the ex factor
Ok, so this really should be called the Ex part 2. And 3. Right after the whole CNE thing, which really IS the Ex, I got a visit from a very good friend of mine, who is an ex. He was flying into town for business so I had to meet up with him as I hadn't seen him in over a year and a half. He called me up and told me he wanted to take me out for dinner and to book a place. So I booked
North 44. :) We had a great meal (slow services - it took over an hour for the food to come out...I think it was because there was a private party but still!) And then he was gone. And I got majorly homesick.
To only be followed by a weekend coffee visit of yet another ex whom I haven't seen in probably just as long. I think the universe is trying to tell me something. I'm just not sure what.
the ex
There's something about the fair that I really like. Maybe it's all the good tasting food that's oh-so-bad for you. Or the way the rides are lit up at night. I love the atmosphere of the carnies calling out to get you to play. In any case, I was going to go, with or without anyone. I ended up mentioning it to my ex-coworker and she said she'd love to go as she had never been so off we went to the
CNE.
It turned out to be a carefree day where we took in a Birds of Prey show, the SuperDogs, and Cirque Envol. We also did this sort of race/game called Prison Break, named after the tv show. We were given a code and had to hit six stations throughout the fairgrounds. At each station, we entered the code and had to answer a trivia question about one of the shows on that tv station. Well, the sad thing is that I am tv-less so I don't watch the shows. I had my friend answer the questions for me! Ironically, she got all of mine right and one of her own wrong. At each station, there is also the possibility of winning an instant prize...which this girl who never wins anything actually got - and on the first station we stopped at too. Which meant I could have technically stopped doing the rest of the stations but that would have meant not entering for a chance to win the big cash prize of $150,000 or something like it (I never pay attention to the grand prize as I'm not known to win things).
In terms of prizes, I usually win the most useless of items... in this case, the lowest common denominator was a disposable camera and I could almost swear that it would be my prize. The prizes were distributed according to a list. So if you were the 10th person you would get X. When we left, I handed in my card and won... a gift certificate to
Lick's. Not bad! I looked on the list and saw the next item - a disposable camera.
drifting along on summer's breeze
I've been starting to get used to my own company lately, waking up early to head down to the waterfront. The city has put on an event called "Quay to the City" which is to revitalize the waterfront, something that I am proud to say that Vancouver has done for years and that TO is only beginning to look into. They basically blocked off a part of the road normally open to cars and have made it pedestrian friendly. On top of that, there were celebrations of all sorts. The only thing I wanted to be sure to catch was the
Kajama, one of the tall ships in the harbour. I had actually been considering sailing on her after I saw her last weekend during Caribana but this week they were offering tours of the harbourfront so I jumped at the chance. The clear morning air made the sail a beautiful one and the sun was not too hot yet so it was pretty much perfect.
What made it not so perfect were the other people on board. Every time I go to any event, and especially if I'm by myself, I always hate to be associated with other people of Asian descent. Regardless of whether I open my mouth or not, I am lumped in with them. They hurry on board to claim a seat, jabbering loudly with no regard to anyone else around them. I'm guilty just by association. Ok, so maybe other people have no clue whether I'm with them or not but I hate feeling so self-conscious. I want to wear a placard that reads, "I'm not with/like them!" But anyway. I wandered around the ship while shooting photos only to have someone call out my name! Turned out to be a friend's sister and her parents. So I wasn't alone after all.
shopping blues
I just don't get it. Can anyone explain why blue jeans are now so long in length? What I mean is, I haven't bought jeans in years and it was about time as my current pair is just not cutting it any longer. But I have been shopping and shopping and it seems that not only do I have to find a pair that flatters my bottom, but I need to grow a few inches too! Everything is now at 34 inches long. Since when did the average height for women become 5'8"?? I don't consider myself short but this is ridiculous. I either have to wear high heels or get them hemmed, which obviously defeats the purpose as the look would change. I spoke with a saleslady and she shook her head. She didn't understand what was going on either but said that all the new lines coming out were starting at a minimum of 33.5". I wondered how people were dealing with this so I've been surreptitiously eyeing girls on the streets... and have now noticed that many of them (who are much shorter than I), just flip the bottoms upwards! I've noticed an inch being flipped up to four inches being flipped up. Maybe this is now unintentionally the new fashion statement...
house of horror
I couldn't take it any longer. My hair that is. It's been a good few months since my last cut and I was really still hesitant in finding a good salon. Sure, the guy who cut my hair before was good, but he also charges a hefty $70. Add in tax and tip and you're spending what could amount to a very good meal at Morton's. I miss the modelling days where my hair was done for free by top stylists! Instead, since I was hanging around town for the long weekend (so sad), I decided to try the House of Lords hair "salon." I passed by it in the morning and it was fairly dead - one guy getting his hair cut by one stylist. By the time I swung through in the afternoon, it was a totally different story: music pumping, scissors flying, and lineups in the doorway. I should have known better. People I have known have had good cuts there. But the way it works is that you get the first person available...and I ended up with a guy (who had 5 year's experience) but really, the way he cut my hair, I could have done as good a job myself. I swear his scissors were chopping randomly and he spent more time on blowdrying than on the cut itself. (And the cut was less time than my wait time of 30 minutes!) I will admit though that it looked good after the blowdry but the true test is always when you've washed it yourself. Note to self: next time, maybe the extra expense is worth it. I'll just have to make sure I only go about, oh, once a year. And maybe skip a few meals.
mercury rising
Well we've done it. Broken the record. An evening "low" of 27 degrees on Monday. And intense heat again today - 46 with humidity. And now I'm sitting in my dark apartment, blinds fluttering madly due to the wind, tripod set up at the balcony, ready to capture any flashes of lightning. Ahem. Note the "try". I mean, how hard can it be when there are flashes almost every second? My camera disagrees. I'm getting black photos in return. At least the weather will be a lot cooler tomorrow. Or so I hope.
