Aberdeen

Got up late and didn't meet A until he finished shopping at Aberdeen. He seemed super happy. That was good. (Although a bit alarming that his mood-swing is so big.) Had afternoon snack at Aoyama, then headed to M to pick up his PC case. He got the store to price match, so all of a sudden a monitor was added to my trunk. I barely had enough room, but thank God, we didn't have to put anything in the back seat. I couldn't believe I forgot to check out the dollar store and XS Cargo right next to M. I'm glad that those stools are not sold out. After that, Costco. A didn't buy that much but the bill went over $100! Yikes!!!!! Had junk food for dinner at A's. Tried to cook him some oatmeal, but the eggs must be old. He couldn't finish it.

PNE

Free admission from 9 to noon. We imagined that it would be packed.

Ended up sleeping for 4 hours only. Oh well... my own fault. Set alarm at 7:30 for a 8:15 pickup. Woke up by brother's phone call at 7. Turn out pickup was delayed for an hour. Worked out fine for me.

It was raining all day non-stop. We arrived at around 9:40 and were super lucky to find street parking thanks to some people leaving. Perhaps they decided that the rain wasn't worth it.

So, mom, cousin K, and I formed one team. Brother and the 2 kids another (they were also waiting for more friends to arrive). We went our separate ways. Mom was interested in the dog show, so we headed towards the Colosseum. Almost everyone went there because of the rain. It was packed! Near the aisle was an Asian old man spreading out both arms to take 2 extra seats. I asked if any was taken, and he said all was taken. Mom found a seat one roll down, and another one on the other side of this man's territory. So I took that one... only to find out that man put his backpack on the inside seat. I was very unhappy but perhaps he was waiting for 2 friends. Cousin K insisted that mom and I sit down. She ended up standing all through the show (about an hour). Midway through the show, another old guy did come to take the aisle seat, but the inner one stayed empty. I was extremely pissed off. That's why his photo is here.

After the dog show, we went to the Home Depot area. Didn't expect to find an estimator for our drainage system. Next, we went to the Safeway barn. I though there would be produce but noooo, only livestock. It stunk too. It was a rare chance to touch farm animals but mom and cousin K didn't want to stay long. Oh well...

We just followed the flow, so, container art was naturally next. The rides nearby were almost empty. The octopus operator would run the machine for just 4 people. While waiting for brother to meet up with us, we entertained ourselves by watching people throw up. It was super tempting to take pictures.

It was lunch time. We all had our hands stamped and brother showed us to a nearby Chinese restaurant off the site. It was pack! I bet everyone there was a PNE goer. My back's been feeling really bad so I ditched my regular handbag and went for a waist pouch. Hence no Pinky, no Pinky picture. Seems like this restaurant is used to crowds. A simple menu helps. Quality is quite good too.

After lunch, we went back to PNE to finish off with Market Place. There were lots of massaging machines and cleaning tools. Almost bought one of those spin mops. At $50, no way.

Met up with brother at 3:10 and he dropped us home. Niece G stayed behind with her friends and would be dropped off by her parents later. I can't remember much after that. Kept dosing off at my desk.

Zongzi / Skytrain

My brother's mother-in-law doesn't have a US visa so they couldn't take her cross-border shopping. Well, actually she does have one, but it's a long story. (She has a permanent one without expiry day. But her passport only has x months left, so she got a new passport so it won't expire in Canada. Of course the visa doesn't transfer over.) So, she was dropped off at our place before the shopping trip.

To kill a day, she bought along supplies to make Zongzi, ingredients and pans and everything. And OMG, she made 32! Each one weights approximately a pound. Yup, she's a good cook.

Happened to be at Oakridge after my chiropractor's appointment. The skytrain station has an open house! It might be the free juice, or the taco salad I ate for lunch didn't agree with my stomach. Had to leave early. Sorry Andrew. However, couldn't escape eating out for dinner. Mom and my brother's mother-in-law were tired from Zongzi making. Didn't eat anything but veggies. (OK I did eat some fresh Zongzi later afternoon. There were too good to resist.)

Father's Day

Happens to be summer solstices too. Longest day of the year. It's still kind of bright outside at 10 PM.

There was some kind of event at Aberdeen. Singing and dancing. "Dragon Idol". Hmm... rip off of you-know-what.

The usual father's day dinner. Oops, may not be usual because we rarely celebrate on the exact day. We did it today because my brother had church event yesterday.

Anime Evolution

(Pictures have nothing to do with subject.)
My mistake. This year's event is held at the convention center instead of SFU. Kind of want to see the different, but can't afford it. (T_T) 60 bucks is way too much. Especially when I'm spending more at Michael's on supplies these days.

There was some kind of no car day in a few places in town. If you're in a car and hit one, bad luck. I happened to hit the one on Main between 12th and 16th.

European Festival

Woke up to no water supply on the day of my first time to this annual(?) European festival in Burnaby. Well it just took longer for me to get going.

First thing that caught my eyes were these huge freaky walking mascots(?). Most of the time they just stood there. When they walk, someone holding a German flag would lead them. Guess they were German.

Performances like singing and dancing were constantly on the center stage. There was this old lady who kept standing up every time I tried to take a picture. Super annoying.

The food was a bit expensive. If they charge $7 admission, the food should be cheaper. $10 a plate of Goulash with only a few pieces of beef was a rip off. Cookies and sweets were tempting. This marange was huge! Light but still very filling.

Besides the usual food and nick-nack vendors, there were tourism(?) booths, children playground, beer garden, etc. The weather was nice, but my car without AC was a sauna. It's always like this in summer. Oh, one last thought: they need more chairs.

Miniature show

Missed my chance last year. If memory serves me right, it was raining. After all, Langley is too far away. But I'm glad I can go this year. Wouldn't happen without a friend to be a navigator. Thanks! (^_^) But all that driving made me really tired. Fell asleep in front of the computer. Shouldn't have done that. My back is killing me. (T_T)

Earth Hour (2)

Ended up watching TV with lights off. But my parents wanted to read newspaper, so the half of the house did not participate. Ideally, it would be perfect for a candle light dinner or something if I had a boyfriend. Oh well.

Photo is again, homework from 2 weeks ago. Argh! Silicone! I need some silicone for a small repair! If only my boss is still in town... (T_T)

Earth Hour

Lights off 8-9 pm tomorrow night (Saturday March 29) if you're interested...
Will I do it myself? Hmm... it depends. The ideal would be going to the mall or something. But in my case, a bit unlikely...

http://www.wwf.ca/earthhour/
http://www11.earthhourus.org/

(Photo is homework from 2 weeks ago.)

Halloween parade

Parade of the Lost Souls to be exact. This is my first time.
Hmm... afterthoughts...

• More crowded than I though.
• Cold and rainy. The weather report was wrong.

I need a new camera. The one I have right now is old, but I like it very much. The battery is at the end of it's life, though. And yeah, it died on me tonight. I'd like to take a lot more pictures.

• Couldn't see what I was walking on.
• Couldn't really see anything behind the crowd. I'm too short. Sigh...

Despite all that, I still think it was pretty good. Thanks Steven!

Andre Rieu (3)

For memory's sake, gotta dig up the photos from last concert years ago. I'm curious what kind of pictures I took too. (It was a film camera.)

Yesterday was so exhausting, I left out a lot of things. Like...

There was an elderly gentlemen (a super fan) dancing all along. Wish I could have 1/10 of that energy.

At the end when people flocked to the front, there was an old lady who had trouble walking, escorted by a security staff slowing coming down the stairs to get to the ground level, so she could join the action. That was kind of touching. She must be another super fan.

During the Blue Danube, not only couples, some kids came down to the floor to dance too.

From a distance, Andre Rieu didn't seem to have aged. Amazing! But on the side screens, you can see his close up, wrinkles, plus all the liver spots on his forehead. Well, I guess no one can escape time.

He also did a lot of ass-kissing on Vancouver. It's not a bad thing at all. It's only the appropriate thing to say, right? But... somehow it felt like a routine. Maybe it's because of the pre-opening projected banner was from a previous New York concert. The booklet was from that too. So... it kind of felt like plucking "Vancouver" into "New York"'s place.

When the concert was over, there was a bottle neck at all the exits. I suspect it was because seniors can't move fast. (Yikes... that was a mean thing to say, wasn't it?)

This one took me a whole day to figure out. The section at the back of the stadium was empty. They were facing directly to the stage and the view should be good. Why were they empty? Were they reserved for some organization that no one can come? Or are they actually too far away to be useful? Or simply seats that nobody wanted? Then, of course, looking back to the very first moments... Of course! That exit at the back was where the musicians entered! Keeping the section off limits can prevent any crazy fans from mugging the artists!

In that case, the stadium seemed to be completely full...

Finally, it was an awesome concert! He showed us classical music can be this much fun. His style is my ideal.

Things that can be improved:

• The stadium's echo was pretty bad. The music was acceptable, but you can totally hear it when Andre Rieu spoke. If he could try even once, to have his concert in the Orpheum. But I guess that's not his point. (A formal concert hall would be too formal?) Plus, a stadium can house more people. It's just that, a friend seems to place acoustics before the spirit of the music. I wish he would give Andre Rieu a chance.
• If photography is not prohibited, please at least tell people not to use flash light. It's very distracting. And the flash can't reach the stage anyway. Why can't people realize that?

And special thanks again to Steven. (^_^)

Andre Rieu (2)

4 appointments today. (>_<;) Haircut, chiropractor, dinner with Steven, and the concert. The forecast low was 6. So it was only natural to wear my nice warm dressy leather boots. However! I was regretting it even before reaching my hair dresser! I forgot that they are high heels, and not meant for walking!! Couldn't find closer parking, and every step was excruciating. Must endure this pain until I got home almost 12 hours later! (T_T) It's still sore right now. Oh dear... I still need to run around tomorrow... Not looking forward to it...

Second huge screw-up: forgot to stop by the bank before meeting Steven for dinner. (T_T) I only had a $5 bill in my wallet plus some loose change. He ended up paying for it. Thanks Steven, but please let me pay you back. You came to the concert with me, and even help me buy the ticket. If it wasn't for you, I would have given up. Not to mention you bought me Pinkys from Japan! I really appreciate your help. If I let you pay for dinner, it makes me feel like I'm taking advantage of you. (>_<;)

So, today's main event, the concert. This is my second time. When was last time...? Argh! Can't remember! Probably in the 90's. Back then, ticket was $60. I went with my ex-violin teacher and a friend I now lost touch with. She got married since then, and had a baby girl when I last heard. Sigh... time flies... (T_T)

Out seats were pretty good. Although far towards the right, it was a good distance and eye level. The best thing was, the 2 seats directly in front of us were empty. Flags were given out before we arrived. Nope we didn't get any. Just for a Pinky picture, we borrowed one from a gentlemen near by. Thanks Steven for the Pinky help again. (^_^) Most attendees were seniors. We figured average age was about 55? (Maybe older.) There were young kids too, though. Personally, I think a ticket at that price is way too much to spend on a kid. But again, this is no ordinary classical concert.

Andre Rieu was entertaining as always, with lots of gigs. The goulash and angel were my favorite. The sausage-throwing was funny and unexpected too!

Got trapped by the washroom line up and missed the first piece after the break. Not that I was trying to buy one, but the booklet was sold out! CD $25 DVD $30. Hey you can buy his CDs at London Drugs for around $15! Last Christmas I bought a DVD for only $12!

The floor was filled with seats, so I didn't expect people to actually get up and dance. But they did! At one point I counted 39 couples. The number kept changing. Some people were dancing with their arms while remaining in their seats.

Ah, that's the difference between a cheap ticket and an expensive one. The expensive one gets camera attention, sausage thrown at, balloons, and can dance in the isle! At the end, fans flocked to the front of the stage. Some kids were throwing balloons at the musicians. Naughty!

Actually, Andre Rieu tended to stand towards the right side of the stage, which happened to block the view of the singers most of the time. (>_<;) 2 hours was too short. It was sneaky for him to get everyone singing Oh Canada, haha!

Last time, there were announcements on photography being prohibited. This time, there was nothing. I was slightly concerned, but determined to sneak a few shots regardless. Since the seats in front of us were empty, there would be no camouflage, which could easily get me into trouble. When I saw the countless flashlights from all over the stadium, I was so relieved. (^_^) This, unfortunately, reminded me of the Anime Evolution incident with the professional band. That, was mean.

Andre Rieu

Geeze... time really flies! When the ticket was bought in April, I thought, it's gonna take forever to get to the concert! Before you know it, it's tomorrow!! (Oops, it's past midnight. Technically speaking it's "today"! Yikes!)

And they really know how to squeeze money out of your pocket. Imagine how much interest they gain within this 6 months! A ticket is almost a hundred bucks! ($93.50 to be exact.) (T_T)

Anime Evolution 2007 (5)

Some after thoughts...

I'm soooo glad I came home alive. Looking back, perhaps I shouldn't have gone.

1. I was sick with a cold.
2. Sleep and food deprived. (Only got 1 hour sleep the night before, preparing for the flea market. Never recovered.)
   
3. I had to manage the flea market table alone. (And I got about $20 worth of stuff stolen.)
   
4. There weren't any programming that I reeeeally wanna see.

On the other hand,

1. I really need to sell stuff at the flea market.
2. This might be the last chance to see FMA cosplay.
3. Should support the local event.
4. Might open some new doors.

Well, I guess at the end I'm happy that I went. Next year, if possible, I wouldn't mind trying the artist alley. I'd like to share a table. Anybody interested? (^_^)

Anime Evolution 2007 (4)

Day 3 started late again. Arrived at 1:15, hoping to catch the last 15 minutes of the Lady Asheligh's tea party by the fish pond, but nothing was there! Spent 10 minutes searching for it. There was no trace of it anywhere. Nothing could be done so I gave up.

After that, I just wandered around the artist alley. Hmm... made me want to try it next year. But I don't want to do it alone. Anybody interested in sharing a table?

Managed to see the Dollfies: Ball Jointed Dolls panel for 15 minutes before it ended. My friend in Hong Kong is so into it, she has started a business dealing with doll accessories. They're very nice, but super expensive. I can't afford them.

Next, the Yaoi in Mainstream Anime and Manga panel. They were saying the official shows started the yaoi trend themselves. Well, I'd say, it won't work without the fan's imaginations. And oh boy, can they imagine!

Ran into my friends in the cosplayer's hangout area. This was the last chance this year so I was shooting as many photos as I could. Naruto was the most cosplayed theme, but at that time, I only saw one person dressed up as Naruto himself. And I failed to catch him. (Oops it was actually a "her".) The second place had to be Bleach. I was hoping to see more Gothic Lolita, though.

All the panels were over. There was nothing else good going on. (Well, some anime shows, game, and the charity auction.) It was time to sit down at the main stage. We saw the final of Anime Idol. then it was the closing ceremony. That professional band played after that, but only very few people stayed for it. My friends and I didn't. It was getting cold too.

One last picture at the bus stop. Some cosplayers left in their costumes. I still can't forget the Shinji Ikari cosplayer I saw on the skytrain last year, who was bragging about not going home for 3 days, and a certain body spray let him skip shower during that 3 days. Gross!

Anime Evolution 2007 (3)

Official day 2 (not counting Thursday) started late. Set my alarm clock at 10:30, but my friend called me at 9. I tried to sleep some more after that, but just when I was struggling to get out of bed, the plummer came. So... couldn't use the bathroom. It was almost noon that I was finally up and running.

I never timed my trip until now. It took 1.5 hours. And that was without having to wait for the bus or the train. Oops! Forgot to take the parking time into account. (Time spent looking for parking near the Commercial Drive skytrain station.)

Comparing to yesterday, there were much fewer people on the ground when I arrived at 3:30. They were probably in the rooms. I managed to catch two-thirds of the Full Metal Alchemist movie. Watched it on download, but still wanted to see it on big screen. The sound was definitely better. Air quality was really bad, though. Plus there were no seats left, so I had to stand near the door for an hour. That was only the first thing I went to, but I was tired already. (Also the leftover exhaustion from yesterday, and the cold.)

Then I met up with a friend who had never been to SFU (or AE). Saw the vendor areas that I didn't get to see the previous day. Then we went to the History of Anime in Vancouver panel. I'm sorry, but the presentation had way too much room for improvement. I felt asleep. (Sorry again, but I was very tired.)

Caught a few Air Gear episodes afterwards. It was a lot better than I thought. Then I went to the From Yoi to Slash & Back Again Mature Content panel. It was in 3 segments going from 9:30 PM to 2:30 AM. I was going to attend the first one only, which was until 10:30. Unfortunately I was way too tired and left at 10:20. It was quite full and I sat way back and could hardly hear the professor anyway. Oh, what's "slash" by the way?

As a record of the day's activities, I've been trying to shoot pictures of whatever's happening in the stage area. Tonight, unaware that there was a professional band playing, I casually pointed my camera at them, from high up the main stairs. A security volunteer stopped me immediately with a tone of voice like a parent scolding a child. "This is copy righted material! No pictures allowed!" I said, "Oh? No Pictures? OK I didn't know that. Thank you!" But he kept on going! "Point your camera away! Put it away!"

You don't have to tell me 3 times!

Hey wait a minute! Why did I get the feeling that he was treating me like a criminal? No smile, no please, no thank you. He actually looked mad. Why was he mad at me? I'm just an ordinary attendee, hoping to shoot a souvenir picture with my pitiful 6-year-old 2 mega pix camera. Flashing spot lights and the back of the band was facing me, and the picture doesn't have audio. From that far away, it's probably gonna be faint tiny silhouettes of unidentifiable figures. What kind of photo did he think I'd get? Did he seriously think I was going to, or able to "infringe their copy right"? If I was holding a video camera, or a 2-foot long telephoto lens, than, that would be a different story. W H A T A J E R K!!

OK, he might be just "doing his job" (which may include exercising excessive unnecessary aggression), but he's still a jerk by putting me in such a bad mood. Before I left, I had to sneak one in. No apologies, though. Ha!

Anime Evolution 2007 (2)

Aaaaargh! After getting the flea market stuff ready, I only had one hour to sleep. (Going to bed at almost 8 AM but too tense to sleep.) It avalanched disastrously onto the schedule and I was totally not looking forward to dragging the heavy suite case onto transit. Luckily a family friend who lives near SFU was visiting and she offered me a round-trip ride. (Thanks so much!!)

Adrenaline was the only thing that kept me going. Can't remember too much. Had to yell because the table was behind the audience seating. The lack of sleep overpowered the cold. Sales was OK I guess. The big items which I want to get rid of didn't sell at all. The small stuff were almost all gone. At least 4 items weren't accounted for. A big dust ball, a small one, a tiny FMA tin can, and an Ed capsule toy. That's $20, stolen. The price of a whole set. (T_T) It was very hard to manage a table alone. That was exactly what I didn't want, but ended up with thanks to a twist of faith. Grrr...

It kind of sucks to be stuck behind a table. But a good thing is, the cosplayers come to you! So I got to take plenty of photos. It's so much easier to talk to them when they're looking at stuff. (As to chasing after them in the hallway etc.)

The day wouldn't be completed without a Pinky picture. Hehehe... That's left over pizza from the group on my left, 2 tables away. Geeze... they shouldn't have left garbage lying around like that.

Saddly, I'll have to say, the flea market was badly managed. No one knew anything. There was no sign-in either. So technically speaking, anyone can just walk in and start selling stuff. (It's actually $25 for a table and $15 for half.) It was supposed to end at 8, but when the venders started packing up at their closing time at 6, some flea market people starting leaving. Only 3 tables held out till 8. By that time, I was frozen after sitting outdoor for 6 hours. The evening was cooling down fast.

There was a dance party again....

Well, seems like my brain just turn it's switch off. So that's it for now. I might come back and modify things later.

Anime Evolution 2007 (1)

Went up to SFU to meet the flea market table owner, plus register. Ended up not registering because... well, it's a little complicated. We... can't communicate too well. Plus, I want to make sure I'm well enough to go before paying the $40.

Nevertheless, got the program booklet. Their official site still doesn't show the schedule. Unbelievable. And I'm extremely shocked at how fast time flies! Didn't even get half the stuff I want to get done today! And now I'll have to prepare the stuff to sell at the flea market. Meanwhile my cold maybe better today after the 10-hour sleep. Feeling less tired, but there's a constant headache around the eye sockets and the top of the neck. Shoulders are really tight too. Nose is as stuffy as yesterday. Well, tonight won't be a sleep-well night. I wonder if I can get through tomorrow. Even so, will I be well enough for the rest of the convention? Sigh...

So, here's the program.



Argh!! Didn't know they have a dance party tonight! Guess I miss it on the web site. So the activities started before the opening ceremony? Then what's the meaning of an opening ceremony? Hmm...

Eat! Vancouver 2007

Aaargh! The price went up! It was $12 last year. Now it's $14! I want to go, but at the same time, 14 bucks is starting to leave my budget range... Hmm... I think I'll go if I find someone to go with. Otherwise...well, we'll see.

Barbie screening 2

Ooo yeah, mo-cap ballet dancers. A must for Barbie. Not bad at all! Argh I forgot to ask if the story is original. (It sure seems so.... unfortunately that means... lame.) The dresses move naturally. Good job on the rigging! The pajamas can be better, though. When perspective is compressed with long lens, it makes you feel like you're looking at a tapestry. In a few places, I had trouble telling what's actually 3D and what's cardboard cut-out.

However, it bugs me a lot when the sub-characters look way better then the main characters!! The best looking one is the villain aunt. She steals the show! The cheeks of the youngest princess... Laicie? (Lazy? ) look really stiff and swollen. (Yup, that's the way Matel wants it.) I guess the princesses and the guy have to look like the dolls, so they're really plastic. With the improvement on dress rigging, it doesn't make sense not to ditch the lumpy plastic hair. (Yup, Matel is the one to blame again.) Are they afraid of the CG version looking better than the real dolls?

Facial expressions are at the usual MFE level. The corners of some characters' mouths are too pointy, though. Don't like the overly emphasized glassy eyes of the cat and monkey. (Why do they always HAVE to have mascots like that? I hate annoying talking animals!) The movements of hands and wrists still have a lot of room for improvement.

Last but not least, the story. There are many signs that this is original.

• The princesses act like contemporary girls.
• Single-parent family.
  
• There's no prince. The main princess marries a commoner at the end.
• The villain is a stereotypical wicked stepmother. However, the king never marries her. He only signs a document to give her queen status near the end.

Then it never explains the relationship between the late queen and the magic garden. How did she predict the number and order of birth of her children? That's the key to opening the magic gate! Her own garden in the real world resembles the magic garden too. And the floor tiles also have to be in place before all of that.

Haha... I shouldn't be picking on it too much. After all it's made for kids so young, they don't care. But now, they'll want 12 dolls...