monkeys take vancouver

if you're a concert-going fan, the question of the day might be where were you on september 28? for on that day, 3 great bands hit vancouver: arctic monkeys, ladytron and kings of leon. and although i'm not a huge kings of leon fan, i would imagine for some people, the choice would've been a toughie.

for me, it was arctic monkeys, hands down. sorry ladytron, love your music and already seen you in new york but your live shows are definitely too much on the muted, navel-gazing side.

now, if you've read my blog, you know i LOVE these guys. and if i was in my mid-20s now, i would probably be the biggest groupie. course, at my age, i just appreciate their songs and in particular, alex turner's songwriting.

the arctic monkeys played at the orpheum tonight. i had the aisle seat in row 7, baby. and with each album, you hear their evolution and with every concert i go to, i see an evolution in style too. with this album, alex turner swapped his hipster style for a leather-clad with 50's pompadour. i like it!



with each song played, it brought to mind a specific memory. flourescent adolescent took me back to my 2007 UK trip where my friend and i roadtrip and camped around in the english countryside. when the sun goes down reminded me of toronto island where the arctic monkeys were one of the big headliners of the 2007 virgin music fest.

so many good memories tied to their music...

course in concert, the group really go balls-out loud. they rock so loud that i needed to wear my earplugs. and in such an intimate venue, boy was i glad to have them. even the ballads were played on 11. and although i love the album version of suck it and see, i gotta say the stripped-down, acoustic version is rockin' my socks off.



i love how this band is maturing. they catapulted on the britpop scene at a young 19 and 4 albums later, they're still here and they're still amazing. with this new album, i hear jangly guitar influences of echo and the bunnymen and glasvegas with croony, moody vocal stylings of johnny cash and lou reed. but delivered in alex turner/arctic monkeys' inimitable style.

what a great concert year so far: interpol to open the 2011, arctic monkeys in the middle and maybe peter murphy + she wants revenge to close?

charlie the cat

i've rechristened peanut. he's still my little peanut but to everyone else, he's charlie.

braiiiiiiiins!

EA bought pop cap, the publishers of the successful plants vs zombies game. (and no, i have not played it yet)

and to show their excitement at being a part of the EA now, the good folks at pop cap sent us all a little token: a plants vs zombies figurine!



now i'm really going to have try out the game and see what all the fuss is about.

a new addition to the family

i am playful and loving. i seek love and affection. i would shine in any home with lots of attention! i am not a good kitty to leave alone for long periods. noises and commotions are fine. i get along with other cats and tolerate small dogs, just not the yappy ones. my eye is a bit squinty, that is just the way i was born.

how could we possibly say no to this face?

not content with our animal encounters at stanley park, i suddenly felt a strong compulsion to visit our local spca. just to look, i told sean. but really, who were we kidding? there is a reason why sean and i don't go to the spca. the last time we did, sean fell in love with jonesy and by the next day, she was ours.

this time, it was me who fell in love with peanut. in fact, i believe our encounter was meant to be. here was a kitty named peanut and my nickname for all kidlets and animals is peanut. how do i not take that as a sign?

after getting the necessary permission from my landlord, sean and i went back the next morning (right when the spca opened) to adopt this 4 month year old kitteh.





within minutes of being his humans, this is what we know. peanut loves and craves attention and affection. like the first cat i ever had, he is needy and likes to stick close to us. he hates riding in cars. he's very vocal and chatty. he likes the cool and smooth surface of the bathtub. (but doesn't like water) he loves to play.


playtime with peanut


and, who are you?


kitty bonding time. literally bonding right up on me


kitty nappin'

and of course, since little peanut IS only a kitten, all the excitement eventually tuckered him out.

welcome to our family, little one.

bird in a wire

one of these days, sean and i will check out the vancouver aquarium...

after our saturday brunch at the well, we felt like going to check out some fishies. but when we got to the aquarium in stanley park, there was a lineup a mile long just to get in. that meant that it was going to be packed inside. the aquarium IS listed as the #1 thing to do when it's rainy outside. (although the rain had cleared up and the sun had come out)

we skipped it and walked around stanley park instead. we've been together for 2.5 years and not once have we walked around stanley park together. i prefer queen elizabeth park myself. although i did like the quasi-hugging trees at stanley park because it reminded me of the hugging trees in london's hyde park that i was so fond of.


the hugging trees of hyde park

although we didn't see fishes, dolphins, otters, sea turtles, sea lions or belugas, we did get close up with duckies, squirrels, raccoons and a flock of geese.

sean and i came across a goose that was hobbling. turns out that he got tangled up in some fishing wire. one end of the fishing wire was wrapped around one leg, the other end wrapped around the goose's neck. poor thing could not and would not be able to fly away from predators. it was sad too that his entire flock shunning him because of his now handicap. we were watching darwin's law of natural selection right in front of us.

we tried to help untangle the goose but whenever we got near it, it fluttered away from our grasp. his honks of help being ignored by hi flock. other people had tried to corner the goose too but to no avail. whereas those people gave up and walked away, sean and i couldn't in good conscience leave the goose like that. what would happen to the goose when his family flew away? he would be totally helpless if predators such as coyotes preyed on him in such a moment of weakness. so we flagged someone down at the aquarium and asked if he could call a park ranger or a vet to try to free the goose.

luckily, they did follow up on our request (we were worried it was all lip service and nothing was going to be done)



we pointed out the downed goose to the vets and tried to help them corner the bird. jackets were thrown to try to blanket the goose so we could get on top of it, but even in it's handicapped state, it was still pretty quick.

after numerous attempts, something wonderful happened. seems our last effort to capture the goose got him to snap the wire at the neck, freeing his foot and no longer being hobbled, he flew up into the sky. seeing that he was now free to fly, his whole flock followed him in flight.


the goose just moments before flying up into the sky

we were so happy that the little fella was now free. and happier still that we played a part in freeing him. perhaps it worked out for the best that we did not get to go to the aquarium, for we also had a cute encounter with a raccoon. yea, sure they can give you rabies if you get too close and threaten them, but from a healthy "stalking" distance, it's was safe enough. and entertaining.

this little fella had just climbed out of the trashbin and was munching on a chicken bone. but it wasn't enough for he woddled around more bins to forage for food.



the encounter with the raccoon made me feel like we were in a children's storybook. i could practically see the thought bubbles above his head. and it was made even more entertaining that he didn't care one iota that he was being watched or followed.

i've watched too many fantastic mr fox, benji, ace ventura movies. obviously.

my new wheels

after 5 years of taking public transit, i have decided to take the plunge and bought myself some new wheels. the last time i owned a car was my beloved black honda crx si in 2004, right before transplanting to new york.

i missed my old car and i missed driving, but while i worked at VO, i didn't need a car since my commute was 20-25 minutes door to door. however, EA is something else. that's 45+ minutes, 2 buses commute every day. and after 4 months i could stand it no more. especially now that inclement weather is looming on the horizon for the next 5-6 months.

so this is dita. she's a 2002 VW golf, fully loaded with roof rack and best of all, has a manual transmission. i get to drive stick again!

oh happy days.

giddyup

it's been a busy and emotional past couple of weeks and i gave myself a short hiatus on blogging. it's been a time of introspection and possibly a need for change...

...but more on that in later posts. for now here is my chance to catch up on all the good things that have happened.

a couple of weekends ago, sean and i felt like being around animals, and since we were unmotivated to go downtown to check out the aquarium, we decided to drive down to southlands to visit the horses. and in hindsight, it's a good thing we headed down there. for unbeknownst to us, there was a county fair happening. as it was close to the end of the day, we weren't charged admission to see our farm animal friends.


giddyup

there were horses, little pony rides for kids and dozens of little sheeps. for animal lovers such as sean and myself, this sunday outing was just what we needed.



especially cute were the little ewes who would bleet most uproariously when being chased by their human minders.


minding the herd or minding the humans?

it was too adorable and my favourite thing at the county fair. i don't know who was putting on more the show for us: the humans who tried unsuccessfully to corral the flock or the goats who wanted to stay out just a wee bit longer.



unfortunately by the time we got to the fair, the petting zoo portion was being dismantled and so we didn't get to go in the pen to pet the sheep. hm, i see another visit to maplewood farms in the near future for our sheep fix.

we left the fair at closing time and drove around southlands to say hi to the horses. instead, we ended up spending a few minutes with a really friendly donkey. (the horse paid us no mind. neither did their owners) that's okay with us, we're giddy(up) with whatever animals that may feel like getting in some human time.



for more pics of our animal day, press play or click here for my flickr.

...

By the cracks of the skin I climbed to the top
I climbed the tree to see the world
When the gust of wind came to blow me down
I held on as tightly as you held on me
Held on as tightly as you held on me......

superstar milo

this is milo. he's an miniature english bulldog. and apparently a rockstar.

i met milo for the first time last friday when peggy brought him out to girl's night. he's 7 months young, has a severe underbite, beefy paws and is already 45 pounds. the dog weighs the same as an 8-10 year old child!



we ate at biercraft as they have an outdoor patio where milo can hang out with us and were seated right by the entranceway. i swear, everyone coming in or leaving the restaurant, including all the servers and hostesses that were working that night could not get enough of milo. it's as if they've never seen a dog before! a barrage of men and women were coming up to milo kissing and showering him with love and baby talk. turns out that miniature english bulldogs are not common in vancouver hence all the fawning.



not that milo minded one bit. the dog lapped up all the adoration and attention. as this is his first time he's been in an environment that is either not home or peggy and alfred's office, i think this night out seriously ruined him forever. he's going to want to go out with his public all the time. cuz once you have a taste of that spotlight, everything else doesn't compare.

word to the wise: get a miniature english bulldog and you'll never be able to dine out in peace again.

this is now...

we made it to kelowna! we abandoned plans of driving and instead caught a flight this past weekend. a bit more expensive but way more convenient and less scary than being stranded on "car killer" highway.

a short weekend getaway to visit sean's mom and dad. it was my first time to kelowna and although i probably wouldn't live there, it's was a nice little escape from the hustle and bustle of vancouver. i also found out that kelowna is home to locusts, hornets and horseflies!

locusts as i heard them for the very first time, flying around the trees, down by the beach. at first listen, it sounded quite strange and jarring but after a few minutes, i was no longer bothered by their "clicking" sounds.

hornets because one flew into my lap. or rather, one flew in the window while we were driving and hit me on my arm. it then landed on my lap, between my legs. when i couldn't make out what this big yellow insect was on my lap and sean told me not to move or sit on it as it was a hornet, i proceeded to lost my sh*t. we pulled over hurriedly but safely and i scampered across the seats and got out on sean's side. the little 'effer must've been dazed when he slammed right into us cuz he wasn't moving much on my now abandoned seat. thankfully, sean saved the day and smooshed the sucker before tossing it out on the road.

*shiver*

and then sean told me to watch if a black fly lands on me because it would most likely be a horsefly that would then bite a chunk of my skin off with its pinchers. and i would be left with a gaping and bloody wound.

oh, and rattle snakes. but don't worry, you'll hear them so you can do your best to avoid them.

kelowna, huh?!

bugs and insects aside, there are some lovely aspects to kelowna. like vineyards. kelowna is filled with them. not quite like napa but lovely all the same. sean took me to the biggest vineyard, mission hill family estates. i can't drink but i do like to look at grapes on vines and take in the green, green space.

also, we saw families of quails toddling about (skittish birds, quails are) and blue jays. but the biggest visual thing that stood out for me? kelowna is the home to RVs! everyone, but everyone had a monstrous RV parked in the driveway of their house. you can find them on every block, that is, when you're not coming up on them at the dozen or so used RV truck lots. the okanagan likes their roadtrips.

here are some pics:









the rest of our weekend alternated between visits with sean's dad and mom and sean taking me around to his old haunts. all the childhood and wild adolescent stories he's told me, i now know what these places actually look like.

i got a better sense of where sean came from, geographically and through spending time with his family, what made him into the person he's become today. i'm so very happy to have been able to spend time with sean's dad and mom and wished that we were able to stay longer. they're both lovely, lovely people who've always made me feel like i'm a part of the family.

thank you so much dale and donna. hugs and love to you both. :)

to check out some pictures from our kelowna trip, press play on the slideshow or click here for my flickr.



(sean's pictures to come...)

that was then...

our plans for driving to kelowna last weekend did not pan out. it was suppose to be a breezy 6 hour drive. on paper. however, the coquihalla "car killer" highway combined with what was probably one of the hottest days of the summer meant that sean's truck overheated to the point where we weren't even sure we could make the 1.5 hours drive back into vancouver.

we were just past hope (1/4 of the way to kelowna) when our engine started to smoke. i didn't know this but apparently, we were on a 30 kilometre never-ending uphill climb. we made it to just past the great bear snowshed which was a couple of kilometres from the summit.


blisterin' in the sun

sean had warned me about the possibility of the truck not making it but i thought, it's not streets of san francisco vertical so it can't be THAT hard. it certainly didn't feel like a steep incline. but the cumalative effect of climbing for so long takes a toll on cars.

and i found out later about the "burning car phenomenon" that the coquihalla is famous for, where overheated cars and trucks have burnt to a fiery crisp off the side of the road.

luckily that didn't happen to us. and thank our lucky stars, we were able to pull into a rest stop on top of the highway where there was a couple of ginormous metal tents designed for trucks that needed to get out of the scorching heat.


beating the heat

we let the truck cool down for a couple of hours and entertained ourselves with counting the fleet of cars and big rigs that also needed to pull over on the highway before attempting to journey on. and strange to see tour buses as well as semi-trailer trucks, hazard lights blinking, as they literally inch up the coquihalla.

after a couple hours, we crossed our fingers and drove back into the city. with the air con off so not to overheat the engine faster and praying that we cross back into 3G territory. (not only would it suck to be stranded on the coquihalla, but it would suck even harder with no cel service!) we made a stop in hope to have some lunch before deciding to stop for the day in abbotsford. we didn't want to push the car so hard and hence pushing our luck.

so it was "date night in the valley."

the failed attempt at driving to kelowna got us sweaty and crankey and ready to kill in exchange for a cool shower and air conditioned room. so we checked in to a hotel to swim in a cool pool, order take out dinner and fall asleep watching tv in bed.

a little reward for a day that whooped our asses.