Long time, no see! And welcome to tutors and/or students of 158100

Hi ya. This blog post is part of a lab for a computer paper I'm taking extramurally through Massey University this semester. My humble apologies if you've subscribed to this blog via RSS and were expecting something more newsy. So I'll take this opportunity to inform you that I do most of my blogging now on my own website www.samway.info . There you can catch up with photos, videos, files and other miscellanea that I post. My blog is currently entitled 'Ramble, rant 'n rave, and there are plenty of easy subscribe options available on the page.

So feel free to pop over to my to website. I look forward to meeting you all online on WebCT for the quizzes and discussion.

To the is-land (apologies to Janet Frame!)

New Years eve saw us picking up a rental car and heading to Victoria, Vancouver Island. Our rental car (which we still have so that we can drive to Seattle in tomorrow) is a Pontiac Grand Prix. I'm no petrol head really, but it looks like one swanky ride. There is certainly lots of buttons to play with. Waiting at the ferry terminal our [i.e. mine and Nathan's] curiosity got the better of us and we fiddled with some of the buttons on the rear-view mirror. Despite Bronwyn's warning we [it wasn't me!] pressed the one that was a white cross inset in a red oval. There was the sound of a telephone dialling and a voice issued forth from the dashboard, and spake thus: Welcome to Onstar emergency assisstance. What is the nature of your emergency?

The remainder of the time waiting for the ferry was spent reading and not touching any of the buttons...

The ferry was a decent-sized passenger ferry, big but not quite a Cook Strait ferry. The one hour forty minute journey was occupied with eating lunch and taking photos. As I queued for my 'McFerrys' burger and fries I eavesdropped on the conversation behind me. Someone was remarking on his chunky cellphone and how much it reminded him of the camera-phone on Flight of the Conchords. The other members of the group expressed a general admiration for the Conchords while I resisted my patriotic pride and the temptation to butt in on the conversation.

When we arrived in Victoria we checked into the HI hostel on Yates Street and then drove a short distance down to the waterfront with it's impressive landmarks: the Empress Hotel and the Government buildings. The waterfront and CBD was lit up spectacularily for Christmas, particularly the Empress and the Government buildings (though we couldn't tell whether the Government buildings were lit just for the festive season or whether it was lit like a Christmas tree all year round). We wandered around the waterfront awhile and then stopped at Mirage Coffee on Government Street where we had some of the best hot chocolate I've ever tasted before making our way to the National Geographic IMAX theatre to watch The Polar Express.

The IMAX theatre does not feel that large when you walk into the theatre. It seems to be the size of one of the theatres in Wellington's Readings Complex. I had imagined a cavernous room, like the Michael Fowler Centre's auditorium or something, probably because I had heard that the screen is six storeys high, a fact which is hard to appreciate until they show a rectangle outlining the size of a standard movie screen. Though the movie was an entertaining way to spend the evening I'm not convinced that it really showcased the IMAX technology to the best of its advantage.

New Years Eve in Victoria was remarkably sedate; there were no loud, drunken parties (not that that's our scene!), no huge organised events, no fireworks. So after a late dinner at a Chinese restaurant we made our way back to the hostel for an early night as we were all totally shattered.

Thus ended the first day on Vancouver Island.

My White Christmas

On Christmas morning we all slept in ridiculously late. When we had cleared the dishes from the previous night's sumptuous feast Bronwyn, whose culinary skills are legendary, cooked pancakes. We topped them with bacon, banana, and maple syrup - yes, in that combination - and they tasted delicious.


Following breakfast Nathan led a time of reflection and prayer and then we exchanged presents. It was a relief to finally hand over the Santa Sack that Bronwyn's Mum had prepared for them. This package had been in my care for at least a week prior to leaving New Zealand. Bronwyn and Nathan gave me the extremely generous Christmas/birthday gift of a whale watching experience to be had when we holiday in Victoria, Vancouver Island, next week. I can hardly wait!



Bronwyn and Nathan are cat-sitting for a fellow student while she is away on holiday so we braced ourselves against the bitter wind and sallied forth to feed Fiona. Fiona is a rather affectionate cat who needed not only feeding but face time, and it was while we were providing this that the first flurries began to fall. As mentioned in my previous post, many people were sceptical of my chances for snow but ... :)



After an hour or so, we left Fiona and battled our way back home to get ready for Christmas dinner. Christmas dinner was had at Claire's flat with Claire, her flatmates Sheila and Sharon, and a collection of oddbods. There were nine of us altogether: myself; Bronwyn and Nathan; Claire; Sheila; Sharon; an older guy called Lutz (who had a rich German heritage), a real dag with an opinion on absolutely everything - he was loads of fun; Caterina, from Korea; Moniko, from Japan; and Kriisten and her father, John, who was visiting from Toronto. The evening was amazing. While the snow fell outside we had carols, traditional Christmas food, and Christmas Crackers. It had to have been my best Christmas ever.

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The Christmas Menu

starters

- Chocolate covered Pretzels
- Cinnamon and sugar honeyed pecans
- Cappuccino cookies
- Chips of various flavours

--Drinks of tea, wine, coffee etc.

main course

- Turkey, with stuffing and cranberry sauce
- Lamb, with gravy and/mint sauce
- Asparagus
- Roast veges
- Brussels sprouts
- Brocolli salad

Dessert

- Crepes, filled with chocolate or ricotta cheese
- Ice cream
- Christmas cake (Bronwyn made!)
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I got my white Christmas --- so there!!

This blog entry will be very short as it's pretty late (10.33pm Christmas evening).

One of the things I have been dying to see in Vancouver was snow. And one of my 'dreams' for this trip was a white Christmas. I was probably starting to drive Bronwyn and Nathan nuts with my constant checking of the weather forecasts and the frequent use of a four letter "s" word. Every time I mentioned my desire to see a white Christmas the locals would look at me funny and tell me that this was highly unlikely. Well, the weather proved them wrong!

About 1.00pm this afternoon, snow flurries started falling, and within a couple of hours we had a dusting of snow on the sidewalks and lawns. But things got even better!! Round four, we left for Christmas dinner at Claire's flat, which is roughly 6 blocks away from our basement suite. We headed up West 10, gaining another 30m or so in elevation. There it was like Narnia, with proper powdery flakes and crunchy snow underfoot. It was awesome. Snow covered pavements and lawns, trees and cars. This Winter Wonderland was just a 5 minute bus ride up the road...Yes, I am an extremely happy chappy!

More on Christmas day next time I blog.

By the way, feel free to check out my photo albums on Picassa. (Snow pics to come).

http://picasaweb.google.com/samJmcguire/

Beaver's Tails and Hot Chocolate

On Tuesday it was cold and pouring with rain. (I'm given to understand that this is pretty much the norm). Nevertheless we wrapped up, took a bus downtown, walked a couple of blocks to "The Station" and caught the Seabus to North Vancouver. The Seabus is a ferry service that runs once every quarter of an hour from Waterfront SkyTrain Station to Lonsdale Quay, North Vancouver.

At Lonsdale Quay there is a market and an international foodcourt. Yes, it is truly international - it has pavalova, that "delightful desert from Down-Under" [according to the merchant's sign]. Shortly after we arrived, we made our way to the foodcourt and had a hot chocolate and a Beaver's Tail. A Beaver's Tail is pastry (flat and shaped like, well, a beaver's tail) deep fried in canola oil and topped with something sweet - traditionally cinnamon and sugar. The hot chocolate was smooth, super-sweet (in a good way) and creamy. The hot chocolates here are definitely more enjoyable than hot chocolate in New Zealand :)

After morning tea we wandered the market, which consists of a lot of produce and trinket stalls. These stalls are not temporary like a saturday morning Lions' Market or a fair, but neither is it like shop space in a shopping mall. I guess these stalls could be compared to the semi-permanent stands you see in the middle of North City Plaza.

In the afternoon, we headed back to downtown Vancouver and into Gastown. There we stopped and photographed the famous steam clock and the statue of 'Gassy' Jack Deighton.

Check out my Lonsdale/Gastown album on Picassa.

Monday, Monday...

A Brief Introduction...

Meet the couple I'm staying with, Bronwyn and Nathan. I've known them for about five years, through my previous church , and, as far as I'm concerned, they're absolute superstars!

Both Nathan and Bronwyn are here in Vancouver studying toward a Masters in Christian Studies through Regent Bible College (which is on the grounds of University of British Columbia). This is Nathan's second Masters degree - yes, he's quite an academic. Despite this, Nathan is a real down to earth, wise, caring and practical guy upon whom one can depend for good conversation and strong leadership. Bronwyn, Nathan's wife, is also very academically talented and diligent in her studies. She's a gifted quilter and cook, and is extremely hospitable. They made an awesome team in their past role as congregational leaders for the previous church I attended. I'm very lucky to have two such wonderful friends.

(Yes, I know this has sounded gushy and effusive! No, I haven't been writing under the influence of alcohol!)

now on to Loonies and Toonies...

Loonies and Toonies have nothing to do with Looney Tunes, the Warner Brothers' cartoon series. Rather, Loonies and Toonies refer to the Canadian one and two dollar coins. The dollar is the 'Loonie' as one side of the golden, bronze plated coin bears an image of the Common Loon (Gavia immer [GAY-vee-ah IM-mer]). In recent times it has become a good-luck symbol associated with Canada's winning curling and hockey teams. The two dollar coin is called a Toonie, a derivative of the word two and (you guessed it!) Loonie. Therefore, Loonie King on Broadway does not refer to the mental state of the store owner (though it could do); and Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig and Elmer Fudd do not reside in Amy's Loonie Toonie Town. These are just the names of two stores that offer cheap goods in the same vein as our 2 Dollar Shop and Coin Save.

Monday

On Sunday I had bought a SIM card, having decided that I didn't want to inconvenience Bronwyn and Nathan by carrying their cellphone on me. I was careful to establish that my phone was 'unlocked' before I purchased the new card. Having done so, I returned home. As Sod's law would have it, the SIM card failed to register in my phone when I put it in that evening . I returned Monday morning, therefore, to the shop from which I had purchased said card. The sales assistant was most helpful, spending over 20 minutes on the telephone to Rogers Wireless (most of it spent being shuffled between departments and listening to piped music), calling on behalf of a customer "Mr Samuel Mick-Gurr-Ay". It turns out that my account, which had never been activated, had been terminated. I congratulated the sales assistant (who thought RWs customer service was sucky) on having a telco provider worse than Telecom NZ! Never mind, I now have a working mobile number --- +1778 9874 733

On Monday afternoon I walked myself to Jericho Beach and Spanish Banks. On the way I had a look at the surrounding houses. I am based in a reasonably prosperous area of Vancouver, and there are certainly some amazing houses as you head toward the beach. On the beachfront, on Grey Point Road, is the Jericho Tennis Club. Photos to come.

Jericho Beach/Spanish banks is a park area on the waterfront. Lots of people cycle and walk their dogs there. Vancouver is a big dog city. There are lots and lots of dogs. Stopping people to pet their dogs is a good way to 'meet' people and hear their views of New Zealand. It's amazing how many people have friends or relatives living in New Zealand. It's also amazing how many people think I'm nuts for coming over in their winter......

My first weekend...

I live in a basement on West 10th, which is just off Broadway (in Vancouver). How cool is that!? It sounds very Manhattan.

On Saturday, I took my first walk with Nathan down Broadway. Much of Broadway is lined with little boutique-type shops, cafes and food-markets. There's Greek food, French breads and pastries, sushi, noodle houses, grills, coffee houses galore. With food and drink from every nation so readily available it's gastric heaven!

Our first stop was a place called Kidsbooks, a bookshop solely for children and teens. It had a mind-boggling range of books and spin-off merchandise (for example, they had Horrible Histories/Science kits). I saw some fantastic titles by authors I had never come across before and was sad that I hadn't brought my notebook with me to take down some of these titles. Never mind, I'll be back.

For morning coffee, we stopped off at Calhouns, a place that is popular with the local students as it is open 24 hours. As I've mentioned previously, they have not heard of a flat white here so I had to make do with a latte. After that, it was off to Safeway, the supermarket where customers are "clients for life". Supermarket shopping is an interesting experience when you don't know 90% of the brands.

That afternoon, Nathan and I walked to Jericho Beach and Spanish Banks. From Jericho Beach you look across English Bay to downtown Vancouver and North Vancouver. The view of downtown Vancouver is quite similar to the one across Wellington Harbour - very picturesque. Sadly, we couldn't see the mountains behind North Vancouver as they were obscured by cloud.

In the evening, Nathan, myself and six of Nathan's college friends went to a performance of Messiah given by the Vancouver Bach Choir at the Orpheum Theatre. The theatre was very palatial and the performance beautiful. It probably warrants a whole post in itself!

Sunday morning was church - quite liturgical and 'Anglican' (which has been a first in a wee while for me). Bronwyn has been toiling away on her last assignment over the past couple of days and she needed some more space to concentrate so Nathan and I spent the afternoon going to the matinee session at a quaint cinema on Broadway, called Hollywood. There, for the sum of $6.00CA, we watched Becoming Jane and Nanny Diaries, these being the two films on offer this week.

I already feel like I've seen so much, but that I'm missing out on a number of the cultural nuances that makes Vancouver so fascinating. Therefore, next post I'll endeavour to share about Loonies and Toonies, or some other cultural tidbit.

Ciao for now!