28/365: Vectorial Inukshuk

This is the light-show displayed over Vancouver's rainy nights... the Vectorial Elevation.

And THIS is the highest degree of imagination and design using angles of light, resonance patterns and cloud shapes to form... a Vectorial Inukshuk!


5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/10s; Aperture f/2.8; Focal 16mm; ISO 1600

27/365: Robson Square Vibe

It still boggles my mind how densely packed Vancouver's downtown core is these nights. I do NOT want the Olympics to end!!!

5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/25s; Aperture f/4; Focal 85mm; ISO 3200

26/365: Smurf Lager

Smurfs need to relax too...

5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/50s; Aperture f/4; Focal 55mm; ISO 500

25/365: German Fan Fest

Nothing like a cold Kostritzer and German sausage for lunch...

5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/40s; Aperture f/4; Focal 50mm; ISO 400

24/365: Golden Rings

Out on Burrard Inlet, just off the shores of Stanley park... are the Olympic rings floating on the water. Every night Canada gets 1 or more gold medal, the rings will light up GOLD. Tonight, Canada's Kaillie HUMPHRIES & Heather MOYSE won the gold medal in women's Bobsleigh!

5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/180s; Aperture f/4; Focal 105mm; ISO 3200

23/365: Cheering for Team Canada

I watched the Germany vs Canada game at LiveCity Downtown and the vibe there was EXTRAORDINARY! Everyone was cheering and excited to watch the game, I'm glad I got off my lazy ass and watched it with all these great fans!

5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/150s; Aperture f/1.4; Focal 50mm; ISO 250

22/365: Rings

It's good to be back in Vancouver
Taken with my NEW lens =D

5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/30s; Aperture f/1.4; Focal 50mm; ISO 3200

21/365: Ambulance Light

Someone in our complex was attended to by the paramedics... I don't know what happened but during one of the intermission in Finland/Sweden hockey game, I noticed the ambulance parked on the corner and so I played with the lighting... I hope it was something minor... or someone got too drunk from Canada's loss...

5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/8s; Aperture f/4; Focal 97mm; ISO 3200

20/365: Friendly Neighbourhood Kitty Cat

As I was leaving my house today, I was courteously welcomed to the area by the neighborhood Cat. I'm guessing Cat belongs to someone else in this townhouse complex... but today, Cat was just patrolling the Strata premises enjoying the winter sun. Cat seems to be intrigued by what's inside my home and particularly likes it when I leave the door slightly ajar. Cat would then peer in, but has yet to muster the confidence to step in. Needless to say, Cat is quite friendly and especially enjoys a good back-rub. What Cat doesn't seem to like is my camera... must be a cat thing, but after running in to Cat on 3 separate occasions throughout today and a bit of patience, Cat approached me for some photos!


5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/1250s; Aperture f/2.8; Focal 16mm; ISO 100

19/365: Golden Skeleton

My roommate moved out today leaving me without a TV or internet... It was an interesting night to say the least! I stock piled some anime, HIMYM, and House to watch but in the end, I still felt like going out to check out Nanaimo a bit. Originally I wanted to hit the library and borrow some books for the night, but alas, they closed by the time I got there leaving me to wander DT... where I ended up here.

In the middle of DT, is a section the city has setup with bleachers and a giant TV for anyone to sit and enjoy the olympics. Perhaps it was an attempt to draw the citizens of Nanaimo out and warm their fingers on the Olympic flame, but for me, it became my TV for the night. I sat down wishing I had brought my Red Mittens along to keep me warm, and watched the skeleton finals unravel in the company of 3 other random Nanaimites...

I had to use two exposures to capture the image as well as what's on the TV screen. Luckily my frozen fingers were able to turn the dials fast enough to capture the moment!

Congratulations to Jon Montgomery on his outstanding performance to win GOLD!
Props to Martins Dukurs (Lativa) for +0.07 behind: you had a good start, we Thank-You for using your breaks so well.
And special mention to Alexander Tretiakov (Russia) for +1.02, Thanks for coming out.


5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/6s; Aperture f/2.8; Focal 27mm; ISO 400
Shutter speed 1/30s; Aperture f/2.8; Focal 27mm; ISO 100

18/365: Hotpot Chicken

This will likely be the best source of Asian food in Nanaimo, Huong Pho. Been there twice, been good performance both times so far. As you can see, Nanaimo's getting pretty dull... my daily posts are quite mundane and it's becoming a struggle to find something interesting. I didn't bring much with me either so nothing interesting around the house to really take pics of... I look forward to my next day off, hoping the weather will be nice again to explore the coast!

Well... One interesting thing today, ordered my 50mm f1.4 lens! I can't wait! But.... it's in Vancouver, I have to wait until next week when I can get it. Maybe some weird portraits to come?


5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/25s; Aperture f/4; Focal 25mm; ISO 1600

17/365: "Wilson"

Room mate is moving out in 2 days and I will be left with no TV or internet. Mukmuk will be my "Wilson"


5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/20s; Aperture f/4; Focal 16mm; ISO 2500

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

16/365: Not a Camera

Had a gorgeous day off today in Nanaimo! Did some shopping and ended up with a 24 pack of 2 ply toilet paper =D Hahahaha I don't use that much really... but it's cheaper as a huge pack right?

But the ACTUAL highlight was I got to hang out with an old friend of mine from years back... Turns out she moved to Nanaimo 2 years ago and now she lives across the street from me! We went to Piper's Lagoon Beach and walked around, enjoying the afternoon sun and catching up. I guess Nanaimo seems a little less boring now.

I think this a genious! My friend said Nanaimo is really big on preservation of parks and I can see why. This little "counter" helps collect data on how many people use the park and I guess the city can utilize that data to support sustaining so many parks! Never seen one of these in Vancouver...


5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/640s; Aperture f/4; Focal 65mm; ISO 100

15/365: Knives

Boring day, had a busy time at work, came home and unpacked my knives... =D

5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/160s; Aperture f/4; Focal 95mm; ISO 3200

14/365: Love in the Sand

Being away from home during CNY, there's not much to do. Luckily I was off by 4pm today and the sun was just starting to set so I quickly grabbed my camera and headed down to Departure Bay to do some exploration! Not the most beautiful beach in the world but with a low tide and warm weather, it could be fairly welcoming still.

Mental note: Call Shaw soon to setup internet before roommate leaves...


5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/8s; Aperture f/4; Focal 92mm; ISO 3200

13/365: Shakey Lights

Not missing the image stabilization at all...

a80; Shutter speed 1s; Aperture f/2.8; Focal 8mm

12/365: My Backyard

This is the "backyard" to my place. There's no fence actually... I have direct access to a golf course! I can just put on shoes and go jogging in there "but, um...." I'm pretty sure security will Taser me and drag me out while I'm still seizing...


5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/125s; Aperture f/4; Focal 105mm; ISO 400

11/365: Gaming

Meet my roomate: Big Al. He's moving out soon but for now, he enjoys his down time by playing games. This shot was his reflection off the frosted window of the front door. Not a great shot but the house is pretty dull/barren for now...


5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/10s; Aperture f/4; Focal 97mm; ISO 3200

10/365: Shredded

Joke of the day: Me

Tip of the day: Do not sit on the paper shredder. Not even if you're on hold for the doctor for almost 10 minutes...


a80; Shutter speed 1/4s; Aperture f/2.8; Focal 7.8mm

9/365: No Laptop?!

So I got to the ferry terminal today and was looking at my backpack only to realize... I forgot to pack my laptop! I could not imagine surviving 2 weeks in Nanaimo without one so I begged my sister to drop it off at the ferry terminal before I had to board. Long story short, she got there just as the ferry was almost done boarding and despite being one of the first cars in the line-up, everyone drove around me and I boarded 3rd last...............

It was also the hardest I've ran in a long time (had to run from gates back to where my car was parked). As a result I was cruelly reminded by my body I have asthma, despite me thinking it had disappeared after elementary school. Nanaimo: Thumbs Down.


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

8/365: Richmond Art

There's been a series of artwork being installed around Richmond, some of which are part of the Biennale Artworks. It was quite an adventure hunting them all down because it wasn't really clear exactly where you can find each artwork. Water #10 was supposedly at Cambie Plaza...which is on No. 5 and Cambie St but turns out the new renovation to Cambie and River Rd is also Cambie Plaza (I know it's a giant structure I should have seen from miles away but I've been avoiding that area since they closed off River Rd to prepare for the Games). The "Arriving Home" piece was interesting to track down as YVR is quite a massive and not all staff knew what I was talking about.... But in any case, they were all very interesting and I was able to take my time taking many pictures at different angles of them all!


5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/1600s; Aperture f/22; Focal 50mm; ISO 100


5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/250s; Aperture f/5.6; Focal 55mm; ISO 100


5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/200s; Aperture f/5.6; Focal 40mm; ISO 100


5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/400s; Aperture f/5.6; Focal 24mm; ISO 100


5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/15s; Aperture f/2.8; Focal 18mm; ISO 160

7/365: False Creek

Today was the last shift of my volunteering experience for now, going back to Nanaimo for 2 weeks before returning mid-Games. Quite disappointed I won't be able to attend the lighting of the Cauldron and dressed rehearsal of the opening ceremonies! So to take in all that I could, I took a night walk around the False Creek area to absorb more of the energy before I go in to withdrawal on the Island.

5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/10s; Aperture f/4; Focal 65mm; ISO 3200

6/365: Vancouver Wall

VANOC has a very unique style of running the show here. Its not that the security is unnecessary, but it oddly reminds me of the Berlin Wall... This particular section "features" 2 walls with a moat in between, possibly infested by alligators (not visible through the camouflaged wall paper they put up).

5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/250s; Aperture f/4; Focal 105mm; ISO 100

5/365: Free Food

Ever wonder what the food they're feeding us taste like? It's not as luxurious as you might think! Today was the better of the two meals I've had so far... It's this fish stuff, some baby carrots (very orange but some were still cold), potatoes, bean salad (excuse the flatulence from around False Creek area) and some chicken soup that...didn't quite taste right.......

But free is free! What else can we do? Right...it's not like we have a McDonald's we can use our meal vouchers on. (We do actually, and with each meal the Big Mac is looking more and more appetizing).

5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/20s; Aperture f/3.5; Focal 16mm; ISO 200

4/365: Officially Open

Meet the army of smurfs VANOC has affectionately hand-picked to run the Olympics. This is us gathering in front of the official stage in Vancouver Olympic Village (VVL) for the opening ceremony and cutting of the ribbon.

5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/80s; Aperture f/4; Focal 75mm; ISO 320

This was the sunrise at 7am this morning =_=

5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/50s; Aperture f/4; Focal 55mm; ISO 125

And here, we have the outside of... The Salt Building! Known to the Olympians as "the Living Room". Here they can lounge and relax with all the features mentioned in the previous post.

5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/15s; Aperture f/20; Focal 16mm; ISO 125; Ev -1.33

As the athletes move in to VVL, each country starts hanging their banners off their balconies. There's quite a few I saw by the end of today but I just love the colorfulness with Italy's flags and the orange design of their building!

5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/50s; Aperture f/20; Focal 50mm; ISO 320; Ev -1.00

And finally we have where the Canadian athletes stay! Notice how we got the nicer accommodations? Hahaha, no favoritism there! However, I just love the boxing kangaroo from Australia =D

5D Mark II; Shutter speed 1/40s; Aperture f/10; Focal 50mm; ISO 100

3/365: Job Specific Training

Anyone else getting PASSIONATELY excited for this coming month?

I attended the job specific orientation for my volunteering position in the coming Olympics. I thought it would be neat but after today, I've become quite flammable to Olympic fire that's going around! I'm volunteering as a Pharmacist in the Olympic Village's Polyclinic. The setup they have to host the country's athletes, delegates, family members, coaches, etc. are just AMAZING! The clinic coordinates every health profession and service I can imagine (except for surgical in the Vancouver Olympic Village, but there is a surgical unit on the Whistler branch). We have our doctors and nurses of course, and then we have physiotherapists, podiatrists, ophthalmologist, dentists, acupuncture-ist, radiologist/imaging, paramedics, lab technicians... we even have a mobile MRI unit! The feedback we've received from the IOC (international Olympic committee) was Vancouver has the most advanced and complete medical services available to the Olympic participants compared to any other year. I guess all that debt we'll be in won't be for nothing eh?

The Olympic Village itself is just gorgeous too! They have this one building, the Salt House, where Olympians can lounge and relax... I didn't bring my 5D II with me today but BOY I wish I did! Tonight was the only chance I got to take pictures inside the Salt Building (Living Room) because it's still empty (most of the athletes are arriving tomorrow and since I'm allowed to be in such close proximity with the athletes, we're expected not to harass them with pictures and autographs, especially since the Village is suppose to be their home away from home). The Salt House is like a lounge, decked out in dreamy lights with a bar, piano, lounge chairs, pool tables, foosball... just amazing. And just outside is a park area in the middle of the Village with more glowing lights and beautiful benches, and the entire setup is facing False Creek. Across the water you can see Canada Place and Vancouver Hockey Place, the "Q" and Science World. Expect more photos to come as I spend my days in there!

Bbelow is a photo inside the Living Room, you can make out the piano and bar-area if you use some imagination to get past my camera shake...


a80; Shutter speed 1/2s; Aperture f/2.8; Focal 8mm

2/365: Dangerous Driving

Quite the busy day with working in the morning and returning to the lower mainland at night. The most relaxing thing was the long stretch of highway driving down to Duke Point to catch my ferry. I've always found cruising along smooth windy roads therapeutic. It gives me time to just let my mind wander and stretch its "legs" either by reflecting on recent events or just singing along to tunes. Today was no exception as I pondered my failed attempts of running month end reports and just the overall problematic flow at work... We weren't very busy but the place was a mess by noon time!

Anyways, back home for a few days as I take on the first few shifts of volunteering! Apparently I'm allowed to bring a camera and take pictures... I wonder if that means my SLR is ok?


a80; Shutter speed 1s; Aperture f/3.2; Focal 11mm

1/365: Project 365

Project 365: the rules are simple, you post a photo everyday, for 365 days. It could be anything, as interesting as 6 fingered hands, or as dull as paint peeling from the wall... It's gonna be about my life and what happened that day! And ideally, being able to capture that on camera! But knowing me, it'll most likely happen at work and I'd get fired if I even TRY to photograph the things that go on there...

I've been wanting to try this out for awhile, especially when Belle and some of her friends started this New Year. But at the time some changes were taking place and I thought I'd start now... Why February? Because... I've moved out today! Packed up my bags and left the nest in search of work opportunities and boredom XD hahaha So join me this year, on this painstakingly dull adventure as I learn to fend for myself in Nanaimo...

And what better way to start off this project than with the one, the ONLY, CANON A80! Yes, I dusted it off, charged up the batteries and the a80 will continue to be my compact Point & Shoot.

A80; Shutter speed 1/160s; Aperture f/2.8; Focal 7.8mm