the start of spring - March

Spring is supposedly here.. today is the 3rd day of spring. Time flies, and it's been 6 months since I had arrived in Van. well, guess, i am beginning to really settle down over here, and enjoying the longer days these days. the sun sets at 7-ish now. Work had been slowing down for the last week, though the first 2 weeks of March, i was still working hard. Looking ahead, I am so looking forward to getting home before sunset in the next few months.

Nothing exciting really happened in March. Just normal days.. work, dinner, drinks... just so looking forward to April, whereby, Travis, and the Killers are going to be in town. :D

So, just a brief outlook for March 2009...

Hotpot at Richmond..

Had hotpot with Grace and her husband at Richmond! Her husband loves pig blood (like me!). haha, It was really nice of her, (as she is a mgr), to invite me out for hotpot. I would have to return the treat at some good Singaporean or Malaysian good (PrimaTaste in downtown has closed down :( )

It snowed again! YAY

It was Sunday afternoon and it started with a "icy-mix" of snow... and it stopped in the evening... I headed to bed..... and, i woke up to streets full of snow :D . Walked to the client's place in the snow, and from the window of the client's place, it was snowing heavily even during the afternoon. But by 5pm, that evening, the sun came out, and the snow was gone, by the time, i was heading home at night from the office. This is vancouver.

Cocktail night...

Friday the 13th - work was overwhelming during the day at the client's place, and it ended with pub night in the office. It's just a social to celebrate St pat day, which fell on a tuesday. in any case, it was just free pizza and $2 beer to mingle with the others. Never really like hanging out at social for pub nights, coz, i have to pay $2 for beers!?! [always think it shld be free] but, everyone that i bumped into, after coming back to the offce from the client's, asked me to meet them at the event. So, decided to put work aside, and headed to for $2 drinks.

It was good, and i never did regret heading down. Was just drinking, and catching up with a bunch of friends that I haven't met during the week, since I had been busy.

And after that, headed over to D's place for cocktails. She had come back with Rum from Cuba, (and my cigars :D) and was having a cocktail party. It was really great fun, and enjoyed just having mojito and chatting with others. :D

It was one bottle of rum for each jug...

Week of ending work before sunset

Mar 16, was the start of a week, ,that I had not experienced in my first 6 months here. Booked on a job, and doing nothing at all during the day and being able to head home by 6pm, in broad daylights, and having the ability to see the sun from my room on a weekday. well, it was of course, due to the fact that i was working my ass off the last 2 weeks, and everything was done, other than waiting for things that are not within my control. Was really glad that at least my mgr, was nice and didn't release me, and even gave me a day off on Friday... :D and then, i realise, I really need a new hobby. it's going to be boring if there is no work. I can't be drinking every other day. So, i need to find something exciting... for weekdays. (hopefully, i am not jinxing myself by thinkig of this. ). Enjoying it while it lasts.

Friday - 20th Mar

Was my day off, and invited the rest of the pple over to my place for dinner and some games. Ordered chinese food take aways, and yeah, played monopoly, whereby, I was the winner :D (declared, coz, i was working slowly to take everyone down). was really great fun, coz, it's been a long while since I was played monopoly. always loved board games. The night ended late and we were all getting louder (maybe i am gg to get a notice of noise disturbance by the building manager), and the best part was... the whole group of us were stuck in the lift, after charlie followed tim's drunk instructions to jump in the lift. we managed to get out but as i type, the lift is still stuck at the same flr. (maybe i am gg to get an invoice of lift repair by the building mgr as well). it was a great night, but it was a night also a night that I had made a mistake that for the first time in many years, i ponder about "what if". I hope in time to come, time will wash away the mistake and life carries on.

Stuck in the lift....

Climbing out of the lift on the 10th flr.

First Spring weekend

Woke up early, after that night of drinks and games, that I headed for my first driving lesson on a bright early 7am. Was great, but i was told by my instructor that I would have failed if I had taken the road test then. -> was speeding along the certain test routes.

anyways, after which just headed off to watch the Irish rubgy team being crowned the 6-nations champion in the pub, after winning the game against Wales in a really tight game. :D It was a fanastic game, so close, and yet, the Irish team came back from a game that they were losing.

Headed to Xaiver's place for dinner. Surprised that he could cook really well. and he really had a very neat loft. just had dinner, drinks, smokes and watched a french movie. It was really good fun, to be able to mix with others, and yeah.. guess, i always like house parties.

Sunday, is just a slacking day and ironing day. didn't do anything much. Just walked around the seawall for a while. and the weather is still too cold for me to wear what i had determined to be spring. But it was during the walk that I saw buds on the trees.. and yeah.. spring is truly here.

February 2009

Time flies, and as I am thinking back on what had happened in Feb 09, i just can't pinpoint to just one event. Other than clearly remembering that i was working my ass off on both weekdays and weekends; Feb 09, was the month that:

a) Bastian came to town - after not seeing him for 4 years, since we said our goodbyes in Vancouver in 2005 and He is my first guest in my place!

b) watching my first ever ice hockey game with Bastian, going to Steveston Village (which i think i did go 4 years ago, vaguely) to eat fresh shrimps and fish and chips, buying a watch on impulse (and still haven't got down to fix the strap) going to Monks for dinner, which is something that i had always been wanting to do since I had been here,

c) went to watch sugar sammy, a standup comedy, which was like, an impromptu decision, when Xavier just asked if I would like to go. Was a good stress relieve on a friday night, (as I had to work on V-day the next day, which is a Sat). And that was the night, whereby, Tim and Em announced that they were engaged.. I was glad to be part of the moment to be at their place.

d) getting recognized and being appreciated at work (got 2 Thumbs up :D ) , as mentioned above, I was working my ass off, the whole team was given a day off on a Friday, which i went cycling with Tim and that was a spontaneous act as all i had wanted to do was just to lazy in the sun and drink coffee with him, until Tim just suggested cycling.. so headed off to Stanley park...

e) getting one mth of work clothes ironed on that day off, weekend, as work had kept me from doing my chores on a timely basis. and I was drinking while ironing. Like what Tim and Mickeal had said, I was doing drunk ironing, which I deny totally till today. (My shirts are def straight, and I got confirmation from Mickeal one day at work) I was just drinking a bottle of white wine, ironing while waiting for them to head to Anthony's place for pizza, beer and movie. And i didn't realise that I finished the bottle within 40 mins, and by the time i meet them, i was too high. after a few beers and smokes, I was drunk. (first time in vancouver). Not totally drunk drunk, but totally smashed.

f) then, I went cycling alone, after waking up from being drunk that night... headed pass granville island, and to Kits. Would have gone all the way to UBC, but just didn't have the time, as well as the helmet to ride on the road.

g) Headed to the boathouse restaurant (finally) for the Lobster Fest! Yummy...

h) and the last weekend of Feb, I headed to Mt Baker to ski.. was a fantastic trip, as I had always been wanting to go Baker, since Uvic days, -> in memory of Bernie's true words that every mountain that we see in Victoria is Baker. haha, And i am glad to have made that trip. Def prefer skiing to snowboard... and, the ski package was cheap. And as compared to whistler, i was surrounded by mountains in 360 degrees, and it was just a simple ski lodge. I would def head back to Baker, hopefully, before the ski season ends next month... and yeah, also decided that I would do more skiing next season. to go to the mountains at least every 2 weeks. So i need to buy ski pass and ski gears at the end of the year.

i) other than all these events, this is the month that i had lost my coolness once again. Guess in life, when i am bogged down by work, i tend to think more. but, well, in any case, i watched all the movies that I had wanted to watch, and i finished 2 books, remarkable coz, i don't rem reading that much in sg in one month. :D


So, the photos goes:


Mount Baker ... my fave Mt.

I skied down this bunny slope on my own. It was fun. But the chair lift took a long while, and i was getting so nervous as the lift took me up to the top. And with a plunge of courage, i just headed down the slope on my own, after 2h of lessons. Enjoyed myself.. and I only fell once when i first started the slope. then, i was just all in control :D

PS, you can't really see the slope. The ski run is longer than how the photo depict.

The view of Mt Baker.. 360 degrees of view of such beauty...

Lobster fest!

Sunny friday, the view of from my client's place, whereby it overlooks PwC building.. and the mts.. it was an unproductive day, whereby the sun and lobster was stuck in my head...

This is a platter for 2.. lobster.. crabs.. shrimps.. steak.. and I came out really happy and full.

Weekend of cycling and drunk ironing...

Me and Tim at stanley park.. over looking the office building..

Finally looking over from the other side, on a working wkday! Was always taking break and looking over at Stanley park/North Van. Finally on the other side.. while others are working..

Back at false creek.. after cyclying ard Stanley park.. heading back home

Sunset from my room... while i was ironing... and drinking my wine..

My one mth of supply.. after ironing on friday evening (drunk ironing) and saturday morning...

Cycling to Kits... it was a really beautiful day. Time to invest in a bike...

Bastian comes to town:

First night out.. at Cactus Club Cafe (Robson St), and it was just a great feeling to be walking along Robson street with him, after 4 years. and.. he didn't rem the Axel's burning jacket in Cactus Club 4 years ago in Victoria. Had wanted him to relieve that night tho, which was the reason why i chose the place for dinner.. but in any case, was great to see him.

Took the aquabus over to Monks! (a first for both of us).

Dinner at Monks! And the food was great. We were just pouring over the maps, as Bastian was proudly telling him this long walking trail around vancouver during the day (while i was working) and what we were gg to do tmr.. headed to the pub next door (which until today is my fave pub in vancouver). and after we took a long walk back home (since there is no more aquabus for the night). He was hungry again, and unbelievable, there were not many restaurants that were opened for food and drinks at 1am at my place! and we were too lazy to queue for those that were opened, so we headed to 7-11. and drank more beer at my place before calling it a night.

Eating fresh shrimps at Steveston...

The port...

amazed by the birds, perched up on the roof, like a formation..

the port... and off to the Hockey game, which before we stopped by a shop on Robson, where there were 50% off, and i got a watch, bastian got a oakley glasses for his gf.

- Canucks were warming up .. vs Chicago Blackhawks.. even the warm up is a show..

We were just drinking and drinking while watching.. and we were amazed by the cup with the lid that allows us to sip our beer...

Fights... not much during the game tho..

Final score: 7-3 to Canucks! it was a while since they won.. and 10 goals.. made my tickets worth. But the game was not exciting, as compared to the game that they played the following week, when i was watching it from a pub after work on a sat.

We were hungry after the game, and I wanted to eat Hotpot, and Bastian had never had a hotpot. So hopped onto a cab, and asked the driver where will be good for hotpot. Wanted to go to the ones that is across the bridge on Granville street, but it looked closed on the streets. So, we headed to Richmond for hotpot, at the suggestion of the driver, we ended up at HKYK. (i think), and the driver earned a fat tip from us, as we were high and hungry... Food was okay. my first time eating hotpot buffet in vancouver .. and there was pig blood!! :D