since everyone else was doing it, I'd do it too...but I think I jog too fast and expend all my energy too quickly. I don't know how to go slow! But the sights were nice and there were many mythical legends left behind by the Natives. They had this one giant rock where they claimed a man had been so unselfish he was transformed into a rock. It was a nice sunny day so it captured a lot of the effect. The insides of the park was beautiful too and a nice nature hike. It's more flat than most of Vancouver surprisingly. There was an "Aquarium" which is an aquatic museum. I didn't enter cause it was $22 but I did get to see some beluga whales and captured them on film! I finally found the Inukshuk and got a picture of it. Vancouver's a beautiful city, much more than Montreal! It's definitely worth a visit if you're looking for something inside Canada that's not Toronto!

Vancouver Days 19/20: New Westminster/Richmond

Just checked out New Westminster, where the trading used to take place way back when. It rained but not too bad. It was pretty much just some site seeing. There was this weird district where it was all wedding stuff, pretty weird!

Richmond was pretty boring, there wasn't anything that special there even though it's supposed to be Asian-central. I didn't find the super Asian mall but i did walk around Richmond Center and then went to Minora Park.

Just take a look at the pics :).

Vancouver Day 18: Party/Olympic Village

There was a sweet volunteer party today where I got a free tote bag and a bottle of wine along with a $25 gift card to HBC. There was free beer too and a lot of random situations and partying. It was a good way to end the volunteering experience. I got a picture with an RCMP!

I ended up hitting up the Olympic Village to check out what that's like. Prior to that I walked around Granville Island, where it's like a mini carnival. Lots of lights and shops, like a tourist attraction. Unfortunately, by the time I got there, everything was closed except restaurants. We took the Olympic line to get there and it's a train made by bombardier and it's pretty slow, and only 1 stop, took like 5 minutes...it was a disappointment for a tourist attraction.

The Olympic Village was pretty sweet with a lot of places for the Athletes to hang out. It had a lot of open space, and a pretty sweet bar/lounge with pool tables and lounge space. Apparently it's being sold off as low-income housing, but it has a great view of the city!

Canada Celebrating Round Robin Win

Vancouver Day 17: Name Dropping

Today has been the best day yet! I met Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, and we shook hands and he asked me "what's your name?" as he looked deep into my proudly Canadian eyes. I responded "Julian, Sir." The thoughts running through my mind as I shook his hand were "I will never wash my hand again!" Rick Hansen arrived shortly after the Prime Minister did and they shook hands (someone walked in front of my camera as I had a good shot of them shaking hands!) and they had small talk about their sons and what they're doing. Hansen's sons are playing volleyball and rugby.

Shortly before that, the Prince of England Edward attended the Czech Republic v.s. Korea game and he came out back to his bodyguard filled car. We waived at him but he didn't waive back. Douche bag. He's a balding chap. We waited 30 minutes outside his car for him to show up. The Princess of Norway was in the house for the Canada v.s. Norway game.

The Premier of BC was there too, but I have no idea who he is so I didn't bother hunting him down. John Furlong (President of VANOC) did tap me on the back (as I was trying to get a photo of the game) as he walked by, congratulating us for our hard (okay I'm lying) work.

The game sucked as Canada completed a mastery in choking. Up 1-0 in the third period, they took 3 penalties in a row (and a 5 on 3 or over 1:30) and then a penalty shot (that tied the game). The penalty shot was awarded due to a Canadian player putting his glove on the puck in the crease, which Rosen was furious about as he claims to have had the puck and he almost attacked the referee. Canada let the Norwegians win it with 3.6 seconds left, as Bridges deflected a puck with his gloves over his head and over the goaltender Rosen. Disappointing and heartbreaking, but the crowd was nervous for most of the third period and it was felt, despite my best efforts to make some noise!

I also tried out the Biathlon rifle today (trying to decide which sport I will compete in in the future :P), and the rifle's quite heavy! They give you headphones to simulate the blind shooters. They beep rapidly as you near the target. The target is incredibly small and the scope is narrow so it's tough to see, and then taking the shot is tough because as you pull the trigger, your arm tenses up so you lose your shot! I will never be able to kill anyone as I went oh for five.

After my shift, me and my supervisor Carson went downtown to check out the IBC building (much like the Palais de Congres except nice) and we got up close to the Olympic flame at night and took some pics. Little did we know, we locked ourselves out of the complex!! Lucky enough there was another volunteer, much like us, wandering around the venue and she let us back in, as we took some photos with her. I also stole poster after my shift :D (which can be seen in the pictures).

Finally, I've got a bunch of gifts to give away so if you want to take a look at what's available and put a claim on it, just check this link here.

Pictures of all the names I just dropped are here

Vancouver Day 16: Fun and Games

Hola,
today was slack for the first couple of hours. We caught wind that they were giving out trial runs on the sleds so we decided to head over there to check it out. On our way there we saw volunteers driving the zamboni so we decided to try to get in on that fun. We didn't get a chance to drive it, but we did get some individual pictures, along with a group picture on it!

we ended up lining up for the sled hockey trials and it took about 25 minutes of waiting, but we finally got on the ice. it was sick! you need a lot of upper body strength to propel yourself on the ice. it's pretty easy to navigate (depending on the distance of separation of your blades). It's pretty tiring and confusing on which end of the stick you want to be using to stickhandle and move. The hardest thing was to stickhandle and move at the same time. Shooting was quite difficult too to find the right body angle and shooting technique. It's incredible how most players can shoot and stickhandle with both hands!

Back at the office, we had another contest to complete, and this time it was colouring a picture of Sumi. We all had our own interpretations of what the picture will look like, and some were quite funny. All I could think of was "Happy Tree Friends" but I dare not draw a picture of blood squirting out of Sumi's neck :P. Everything else was same old, same old.

OH YA, Canada got upset in the semi-finals by the Japanese 3-1. It was 1-1 with 1:10 to go in the third and the Japanese scored on a 2 on 1, then Canada with the net empty passed back to the point, and the pass was stray and slid all the way back into our own goal sealing the Japanese victory. The Americans beat the Norwegians 3-0 so the finals will be USA v.s. Japan (whom they've already beaten 5-0), and the bronze medal game will be Canada v.s. Norway (whom we've already beaten 5-0).

Vancouver Day 15: Lazy Day at Work

Today wasn't much and the venue was more or less empty cause there were only two games. the bottom 4 teams of both divisions battled it out to see who will play for the 8th and 7th spots, as well as the 6th and 5th spots. The placement match ups were the Czech against the Italians, then the Koreans against the Swedes, with the Italians and Swedesboth losing and will meet for the cellar dweller's match up on Friday, and the Koreans will face the Czech for 5th and 6th. I think that's how it goes :P. Canada plays the Japanese tomorrow for the early game, and the US play Norway, the winners will face each other in the Gold Medal game.

We spent a lot of the shift just chilling and playing cards, nothing out of the ordinary occurred and we got a group photo. It was a beautiful day so making runs was fun, but it got quite chilly at the end. People have begun showing up late or not at all cause there's absolutely nothing to do! Bastards! Getting around the system. FYI, a volunteer jacket is going on eBay for $300-400 , someone put up a full uniform set for $1000 on Craig's List.

Vancouver Day 14: OH CANADA!

Today was great. The day passed quickly because the Habs game was on from 430 to 7 and the Habs won 3-1! got to watch it on RDS on the venue TV (which are on sale). Then we chilled and played card games. I learned a few new card games. "Pig" which is like spoons, but you touch your nose instead. "Bikbo (sp?)" is an Indian card game which deals with losing all your cards. "Oh Hell" which is a game to predict how many wins you'll get. We got plenty of rounds in of each game until the Canada v.s. Norway game got underway. Before the game we went out to grab a bite, and the food was okay. I got there a little late so the potatoes were all gone, but the turkey and rice was okay, but not spectacular (with a side of peas and corn).

The Canadian game was sick! they scored in the first minute of the game, and in the first 10 seconds of the second period. They won 5-0 in the end. The Norwegians were supposed to be a tough match up, being in the finals of the 2006 Turin Olympics. They have this guy "Pedersen" who never leaves the ice and is their best player, and one of the best in the world. Canada dominated throughout the game. I left my post to watch the 2nd and 3rd periods. It was an incredible atmosphere. People were dancing, the wave was going, the crowd was loud, and "Sweet Caroline" was playing. I got a few pictures, but I lack the skillz of a photographer. Some of the guys are huge, and I see them training outside our office and their arms are mad built. They get into high impact collisions on the ice and some of them look harder than NHL hits.

There's this guy I'm working with, he got there late at 6, and left at 845 to go home early so he can get to class tomorrow. I mean I know we don't do anything (as per the pictures), but we made a commitment so that kind of upsets me.

There are sales for all sorts of Paralympic clothing, and plush toys of all the mascots. If anyone wants anything, refer to this. I get some discounts on certain things, and there are deals occurring everyday. Most Olympic clothing has been sold out, but there are plenty of Paralympic gear still available! let me know asap!

Vancouver Day 13: Museum/Cauldron

I went over to the Vancouver Art Gallery and they had a Leonardo Da Vinci exhibit and it was pretty cool to see how talented Da Vinci was in drawing, and in biology, and in physics and engineering. He was centuries ahead of the next in terms of sciences. I actually think he was probably socially unaccepted cause he dissected a lot of human corpses and did some pretty crazy things to advance science. His work was never published, although it was in his intent, until the 1900's, where a lot of the things he discovered were already becoming common knowledge.

There was a second exhibit that was the insides of body parts being mutilated and spilling out. It was pretty weird and nasty. I couldn't get pictures cause the first 3 floors prohibited pictures to be taken. What sucked was that the museum closed at 5pm, and I didn't know so I didn't get a chance to visit the other floors, although I do plan on it!

I passed by the Olympic/Paralympic cauldron again and this time the flames were lit! I'm sure it looks more beautiful at night, but I did get a few pictures! I also saw some of the Japanese Sledge Hockey Team on their day off relaxing and enjoying the city.

Here are some pics.

Vancouver Day 12: Workforce Day 2

As expected, it wasn't much work. The food was exponentially better as it was mashed potatoes, beef stew, and corn along with a chicken noodle soup and it was better, but not amazing. Edible, and it satisfied the hunger.

What was exciting was that I caught the last 5 minutes of the Canada V.S. Sweden Sledge Hockey game and it was an amazing atmosphere in the arena. The Canadian fans were really into it, shaking their cowbells, cheering, doing the wave, and my favorite part: singing "Sweet Carolina." Canada demolished the Swedes 10-1. I also caught the Japan V.S. Korea game's second period. The atmosphere there was just as great, with the Koreans bringing drums and cymbals and making lots of noise for their team. The Japanese had children make flags out of crayons and paper and tape them on chopsticks so people can wave them around. The game was completely one sided, with Japan winning 5-0.

Lucky enough, my next shift happens to have the Canada V.S. Czech game and we're all planning to go watch it in between our duties...I will definitely equip myself with my camera and get as many pictures as I can!

Vancouver Day 11: First Day on the Job

So it was my first day, and like any other, I was nervous. I entered the work room to see familiar faces and I decided to stay inside (there's an outside print room and an inside one) cause it's quieter, I was a little tired, and I didn't want to mess up with the bigger jobs.

I expected on your toes work, constantly delivering print outs and running around everywhere, but it was dead. We would have a report every 30 minutes or more, and it would take 5 minutes to complete. We got to watch the sledge hockey games on TV, with dedicated Paralympic channels, along with the syndicated CTV, RDS, TSN, Sportsnet. It was amazing to watch the shootout between Sweden and Norway, with Norway winning. Their moves were sick, one player doing a fake shot, then shooting from underneath his sled.

The food was atrocious. There was a choice of curry or chicken gumbo soup, I took the gumbo soup and it wasn't quite good. Main dish was either the chili or pork with either rice or noodles and a side of veggies. The pork had a beige sauce, and I've never eaten a beige sauce so I had to pass and went with the Chili and Noodles. It was pretty dry. Let's hope for better food tomorrow! at the very least we got a fruit, free cookies, and a soft drink of our choice.

We made frequent visits to the other print room during our downtime, as well as watching live the sledge hockey games. It was a lot of fun meeting the people and talking to them and getting to know them. I will try to update with pictures the next time as I was afraid to bring my camera today, but it seems like I can for tomorrow.

A lovely co-volunteer drove me to a sky train stop after our shift was cut early (1030 instead of 1130). Bed time beckons.

Vancouver Day 10: Bummed out

I bummed out and watched 4 movies in a row
- Zack and Miri Make a Porno
- Year One
- Pineapple Express
- Kung Fu Panda

then I chilled with my 15-year old cousin Victoria.

Vancouver Day 9: Cousin's Party

My 18 year-old cousin had a party so I graced everyone with my attendance (or I had nowhere to go so I was there by default).
- They played some poker (and they were terrible players...I've never been so bored of winning).
- We played Mao, and people didn't like me for scolding them on not playing properly.
- We then played poker again, which I won.
- Then we played Taboo, and it was fun but I suck direly!
- we also rocked out playing rock band!
- I was apparently cultured and professional as I knew the rules to poker, and mao, and weird facts for taboo. Also I shake people's hands. Man do I feel old now...
- No alcohol cause the drinking age is 19 in Vancouver
- New drivers have an N license, where they can't drive more than 1 non-family member at a time, pretty BS if you ask me. It's similar to our probationary license, but stricter, and they have to pass a 3rd test to get their full license.
- Peace out J-town.

Vancouver Day 8: Burnaby Mountain

Today was a visit to Burnaby Mountain. It had a pretty nice view of North Vancouver and Downtown Vancouver, I'm sure it's beautiful during summer nights. It was chilly up there. We also visited Coquitlam Mall, which is about the size of Fairview, or a bit smaller. It was really dark inside cause of a wooden design. We finished it off with a visit to to K-town and bought some Korean goodies.

Vancouver Day 6: Downtown

So I went downtown on Day 6 to check out some Olympic sites. It was a chilly day at 6 degrees with an overcast, while Montreal was enjoying 8-10 degrees! I'm practicing for my future profession as a weatherman, obvi. Pictures are here.

the usual:
- Chinatown smells like Chinatown (you all know what I'm talking about). It's a bit ratty and old, lots of red, and there's a Dr. Sun Yat-Sen botanical garden, but it was closed off for the day.
- downtown is about a 10 block radius..everything is less than 15 minutes walking distance from each other.
- the shopping district isn't all that impressive, everything is smaller in size than Montreal.
- we saw a silver Elvis...pretty creepy!
- There is a Starbucks on every corner...and more Starbucks than Tim Hortons (BLASPHEMY! but Starbucks originated in Seattle, which is a 3-4 hour drive from Vancouver).
- I saw the zip-line thing everyone was riding over Robson Square...it doesn't look that fun...but it was closed off.
- I wanted to visit the Vancouver Art Museum but we didn't have time. Maybe another time.
- I saw the Olympic Cauldrons...although unlit, and not as epic as I expected.
- Shot some pool at night...although not very well :P.
- had HK style food for dinner, I'm really not a fan of HK style food...yet I keep trying different things.

That's it for now...stay tuned.

Vancouver Day 4/5: "That's What She Said"

I went out for Karaoke the night before, and there was no alcohol, and there were a lack of tunes at the establishment. Montreal did it better than that place, which is hard to believe! they didn't even have any dice available to play any games.

Day 4, it was a beautiful day that I had to spend mostly indoors cause I had training at the UBC Thunderbird Arena for my function as a print distribution associate. Thus I make hundreds of copies, and deliver them to their destination, i.e. The Press and Broadcasters covering the Paralympic Games. The team is mixed between young and old folks, all with the common goal of not getting yelled at...oh ya and to support the Paralympics! My supervisors are quite young...either my age or around there. The UBC Thunderbird Arena has 3 rinks, and embarrasses Concordia's Ed Meagher Arena in size and in terms of facilities.

Day 5, spent it mostly in...went to a mall to just spend some time, I ended up buying a T-shirt that says "that's what she said!"After using the line at least 10,000 times in my life, they should be paying me to wear the T-shirt. The city had nice Cherry Blossoms, a rare-site for Montrealers
.

Vancouver Day 3: Shopping + Pho

so turns out I've actually nailed in 3 blog posts in 3 days, this may never happen again!!

went shopping at Metrotown mall...pretty sweet mall, probably the size of Laval's mall, or a touch smaller.

Things I've noticed:
- I can't tell if Asians are 15...or 25...now I know what people see when they see me.
- I ate some pho...they don't have XL, and it's not as good, the broth is too salty and not as much "pho flavor"
- food seems to be more expensive...Mama Burger trio at A&Ws' was $6.50 + tax...didn't get it for obvious reasons.
- random people doing tricks such as flips, and twirls and whatnots on trampolines (like freestyle snowboarding/skiing training.
- I bought a trench coat...now I can flash people, OR stalk people...or both...undecided.

No pictures for today, cause I'm too lazy to post 3 or 4 pics of people flipping.

Vancouver Day 2: UBC

So I commuted via a Sky Train and a Bus to get to UBC...took about an hour, so Burnaby to UBC is like Pointe-Claire to downtown.

Things I noticed:
- Everyone dresses either generically American, or Indie (Urban Outfitters-esque) or Fobby. No one dresses like we do in Montreal with designer clothes.
- The campus is BEAUTIFUL. It's built in the middle of nowhere so they have a lot of space to expand it. (Unlike Concordia and McGill being built downtown with limited space but up).
- a lot of interior eateries, which is not needed in downtown Montreal :P.
- the radius of the campus is pretty much walking from Concordia to McGill
- I saw an eatery on Broadway St called "Montreal Smoked Meat." I must try it out, and they said they have poutine!
- A&Ws has poutine and I saw people eating it...I don't know if I want to risk it!
update:
- the Broadway St is eerily similar to Sherbrook street before downtown.

Click the link to see some pictures from today!

Vancouver Day 1: Exploration

Okay so today I went out to the PNE (Pacific National Exhibition) to pick up my uniform and accreditation. I decided to go take the bus all by myself and it's not very intuitive...it took me two tries and 30 minutes to find the bus stop. it was just a slither on a pole that said "bus stop" sideways with the code number, and not which bus passes. They also don't have a parallel stop on the other side going in the other direction so that's kind of misleading.

Point form of what I noticed in Burnaby (just outside Vancouver like Pointe-Claire to Downtown)
- Buses have a ticker display of the name of the next stop, drivers also announce the stop coming up ahead.
- the class of development is sporadic with no pattern. Goes from huge house, to tiny house, to modern house, to shaggy house.
- the shops and strip malls remind me of Pointe-Claire village
- people are EXTREMELY polite, they say Thanks to the bus-driver even if they're getting off in the rear- exits, they yell it out!
- there is no snow, and it was nice and sunny with a high of 14 degrees.

Here are some pics of what I'll look like in my uniform, and some of the free stuff I got