tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74177552008-09-04T16:52:19.183-07:00Victor's photojournal of life in Vancouver, Calgary, and all the stops along and out of the way.Victornoreply@blogger.comBlogger165125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417755.post-57444276257880841842008-09-04T16:41:00.002-07:002008-09-04T16:52:19.195-07:00

You can order a pizza at Subway. Or get a sub sandwich at Dominos. AND Dunkin Donuts. Now Pizza Hut is pushing pasta. What next? You're going to tell me McCain and Obama are tied in the polls? Yeah right...

Victornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417755.post-23626745978827105852008-08-22T02:25:00.002-07:002008-08-22T02:32:17.746-07:00

I've always dreamed of this day. OK, I dream of better things, but it is a good day when a wonderfully useful site like yelp comes to Canada. Vancouver has had this hole in the webosphere that DineHere.ca and the Martini Boys could never quite fulfill. Chowhound will still be my most trusted source for restaurant reviews because of all the knowledge foodie contributors, but it can't compete with

Victornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417755.post-63181862767400256422008-08-18T00:24:00.003-07:002008-08-18T00:50:56.162-07:00

Long overdue for an update, so I'll just sum up the past two weeks (with lots of firsts): Road the Aquabus for the first time (after Fireworks) Umbro Beach Soccer tournament at Spanish Banks (we tied all 3 games Pride Parade (too many floats, not as good as last year) First hot yoga class (thx E) Scored tickets to the Dec 21 Seahawks vs Jets with Brett Favre announcement a few days later (10am

Victornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417755.post-10200528398286677252008-06-21T22:43:00.003-07:002008-06-27T00:38:43.127-07:00

I'm headed to the Okanagan with Ryan tomorrow for 4 nights, staying by Kelowna & Summerland. Yup, just us two, we had some interest in Van & Calgary but it all fell through (kind of like the Canada Day camping trip...). Last month as I was doing my occasional nerding out on tech news, I caught this video on how to use PBwiki, using a camping trip as an example. My thirst for new tools and not

Victornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417755.post-44352571259314453852008-06-08T22:32:00.005-07:002008-06-08T22:53:12.539-07:00

  Call me easily amused, or possibly the fact that I am in the bathroom more often when I've had a few drinks and giggly, but I love when an establishment adds a little wit in the loo. I'm not just talking the urinal ad that gets your thirty seconds of undivided attention. An example is this poster from one of my favorite lounges, Section 3 in Yaletown. That's all there is to it, no words, just a

Victornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417755.post-75756735595818752502008-06-05T13:20:00.005-07:002008-06-05T14:01:44.691-07:00

My friend in California is a rocket scientist. His Gmail Chat status reads "Hating Work". Two contacts below, my friend in NYC "is hating the CFA". She's been with one of the largest investment banks for five years. I don't have any more background on their feelings at this no doubt stressful moment, but it echoes some thoughts I've had recently. If someone were to ask you to do something you

Victornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417755.post-27080556622810570082008-05-29T12:19:00.005-07:002008-05-29T13:53:57.915-07:00

  Its been gorgeous lately here in Vansterdam. So much so that I've been at the beach three times in the past two weeks! I'm not bragging... OK maybe a bit, but the beach is one of the things I missed the most in the past four years in the land-locked Prairies where all you get for water is a glacial-fed lake or a cess pool like Sylvan (then again, its rare to see locals actually IN the water on

Victornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417755.post-64819809229138499352008-05-22T12:21:00.004-07:002008-05-29T13:30:07.096-07:00

I stepped out of the safety net today and attended Launch Party 4 by myself last night at The Republic. A gathering of "entrepreneurs, techies and marketers", LPV4 as its known is a networking event for the small but growing Vancouver .com scene. Of the seven start-ups showing their stuff, two looked to be on the cusp of something big, while another two seemed completely out to lunch. I met a

Victornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417755.post-56925519487818080922008-05-15T16:21:00.000-07:002008-05-15T16:20:14.978-07:00

  Think of the out of focus cluster of leaves at the back as Pandora, one of my favorite sites that is no longer available to Canadians. I wrote about this back in 2007. The semi out of focus leaves to the left could be Last.fm, which I still use and scrobble my iPods with. The top leaf could be Yahoo! Music, the 2nd most popular streaming on demand music site. So you're asking, what about the

Victornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417755.post-35067559345497238182008-05-12T20:47:00.003-07:002008-05-12T20:53:20.562-07:00

I'm one of those people that are always looking for the next vacation. So the latest deal I heard (through my mom of all people) is from up and coming (and profitable) Allegiant Air. If you don't mind the border and park'n ride hassle, Allegiant is offering new summer service from Bellingham to SF for $78 each way. Thats $177US after taxes! Or if you're looking for a different kind of culture,

Victornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417755.post-29764213997351323102008-04-21T13:49:00.003-07:002008-04-21T15:25:35.421-07:00

Its not unusual for snow to fall in April or May in Calgary, but the amount it snowed on Friday was something to be seen. 15cm, with temperatures down to -13C on yesterday! This is the 2nd storm in a week. I heard Vancouver got a bit of snow as well, while its over 25C in the East. At least its good to know I can fly out, and it'll be the last time I'll feel that kind of cold for six more months

Victornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417755.post-91822758283080775302008-04-15T12:00:00.002-07:002008-04-21T15:24:58.523-07:00

After almost 5 years away from Vancouver, here are some small things I've that caught my attention in the past week: - Grass should be GREEN (sorry Alberta) - Food is cheap. $1.10 for salmon sashimi. $6.25 for jap chae and bulgogi on rice. - People walk slow. Very slow. - Please stop reverse parking in underground stalls! It takes too long, and its not that much safer! - Saw a shiny new Subaru

Victornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417755.post-91078953498617656512008-04-14T18:45:00.000-07:002008-04-14T19:45:29.688-07:00

  My very persuasive friend talked me into my first formal yoga class today. I was reluctant to go because its new, and I had just jogged for an hour down River Road in the morning. But I always wanted to try, so off I went to Semperviva Yoga on Granville Island. Our instructor Michelle slowly paced us through the one hour hatha class, and I kept up pretty well! I've had informal training before,

Victornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417755.post-22347963529649539522008-04-13T16:07:00.003-07:002008-04-14T19:32:59.153-07:00

Usually the Hockey Night in Canada theme song gives me a good feeling inside, but it really sucks this year when your team is not in it. I guess I'll cheer for a Flames vs Habs all Canadian final, but part of me is pulling for those Penguins. Its not going to be fun getting razzed when I go back to Calgary on Thursday! In the meantime, I'll be watching Champion's League (go Man U!) and waiting

Victornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417755.post-13233697882171304102008-04-09T04:46:00.002-07:002008-04-09T04:48:52.658-07:00

Oh, the fresh air! I've been back since Sunday after a wonderful month in Asia, but I'm laying low until I get things sorted out with my living situation and work. Moving isn't easy! I'll keep you posted...

Victornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417755.post-45418351196731508542008-03-06T11:11:00.002-08:002008-03-06T11:23:19.291-08:00

Same old, same old, right? If that's your answer, its time to get moving. In the past week I quit my job, moved back to Vancouver, incorporated a company, and in five hours I fly to Asia for a month to visit friends in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh. And I am STOKED! ManOfTheYear, Hongerwin, Pans, TLo, lillou, Fred, JC!, Ga, Krys, Salz, can't wait to see you all! Side

Victornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417755.post-55917387828822886412008-01-31T18:55:00.000-08:002008-01-31T19:12:49.974-08:00

My time has come. What started out as a 3 month work assignment turned into 5 years, and now its time for me to go home. I've made some great friends (come with me!), and have been fortunate to work with excellent people. I've learned a lot here at work (maybe not so much in the past year), and also from the good people in this city. My last day of work is February 29, so I'll be back in

Victornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417755.post-56500465964438633122008-01-23T22:37:00.000-08:002008-01-24T08:06:47.785-08:00

 3 nights on mountain, $215 (including lift passes, what a steal), 3 BR heated garage stainless steel big screen surround private 8 man hot tub. And tons of pow with no lineups. Besides the elks in the way, it was a great trip. Made new friends and boarded more than I ever have in one weekend. See photos on Flickr.

Victornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417755.post-48321322871827139442008-01-08T20:34:00.000-08:002008-01-08T20:49:20.721-08:00

I did. Or anyone else who receives Ticketmaster alerts would know. Here's the entire January lineup for MacEwan Hall at U of C, the most popular spot for indie bands and acoustic performances (I've seen Jurassic 5, The Subways and Matt Good here, all great shows): - Jan 22: Hedley The Saddledome isn't much better: - Jan 15: Michael Buble The Stampede Corral (similar to the PNE Forum, if you

Victornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417755.post-33356433273182248362007-12-11T17:53:00.000-08:002007-12-22T17:11:49.908-08:00

  Darren, Jen & I sped the 262km windy route through the Rockies to Golden BC on sticky studded tires for a weekend at one of my favorite ski hills, Kicking Horse. With the 3rd highest vertical drop at 4133 feet (just behind Whistler & Jackson Hole), KH is quite the workout. We had fresh powder both days, fair weather, no lineups, got to ride the VIP gondola (cupholders and padded seats!), and

Victornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417755.post-44870158655885640602007-11-16T11:57:00.000-08:002007-12-22T17:12:49.628-08:00

Unbelievable. RCR, owners of Lake Louise, Nakiska, Fernie & Kimberley, have banned man-made ski jumps due to "a strong moral obligation to not compromise the safety of our guests". That's ridiculous, people going off those jumps know what they're getting into. Its not a liability issue either, as I've yet to hear of any one injured in a terrain park suing the operators. I'm pretty sure its an

Victornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417755.post-58746303288748941262007-11-07T20:53:00.000-08:002007-11-08T08:27:16.092-08:00

As if it wasn't frustrating enough to fly Air Canada (bad service, strict 30 minute before takeoff check-in cutoff time when I was there 1 minute too late), their "loyalty program" Aeroplan (spun off but owned by the same parent) sent an email out stating the new rules for their reward miles program. In a nutshell, your account now expires in 12 months unless you earn or redeem points (easy if

Victornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417755.post-11778865275006128122007-10-30T22:02:00.000-07:002007-10-30T22:08:20.123-07:00

  I snapped this shot on September 15th after a bike around the Glenmore Reservoir. Pretty cool & safe place to kayak or sail in the South of Calgary. Its been a balmy fall, and this was one of those last really nice days you could raft down the Elbow River. Raft alone, or tie your rafts together (which is frowned upon), some even have separate mini rafts for drinks. Its sort of a right of

Victornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417755.post-289449050931011872007-10-27T14:22:00.000-07:002007-10-27T14:22:06.333-07:00

  I don't do this often enough, but a couple friends picked out some simple recipes from The Food Network, bought the necessary ingredients, and the results are in the picture. Daniel Boulud's Cod Bordelaise didn't turn out too well as the watery red wine mushroom sauce in the picture shows. It didn't reduce and was overpowering. And our skinless cod was fragile, stick with skinless when

Victornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417755.post-61041226850121518232007-10-03T22:05:00.000-07:002007-10-03T22:28:27.349-07:00

  This weekend everytime I said "I'm going to the Arctic Monkeys concert on Sunday", the natural response was an "Oh" followed by a blank stare. Chances are you've heard some of this British indie punk rock band's tracks on the radio like "I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor", the new "Fluorescent Adolescent", or my fave "Fake Tales of San Francisco". That probably didn't ring a bell, but

Victornoreply@blogger.com