Steveston Fishing Village

Sunny afternoon. I learnt recently that clear skies would mean that the weather is colder because there is no clouds.

Only people around were the handful of kids. The view was serene. 

Walked to a buddhist temple which represents the architecture of a forbidden city at a much smaller scale i guess.

Jericho Beach, Take a Walk

Last Sunday, with deadlines and the impending bargaining simulation hanging over my head, I decided to spend most of the day in the room. Around evening, I decided to go explore the pacific spirit park area just behind and east of Gage. I brought along Max's skateboard but did not manage to play much because of all the steep slopes and the gravelly ground

click the image below to see the whole picture =)

Pacific Spirit Park was located on a hill. As i trekked up and up, I saw an interesting hobby. A couple of folks were cutting logs. No idea why. At acadia beach which I bypassed on my left also had some people searching for a type of log or branch. Such interesting spring rituals eh?

Having faith that there was a way down to the nice sandy beach of Jericho, I trekked on and on. The beautiful weather made it a perfect Sunday for strolling along the beach with the family, the kids, the old folks, the friends, the school buddies, the significant others, the dog or even alone. Below, was a carpark full of zeng cars. Apparently, the only noisy spot at the beach as car owners blasted music from their mega woofers in their trunk.

Wind surfing (i think!). Overlooking mountains to the north, it was a breathtaking sight and wished I could jump into the waters too. 

Stumpy logs along the beach. All along the beach logs are arranged as makeshift benches.

Pier. The view of the mountains is always so soothing. 

From this point, the view of the downtown skyline was pretty fantastic too.

Taking picture of ducks at the pond.

Headed further east and bypassed alot of nice bungalow homes. Plenty of greenspaces to unwind and relax. Walked on further till I reached Safeway at Mac Donald. Groceries shopping - done!

Lynn Canyon Park

West of Grouse Mountain, the Park caught our attention because it was #3 on tripadvisor.com.

View from the Bridge. On the bus, we met a bus conductor that told us the story couple years ago when a mother 'accidentally' dropped her Down syndrome baby off the bridge claiming the baby popped out of her hands. The baby lived, thankfully.

The gap is much narrower than Capilano and so it isn't magnificent. But the view and atmosphere is so nice. Many people were here to do hiking. 

We went all the way down to Twin falls, not knowing what or where it is. But still I enjoyed walking in the woods.

The picnic spot. The weather was sunny and the water was clear. 

We hiked some more to Rice Lake, which was still frozen. I can draw similarities to Bedok Reservoir in that it is a nice quiet spot to relax or take a walk/jog/stroll. Many more trails to explore but save it for another beautiful day. 

Pacific Museum of the Earth

It was raining last Friday and the wind was blowing so I decided to take shelter here that afternoon.

Some seismograph machine to monitor seismic activity in the area. There was an informative setup on the different types of waves.

Rocks in many different colours.

The vault is open. Inside are many rare gems- Mesolite, emerald, silver, diamonds, wulfenite, meteorites, barrite ammolite. Below is crystalline gold. In comparison with placer gold, its value is dependent on the structure of the crystals rather than by weight.

Dinosaur Bones.

Fossil of a crab thing from the oligocene age. It was found at S.W. Washington.

When I left it the rain had passed. Nice!

Are you spring?

All around school, there is evidence of flowers starting to bloom. I like to believe they occur naturally and its not the result of someone planting them there.Its been raining non-stop. Resilience of the flower is beautiful. 

Pls click on the photo to view the whole thing =)

It snowed ten days ago

Since the weather's been wet wet wet the past week, I thought it would be good to look back ten days ago.

And that day as I was eating my cereal and drinking my tea, I was not aware of the condition outside. And so when I left for class in one less layer of clothes, I was moderately shocked.

Some Aids thing.

I did learn to appreciate the snow as the day progressed. 

Everything covered in white. Conjures up images of a fairytale land. Secrets and surprises, magic and mysticism. I was amazed at the beautiful treat the day had brought.

Unlikely that I would describe the constant drizzle/rain so favourably.

Six Flags and Griffith Observatory

Day 8: February 21, 2009

Six flags definitely has the most number of thrilling rides. The first ride Goliath had a thrill rating max and there couldn't have been a better start to our adventure. Most pictures still in others' camera and once i obtain them I will retrace each ride one by one. Below was taken as we lined up for an hour for the undisputed awesome-est ride-X2. The green carrriage is NOT it.

Departing unwillingly from six flags we went to Griffith Observatory at Griffith Park. From here, we overlooked Hollywood and most of LA City. The Hollywood sign on the neighbouring hill. Somewhere nearby was Greek theatre but time constraints meant knowing it was nearby without visiting it was good enough for me. The sight of the observatory building itself was spectacular. The white marbles, the grassy patches and the closeness to the sky made me feel on top of the world.

At the centre hall was this pendulum setup proving that Earth is moving. The planetarium show - Centred in the Universe. Really pretty but I think the other 2 shows (Water is Life,  The Telescope Changed Everything) would have been even more interesting.

And the Zeiss 12 Inch refracting telescope. Didn't manage to use it though because the cloud cover hid the stars that night.

The history of the universe began with the Big Bang. I'm glad to be taking exploring the universe this semester. The physics can be hard to swallow at times but the subject matter to which I learnt how it applies makes it worth it.

Many other interesting displays about the galaxy and nearby stars, the milky way, meteorite showers, planets of the solar system, cosmic rays, recent astronomy news and others.

A fulfilling last day. Heading back to the hotel at night was always exciting. Fortunately, the Super 8 Inn we stayed was only 2,3 blocks from the metro station. I even dared to walk around the corner to the pharmacy to buy sweets; accompanied by equally, if not braver friends.

On the road to Hollywood

Day 7: February 20th 2009

Hollywood began as a real estate company. The gate below is in the proximity of the designated land area of Rancho La Brea.

The tourist guide got us as near as possible to the sign as possible. Since vandalism became prevalent, the authorities has made the 45ft high signage out of bounds and under strict surveillance.

Many famous people have lived here. None spotted though. Lake Hollywood Reservoir with all the exotic plants.

Tour around hollywood scattered with many studios-sunset gower, sunset bronson of ktla5cw, paramount. 

The wheels on the bus go round and round- Santa Monica Boulevard, Beverly Hills.

Wilshire Boulevard, Sunset Boulevard, Rodeo Drive.

El Pollo Loco where an actor got spotted as he was clucking away as a chicken.

The next day was the Oscar night.

Bach to the Orpheum

Rush seating promotion for students. So i was there at the ticket door at exactly 1hr queuing up before the concert to get my $10 ticket. The orpheum theatre entrance from granville street. 

The golden brown walls, the red details and red carpet gives an atmosphere filled with heritage and grandeur. I know, it comes of as cheesy but I was really impressed. Come to think of it, my alma mater (VS) should have a room set to a similar decor theme. 

Exploring the interior layout of the orpheum is such an adventure with stairs leading to odd corners and chambers. Below, is a view of the main area right in front of the main entrance. 

In one of the corners there is a tribute to stars, canadian stars. Most of which I never heard of before. Of the few I definitely knew were- Diana Krall, Bryan Adams.

Brandenburg concertos are like an abiding happiness. Being played on periodic instruments, the interplay of harmony in the melody lines of different parts bring sheer delight that rings through to my soul. No. 1 in F major opens with thunderous hunting calls in the horns that is tamed by the rest of the instruments including 3 oboes, bassoon, violino piccolo, strings and continuo. The ensemble maintained a modest dynamic level which demanded additional concentration as a listener. Always in the soft movements, the phrasing of the melody lines are so graceful and I believe that would have to be how Bach had intended it to be.

I can't really decide on my favourite because each concerto tells such diverse stories and feature a unique combination of instruments ranging from oboe, violin, viola, recorder, transverse flute, cello, viola da gamba and even the harpsichord. Of course the continuo of double bass and theorbo ever reliable as the foundation of the ensemble. Below is a picture captured before the start of a particularly unique trebley mix of trumpet, recorder, oboe and violin for the No. 2 in F major. Period trumpets aren't as loud as modern orchestral trumpets and is able to just balance a tutti melody line with the recorder at certain sections. 

Richard Egarr is the music director of the Academy of Ancient Music. He tells the stories of the Brandenburg concertos with the excitement of a child and I appreciated how he engaged the audience throughout the concert. In No. 5 in D major, he has the sickest harpsichord cadenza solo which was executed with such vigour and energy. I have a new appreciation for the harpsichord.

A mural on the ceiling of the theatre. Fortunately, the seats were comfortable and most of the time my posture was facing the stage even though occasionally I let my eyes close and let my imagination (and arguably my consciousness) slide into an alternate realm.

NUSSO plays their annual concert in a few hours time. May the concert be a success!
Less noteworthy is the date today-Friday the 13th.