1000 drops of Awesome in Vancity of Rain

756. On eating out on Mother's Day

Sun, 12 May 2013 22:05:45 -0700

Worst idea ever if you:

a) Are hungry, and

b) Don’t have a reservation.

optional (though not seen or experienced so far) c) Don’t have a few hundred dollars just laying there in your wallet, ya know?

Because there are higher chances that TransLink won’t stop increasing their ticket prices than you getting a table in the next 20 minutes.

Happy Mother’s Day to all moms (regardless of their gender) and high five to them and all. (Because everyone does the Hallmark card + flower thing and you just want her to get the gift and creativity, right? But seriously. Happy Mother’s Day.)

757. There's a heating system on the bus

Sun, 05 May 2013 22:52:29 -0700

Turns on whenever the driver feels like it. Sometimes it feels like a sauna. Other times it’s just warm enough. There are also those times when no amount of telling every stranger on the bus that is, in fact, VERY COLD, will the driver turn the heat on.

There’s also a cooling system: it’s called OPEN YOUR WINDOWS BECAUSE IT’S TOO DARN HOT.

758. Dim sum restaurants are always full for Sunday brunch

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 09:25:00 -0700

And if the restaurant you’re at is not full (fine, halfway full), then I probably would not step foot in that place.

You also have to wait until you forget you’re hungry and your purpose for standing in line for a good 30 minutes fades away.

You also might have to put up with the host/hostess sitting you at the smallest table possible for your party of six because that was almost four, but not ten.

It’s loud. Really loud. But that’s totes cool because you can have a competition with the neighbouring table to be the centre of attention. That is, while you wait for your food, which might also come all at once, leaving no space on the table whatsoever.

759. You are not going that far

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 17:25:30 -0700

So take the fracking stairs (or hey, escalator!) so that family with 3 children can use the elevator.

760. Awesome sunsets Sunny afternoons at Science World/False...

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 20:31:45 -0700

760. Awesome sunsets

Sunny afternoons at Science World/False Creek. Those non-elusive elusive sunny days are back.

Enjoy them while supplies last!

761. Save the Date

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 12:25:00 -0700

New Pornographers.

Free show.

Parking lot downtown. Georgia and Cambie.

Don’t know where it is? Just follow the sea of people on May 4th.
3 pm.

Here’s the link.

I’ll be the one person jumping and screaming like there was no tomorrow and because exams are done, done, done, done! (Fine, by the time the show takes place, exams WILL be done.)

See you there.

762. On free stuff on your birthday

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 18:15:12 -0700

I only know of two and they both involve food so they’re extremely awesome and important.

At Denny’s you get a birthday discount, though you have to sign ip for their email list or something like that.

At Blenz you get a free drink on the house. (Which is really awesome considering how expensive yet awesome good Blenz hot/iced chocolate is. Though it might have been the barista but whatever it was good and dammit I’ll probably go for more and that was probably the point of giving free drinks to tired students who just got out of a 4-hour seminar.)

Feel free to add more to the list!

763. No April Fool's joke: Transit police WILL check your transit fare

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 00:03:38 -0700

ALWAYS.

First day of the month.

It’s probably the ONLY time you’ll see people scrambling for transit fares simultaneously at several Skytrain stations.

(Although Commercial is the one that gets checked the most. JUST SAYIN’)

And yes, I realise it’s kind of late, but there always is next month, since the world hasn’t ended yet and all but it might soon but just not yet.

764. Walk on the LEFT, stand on the RIGHT

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 00:56:57 -0700

Small life lessons that will save you an awful lot of dirty looks and incomprehensible grunts when going up/down the escalator at Skytrain stations.

And sometimes at other places too, but it is not a necessity. Transit, on the other hand, is serious stuff.

765. Cookies of Course

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 00:11:25 -0700

Cookies. Muffins. Scones. Hot chocolate. Tea. Coffee. And more. And sometimes I just pass by there before class to cheer me up because it just smells SO FRAKING GOOD.

In the Harbour Centre Food Court. Only until this week though.

All because of this. And this. And oh man, those landlords and the rent is too damn high and Vancouver really is unaffordable. A petition to save those small businesses that have been there for about 13 years here.

They will, however, continue to serve your cookie cravings from their industrial kitchen. Just shoot them an e-mail or call them. They’re like totes cool people.

At least two of the businesses will move to Bentall Centre, right next to Burrard Station.

Just not cookie-cravings-saviour Cookies of Course.

766. Rainy and windy Vancouver Locus for abandoned umbrellas

Sun, 24 Mar 2013 16:29:00 -0700

766. Rainy and windy Vancouver

Locus for abandoned umbrellas

The Shell Lie on Flickr.767. The Shells All along...

Sun, 24 Mar 2013 12:28:53 -0700

The Shell Lie on Flickr.

767. The Shells

All along Vancity’s beaches

768. It never gets windy

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 17:27:07 -0700

So it did yesterday.

Now, if it starts snowing…

769. Opus

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 22:17:11 -0700

10% discount if you’re a student.

It’s about two blocks away from Bonchaz.

If you ever feel like post-secondary is sucking the life away from your savings (which is more often than not), then this kinda makes it up.

Although not really because you’re spending money, and that’s sucking the life away from your savings even more, but what the heck. You get food and art supplies. Perfect combination for the so-many rainy days.

There’s one downtown, and another on Granville Island.

770. Bonchaz Bakery

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 22:14:00 -0700

10% discount if you’re a student.

And you’re charged for a small size coffee if you bring your own mug/tumbler.

And you should try their pastries… The Bonchaz… Try the green tea one. They always run out of that one before 3pm, so get it while it’s still there! I forgot which day they have it though.

And their sandwiches. The other day I bought a garlic tuna melt. I loved it. My class hated me (yeah, gotta add the fact that my class room has ABSOLUTELY NO WINDOWS.)

Oh, and it’s $2 off all sandwich+soup combos.

Did I mention the 10% discount and the people who work there are really, really nice?

They’re located right across from Harbour Centre, and there’s a new one on Main Street, but I’ve never been there before, so I’ll just stick to the downtown one for the time being.

771. When volunteering at a Daycamp

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 04:19:10 -0800

Make sure you know all those songs that you learnt when you were 7. It’s like a test of who knows the most songs - you or the kids.

772. A crash course on how to swim

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 10:16:47 -0800

Rain, all weekend long.

773. Toonie Tuesday

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 22:49:00 -0800

Movies. (Most of them).

$2.

Tuesdays.

Dolphin Cinema.

The actual theatre is not top-notch, but you’ll enjoy your movie. Dude, $2.

774. Bear X-ing

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 23:14:00 -0800

Your normal day on Burnaby Mountain.

Also: Raccoons in your garbage bin if you live on the mountain.

Also: Fish in the pond.

Also: Dogs and cats during finals period.

I study at a zoo. And that’s totes cool.

Adam Lupton on Flickr. 775. Adam Lupton From Girlfriends I Never...

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 21:07:00 -0800

Adam Lupton on Flickr.

775. Adam Lupton

From Girlfriends I Never Had show at Ayden Gallery. Will close on March 8. He’s also a local artist.

Also, check out works by Jose Rivas, Antonis Ensoe, Nathan Grey, and more at the gallery.