Day 31 - January 31, 2010

The end of the first month of my 2010 project. It's been a fun experience so far. Some goals for the next month? Try to get more day shots and I think, try to post up earlier than the evening. It's coming along, thanks to you all who are following me.

Day 30 - January 30, 2010

Today I celebrated a friend's birthday at Bridges Restaurant on Granville Island. I've always liked that area, and this restaurant is highly recommended. Great seafood and an absolutely fantastic view of the bridges that surround it and the area around the Granville Island. We finished off the night at the New Revue Stage, with some Improv. Another great show and another great night!

For those who are following this blog, check out the picture below. After we ate we noticed that the city was testing out some spotlights just around the bridge and Granville Island. Can I say it's an Olympic rehearsal? Just did. It would be so cool if those lights ended up forming the rings.

Day 29 - January 29, 2010

The district volleyball tournament was today. It was loads of fun. I've always loved these events because you get to see old staff mates, and at the same time, you get to build relations with your current staff. Even if the tourney ends, the fun never stops. Music, beverages, good times, and comraderie is always the highlight of tourneys like this.

Day 28 - January 28, 2010

Today was supposed to be Wings Thursday at our local pub. We had a few friends come out to our neighbourhood, and one of them with their new 3month old. Apparently, if you're under 18, you can't be in a pub. No exceptions. So we went to Earls. Great venue. I ended up having a burger, since the wings were not on special or even close to cheap. Good job Earls, for being a solid backup. We can always count on you.

Day 27 - January 27, 2010

Today was Winter Activity Day at our school. We took a bunch of kids Curling. For most, it was their first experience at a sport they maybe watched a few times. I'll bet most of them also passed it off and really didn't appreciate the sport. After today, they have a new appreciation for the difficulty of the sport. It was fun and a great experience for all. Looking forward to watching it in the Olympics.

Day 26 - January 26, 2010

I finally completed the 16 poster set of the 2010 Olympic games. These were posters found in the Vancouver Sun newspaper. They have tons of info on each sport. My only annoyance with the set, is that they don't have the Paralympic Games sports. I wish the actual Olympics combined with the Paralympic Games and ran it all under one banner. I'd even settle for having all the athletes of both games participate in the Opening Ceremonies. Now that's equality. What a concept! If we really honour and cherish both Events, why do we separate them and inevitability give all the attention, money, and glory to the able-body games? Combine them, and give all athletes the same respect.

Day 25 - January 25, 2010

They say a picture says 1000 words. I'd argue it also makes you dream 1000 words. I like pictures, all kinds. I suppose I was the kid that never read the words, but was in awe of the pictures. I can appreciate the art of taking a picture, its one I wish I was better at. In my house, I have this on my wall. I know, it's not an original (IKEA) but I love the way it looks and makes you feel. Escape, Dream, Patience, Relax, Hope. It's a good feeling.

Day 24 - January 24, 2010

This about as artistic as a vegetable stir-fry is going to get. I called it "Vege Mountain" for obvious reasons. The stir fry has a special place in my heart. It was realistically the first food item I ever learned to cook and probably the one that saved me from further detraction into the world of Macaroni and Cheese in university. Long live the stir-fry.

Day 23 - January 23, 2010

I'm not sure how many beautiful WINTER days we'll have in this El Nino year, so I'm taking as many decent pictures of it as I can. I call this one, "The Road to the Sun". I could probably come up with a better name, but that one was the most obvious one.

Day 22 - January 22, 2010

Today was a beautiful day. It felt and looked like Spring. Warm, sunny, clear, and crisp. The funny thing, is that its the middle of winter. Thanks, El-Nino, for giving us a warm and sunny winter day. No snow, just sun. Today I took a nice walk along the paths outside my home. Beautiful.

Day 21 - January 21, 2010

The Olympics feel just a bit closer. Today it officially crossed back into BC and was in Golden. The picture is the live feed off the TV. Gotta admit, I'm excited to see how this plays out, and to be the center of the world for 4 weeks! I know it has many negative effects, as well as many positive effects. Doesn't change the fact that the games are exciting. And they're coming soon...

Day 20 - January 20, 2010

I refereed my first basketball game. The teams were in a pinch and I had enough knowledge to do it. I think I did alright, but I was amazed what you take for granted in terms of what you know, and I have a new appreciation for what they do. It is incredibly difficult to watch everything and be completely confident with the call you make. It was fun, I hope to have more opportunities.

Day 19 - January 19, 2010

Today was mom's birthday. We got her some nice things as every person should do for their mom. My sister decided to try to make some homemade dinner for us all. It was good! Greek Food was the meal of choice, complete with an authentic home made Greek salad. I've felt bad about posting a picture of the lettuce wraps, so today is the actual plate. Real food, no cookbook pictures!

Day 18 - January 18, 2010

When I was in Elementary school, they had an after school bowling program that kept us kids out of trouble. We played with our friends and had a pretty good time at 5-pin bowling. I was never any good. Today, after years and years away, I went back to the same location to bowl another 5-pin game. I did better, but the story wasn't my game, it was the venue. Lucky Strike Lanes. Still looks the same. Boy did it bring back some memories.

Day 17 - January 17, 2010

I tried to make lettuce wraps today for the first time. Everything we smoothly. It is quite easy to make with not a lot of prep time. Lots of veggies, some chicken, tasty sauce, and a whole lot of lettuce. I tried to take pictures of my finished creation, and it just didn't do it justice. So I took a picture of the cookbook picture. Mine wasn't even close to looking as nice. I bet it tasted as good.

Cookbook picture from the book "Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Cookbook" Some great healthy and tasty recipes!

Day 16 - January 16, 2010

Luongo and the Vancouver Canucks. They've always been my team, through thick and thin. No matter who is playing, though, it's always of interest if it's on Hockey Night in Canada. There has always been this stigma of watching Saturday night hockey with friends or family and just having a good time, relaxing, and sometimes heatedly arguing about what we are seeing. The sport is a passion driven sport, and I'm glad I can watch my Canucks on Saturdays with HNIC because it fuels my passion!

Day 15 - January 15, 2010

Last night I went to a place called Library Square. Now I've been there before, but last night was 90s night: all music - all 90s. It was fantastic, nostalgic, and just great sing-along fun. It was my first time to a night like that, and I'd recommend it to anyone. Apparently tonight is 80s night. hmmm

Day 14 - January 14, 2010

I never really understood why people had their lights up way past new years. I always thought, "Why do they have them up still?" I thought the deadline was New Years Day: the new year. Heck, Walmart changes their seasons even before the holiday is up! This year, I decided to put up lights in my classroom to be festive. It is now the 14th and January, and they are still up. All of a sudden, the answer dawned on me: Laziness. It took so much effort to put them up, that I just don't want to take them down. Consider them Valentine's Day lights now.

Day 13 - January 13, 2010

I have restored my faith in mechanics, but not if they work for a dealership. In resolution to the dreaded engine light fiasco, I took my car to the above pictured place for an oil change only(which should cost me 40 dollars). They not only changed the oil, but made 3-4 quality recommendations and reasons for those recommendations (two of which I took), had impeccable service, and explained what the dealership was wanting to fix and why it was so severely overpriced. They did a fairly large service to my car, totaling 200 dollars. that's still 200 less than the dealer wanted, which didn't include as much. Thank you, I can sleep at night now. I shall never take my car to the dealer again.

Day 12 - January 12, 2010

Today I went to my very first Manitoba Moose, and my very first Abbotsford Heat hockey game. It was interesting to see the Calgary Flames affiliated Abbotsford team play a "home game" against the Vancouver Canucks affiliated visiting team. I'm a Canucks fan, and simply cannot cheer for a team affiliated with our rival, even if its a minor team. The game was great and exciting, the seats were phenomenal first row tickets. At the end of the game, it was awesome to cheer the visiting Moose to an overtime victory. I took both shots, and felt it captured the moment.

Day 11 - January 11, 2010

The Cactus Club Cafe near my place is awesome. I know I love going to restaurants and I know that I'm a little bias towards the places I go, but brother all mighty is it good. I fully admit the staff is "Pleasant" and the food is pretty darn good. The selection of beverages is not shabby either. Its a great place to spend a night unwinding and chatting it up with friends.

This picture was not mine. I couldn't get a great shot I wanted, so I settled on this.

Day 10 - January 10, 2010

Friends are important. Without your friends, the world can become lonely and unsupported. I am fortunate to have a great group of friends. Some of them go back to our first days of high school. We have always done our best to keep in touch. In high school we saw each other everyday, and in the summers we'd play sports every weekend. This continued into our university days and when we started our working careers we continued to find ways to meet up at least once a week. That evolved into Timmy's on Sundays. Every Sunday, we get together to meet up, talk the talk, catch up, reminisce, joke around, and generally have a good time. We may also meet up over and over through the week, but Timmy's is the constant. Here's the first Sunday of 2010.

Day 9 - January 9, 2010

I started my second term of my 2-year masters program today. SFU Surrey's campus is beautiful. Much better than the original, in my opinion. Beautiful lines that intersect, new look, great views from the classrooms, and it's attached to a mall and a food court. So Awesome.

Day 8 - January 8, 2010

Today was quite a vexing day. I tried to solve the issue of the dreaded engine light, only to come away with a more frustrated view of the auto world and mechanics in general. I completely understand that people need to make their money, but charging $105 for checking my car to tell me what's wrong - doesn't seem fair. Overpriced, I think. On top of that, $300 to fix the thermostat (as we found out from the $105 diagnostic) that caused the light to turn on. So $400 to change a thermostat? Just not fair. I need a second opinion. Grrrr.

This photo can be found here

Day 7 - January 7, 2010

The dreaded Check Engine Light. Cars are great things. When you have to go somewhere, they are the greatest thing since ice-cream. When you have to maintain them, though, you put if off and out of sight as long as possible. That's probably not the best thing for them, but places charge so much to service them, you can't help but want to save a bit. Which brings me back to the picture. I waited and saved for too long. Curses!

Day 6 - January 6, 2010

Grouse Mountain. Now I know I haven't snowboarded much this year, in fact, I only learned how to do this 2 years ago, and have only been up a handful of times, but I love this mountain. Mainly I like it due to the view. There's parts of different runs that over looks the city of Vancouver. So Beautiful. We were up there for the first of four days of the ski and snowboard club through our school.

This photo can be found here

Day 5 - January 5, 2010

Japanese food, Sushi in particular, is quickly becoming my favorite food. Every time I go go, I always consider it. For the better part of the last year, my co-worker and I have been going to this restaurant, almost consistently once a week. Great food, Great staff, Great memories. Today was the first time we went in 2010. Here's to many more!

Day 4 - January 4, 2010

The calm before the storm. Today is back to school, and I, as a teacher, am raring to go! Soon these halls will be filled with students who are hoping their teacher can captivate them enough that their interests in school rise. If teachers are ready for the challenge, so will be the students. Here we go!

Day 3 - January 3, 2010

Sometimes I think that New Years Resolutions aren't made, rather, we fall upon them. Today is the 3rd of January, and I felt it was time for the "Fresh Start." So today I looked at my place and all of its messes and unattended corners, and went at it. I cleaned, I organized, I shifted things around, and I filed away. I came out of it feeling refreshed and I feel like the weight has been lifted. The broom in the picture represents the cleaning, while the door represents the opportunity I have created: The Fresh Start.

Day 2 - January 2, 2010

This is the picture I have had since University. I bought it because at the time, I was feeling low and like life was kind of falling apart. I saw this picture and it just called to me. When I saw it, I felt that no matter how the problem presents itself, we should fly above it and marvel at the big picture. Needless to say, it got me through that time, and inevitably, my year.

Today was one of those days. The kind of day that breeds so much emotion, it could define your whole month. As I came home today, emotionally drained, I saw my picture that took me back, and allowed me to breath. Everything will be ok. Tomorrow is a new day.

Day 1 - January 1, 2010

2010 is here, Happy New Year! I'm actually looking forward to this year, I think it will entail lots of growth and I'll do my best to try new things. I look forward to seeing this post in one year and knowing that I made it through the year with a picture each year. Optimism is high. Potential is high. Now I just have to execute it.

Last decade was good. Can you remember where you were 10 years ago? Can you picture all the growth in the last 10 years? just think of the music scene, for example. CDs and basic cell phones were everything, now we have iPods and mp3 players and the iPhone and blackberries. Amazing eh? I wonder what will happen in the next 10 years...

Happy New Year, 2010.

The above picture was taken from here.

The 365 Project

I got the idea for this from some people on Twitter. It's an interesting concept that really got me thinking. The project is called "Project 365" and it entails taking one picture, each day for 365 days. I know myself that I can't remember what I had for lunch two days ago, so imagine my intrigue when there was a way to remember your whole year in pictures. Each day would contain a picture and at the end of the year, you have 365 pictures to sum up your year.

Now I admit, it will be hard and take dedication, so I'm going to try it out and see how it goes. I suspect this will be a fun little project! Feel free to comment :)