Thoughtful

I had a wonderful day wandering Vancouver and completing a few last sights/photos before I leave... It started out rough but after some parking lot mayhem, scolding over the phone and further ranting done by yours truly, I was able to enjoy the freak weather with Belle.

Despite our successful attempts at capturing the beautiful night scenes at Lions Gate Bridge, I like this photo the best - its a Belle completely unaware and deep in thought, made possible by the smooth ride and clean window reflections of the Olympic Line!

5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/8s; Aperture f/4; Focal 70mm; ISO 3200

Beautiful Olympic

Restaurant: Octopus Garden
Dish: Beautiful Olympic
Contents: Grilled+Smoked Salmon, Avocado, Tobiko, hidden wooden stick for support.

I love the look of this Inukshuk, it's simply outstanding. Honestly when I saw it on the menu I thought it would be Inukshuk shaped lying down on the plate but at least it'll be unique. The face on the Inukshuk plus a candle-light Olympic flame just blew me away! Although I gotta admit the sushi rolls weren't as outstanding compared to the other items we ordered (Black cod belly sushi, lobster sushi were DELICIOUS), it had ample amounts of avocado... and who can go wrong with AVOCADO? =D

5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/50s; Aperture f/4; Focal 58mm; ISO 2500

DT Art

I took the public transit today, courtesy of my Olympic ID badge, so that I had a chance to walk through downtown Vancouver and enjoy the new posted artwork! I've driven pass it twice a day for the last week or so now wishing I could park somewhere and snap a few shots but those of you familiar with DT would know... Finding parking by Georgia/Granville is suicide. I've seen quite a few photos uploaded of these already so enjoy my attempts at some original shots!


5D Mark II; Shutter speed 0.6s; Aperture f/22; Focal 16mm; ISO 100


5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/15s; Aperture f/2; Focal 50mm; ISO 100


5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/10s; Aperture f/9; Focal 35mm; ISO 800

Random Inukshuk

The 2010 Winter Olympics are just 2 weeks away and Richmond is gearing up to hold it's fair share of parties... via SHIPPING CONTAINERS!

The 2010 symbol for Winter Olympics is Inushuk, random statues built up of rocks varying in different sizes... And we have randomly allocated money to assemble this on a randomly quiet corner of Richmond. It's not really "overlooking" DT Richmond... The only thing it's overlooking is Rona, the How-To People. Location aside, I thought it was a cool idea and it reminds me of my old Lego days =D Someone should make that too, a 6 story tall Lego Inukshuk structure looking back at this one...


5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/160s; Aperture f/4; Focal 24mm; ISO 100

Half of a Lobster...

On No. 5 and River Rd is Hakkasan, a quiet little restaurant offering a classy atmosphere and tasty food! I ordered a combo for the night but I think this dish stood out the best... A steamed lobster cooked with Hakkasan's special garlic sauce that doesn't leave a stench in your mouth after! I was finished the lobster and STILL trying to eat all the little garlic bits left over. Good food but be prepared to pay a pretty penny for it!


5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/30s; Aperture f/3.2; Focal 50mm; ISO 3200

Chiffon Chinese Cuisine

Went to Chiffon the other day, had a chance to enjoy an old friend's company over some drinks and food on my day off! I thought the food was mediocre... we only ordered the marinated pork though.

This is the House Special Chiffon, with green bean and taro inside. =D Quite filling but SOoooo good. The place was very warm for some reason though, not the most pleasant atmosphere.

5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/500s; Aperture f/1.8; Focal 50mm; ISO 100

Vacations

Who would have thought setting aside time for vacation would be so hard?!

5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/40s; Aperture f/7; Focal 24mm; ISO 100

Under Surveillance

All this Olympic hype is starting to get to me! So in the last post I asked for sun and more snow on the mountains - I got 72cm more snow on Cypress BUT I can't go because it's closed for the Olympics; I got a wonderful sunset today just in time off work BUT the Oval is surrounded by THREE sets of gates. Not 1, not 2, but THREE! Even if I could get close enough for an interesting picture it was all ruined by the overlaying mesh work of fencing! I can't wait to see how traffic will look like in the weeks to come...

5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/500s; Aperture f/1.8; Focal 50mm; ISO 100

Another thing I noticed is I enjoy the results of the cheap little 50mm prime lens compared to my 24-105mm! Its kind of sad but I guess that's just the kind of photos I enjoy creating... Time for a new lens Belle suggests! Well, I'm always open to donations ;)


5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/800s; Aperture f/1.8; Focal 50mm; ISO 100

However, I did end up busting out my mid-range lens and capture a few good shots =) I'm usually not one to post up multiple pictures a day but here's another!

5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/80s; Aperture f/4; Focal 73mm; ISO 1600

Blue Skies

We have NOT been getting any of these for a while now... I need some! If it's going to rain, at least have it SNOW on the slopes too!!!

5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/1000s; Aperture f/1.8; Focal 50mm; ISO 100

Forward Ho!

With nothing but 4 hours of sleep and a cup of coffee from seveie, I endured my day and managed to find some confidence for what lies ahead...
2010 will be very interesting indeed!

5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/40s; Aperture f/11; Focal 16mm; ISO 100

Ducks

Nothing spectacular about the shot... but the sense of calm and unity the ducks gave me were reassuring. I sense I will need more of these in the future...

5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/320s; Aperture f/4; Focal 105mm; ISO 100

Funky Chicken?

Ever get the nagging feeling something's doesn't taste quite right?

5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/80s; Aperture f/4; Focal 90mm; ISO 3200

Launch!

So I signed in blood the other day to initiate a momentous step in my life and career. It'll be lonely I suspect but from the experience I know I'll learn more about myself, what I want and be more outgoing as well. I won't be leaving until February but that's still a little sooner than I'll ever want.

Farewell home sweet home, good-bye and thanks for all the fish!

5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/800s; Aperture f/4; Focal 105mm; ISO 100

Vernon Sunrise

This shot may have been taken before snow landed in Vernon but believe me, it was FREEZING already!

5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/125s; Aperture f/22; Focal 16mm; ISO 400

Happy New Year!

5D Mark II; Shutter speed 15s; Aperture f/22; Focal 16mm; ISO 50