Josh's Volunteer Story

Josh (in yellow) with his Clean-team

Yoshitaka “Josh” Nakao came to Vancouver from Osaka Japan in October 2009 to study English.

While he was still in Japan, Josh saw a TV show about Vancouver’s ecology movement, nature and the City in general. His first thought after seeing the show was, “Wow! How beautiful a city Vancouver is! If I go to Vancouver, I’d like to be involved with the ecology movement.”
As Josh states, “A month later, I came here. My first word was “awesome”. Then I was fascinated with Vancouver’s nature and personality and when I stood on the ground, saw the blue sky and breathed the beautiful air in Canada, I was accepted in Canada. Vancouver was just as I imagined.”

However, after a while he realized that there was litter on the downtown streets and he wasn’t happy about it; “Vancouver is a beautiful city and comfortable to live in, but there is litter on the street. It’s not good for its appearance so I’d like Vancouver to be more beautiful. That’s why I started to volunteer to clean up Vancouver by myself on the weekdays last November.”

Josh came to Vancouver to improve his English skills so while he was volunteering, he started to practice conversations in English: “First I tried to talk to people around me, but most people ignored me. Maybe they mistook me for a homeless person. But I’ve never given up and I’m good at organizing, so I made a volunteer t-shirt. I wrote I am Volunteer Staff, Let’s make Vancouver more beautiful. Finally people didn’t ignore me and they were interested in my work.”

From November to the end of 2009 he worked alone, but he realized that making Vancouver more beautiful was not a one-person job. On Christmas day, he recruited two friends to help him clean up the litter on Robson Street and by the first week in January he had organized a volunteer team through his school, Pacific Gateway.

They volunteer on the first and second Friday afternoons of each month from 1-3pm. While volunteering the rule is to only speak English to help them practice their language skills.

“During the Olympics, many people visited Vancouver and there was so much trash and stuff on the street. My volunteer work was so busy, but I could meet a lot of new friends who came from different countries and I had a special opportunity to talk to people. And then I wanted guys to know, I’m Japanese, but I really love Vancouver. Then I remodeled my volunteer tools. I used to clean up while holding the garbage bag but it wasn’t convenient. Afterward, I made a garbage box to shoulder on my back and I sewed Japanese and Canadian flags on the side of my t-shirt to advertise my motto. While I was wearing my costume, I was also cleaning up and cheering for Japan and Canada. The Olympics were a good experience.”

After the Olympics, Josh met members of the City of Vancouver’s Clean Street Program was invited to an Appreciation Party for volunteers on May 26th. At the event, Josh will be presented with the “Golden Dust Pan Award”; for individuals/groups who do outstanding work as part of the Clean Streets Program. A letter to Josh from the City states, “We appreciate your efforts in making the downtown area a cleaner place and the fact that you are a student from another country who has volunteered your time to do this makes it even more impressive.”

Unfortunately, Josh has to leave Vancouver for Japan in September, but he hopes to find someone to take over for him and that his Volunteer Cleaner legacy will continue.

If you see Josh and his team on the street, please say hello to him, and maybe even offer to help him clean… after all, if we all picked up just one piece of litter each day, imagine how clean the street could be.

Josh (center) with his Clean-team

Tomato Tomoto

I love where I live, not so much for the location, (which is fantastic), but rather for what my place has… Its own private roof-top deck!

I’ve lived here for four years now, and from the second I first saw the deck, I fell in love with it.

I really only get to use it 6 months of the year since it’s kind of gross when it’s raining or slushing out. Every year, I add new plants and try to keep on top of the weeds and flowers. This year I decide to try something a little different. I try to do my part for our earth: I recycle, I turn off lights, I walk to work… but I have never grown my own food.

I didn’t go crazy and plant a whole garden and I don’t expect my three little tomato plants to make me self-sufficient, but I am very excited about being able to eat something I grew by myself. (I also planted a couple of strawberry plants and some basil for good measure)

I thought I might be able to save a little bit of money by doing this… the joke’s on me: the plants, soil, fertilizer, and planters came to over $85! I have never eaten an $85 tomato in my life… they’d better taste amazing!

I will keep you posted on their progress, but here are a few pictures of their humble beginnings:

Oh... and here's a few of some of my flowers... just because they're pretty!

Cypress is Super

I have lived in Vancouver for almost 30 years of my life. Can you believe I’ve never been up Cypress Mountain?

Seriously.

I was watching a TV show the other day… a weight loss/training/diet show that is filmed here in Vancouver. The trainer had two girls that were trying to get their bodies bikini-ready, and one of the exercises he gave them was to cycle up Cypress Mountain. I watched this show, and thought to myself, that if they could do it, so could I. (Plus the trainer put a couple of bags of sugar in the girls’ backpacks - I would not be doing that!)

Because I’d only seen the road up the mountain on TV, I asked Chad to take me for a drive up it on Saturday.

My conclusions are as follows:

• If, (BIG IF), I decide to do this, it is going a lot harder than originally anticipated. (I will keep you posted on this)
• The view from Cypress is spectacular! Why didn’t anyone ever tell me about it before?
• If I cycle to the top… how do I get down? I get scared when I go too fast on my bike!

Here are a few pictures from the lookout (about 1/3 of the way up).

Becks & Noles are growing too fast

I try to visit with my nephews as often as possible. Since they go to bed really early, it’s hard to see them after work, so I always try to squeeze in some time on the weekends.

Saturday was an absolutely gorgeous day, so we trekked over to the park for an hour or so, and then continued the playtime back at home.

Here are a few pictures from the day:















Also a video of them practicing their basketball skills:

Where were you…

Ten weeks and one day ago; the day we won the Olympics?

I was at the Molson Hockey House and it was insane. Some people were at work, at home, on the street, or even at the game.

Jlishere put together a couple of fantastic videos from the Gold Medal Goal as well as the brief time that we were tied with the USA and there was the chance, (well not really), that we might lose this important game.

As written by Jlishere:

Relive one of our nation's proudest moments, captured in this compilation of reactions; from small town bars to big city streets, homes and public places in Vancouver, across the country and even abroad. An explosion of flag waving, cheers, spontaneous chants and anthems, random high fives, a sea of red and white, and lots of beer (for "some")!
The Vancouver Games brought a whole nation together. On February 28th, millions of Canadians braced for the men's hockey final. With only 24 seconds left to go in the 3rd period, USA scored a tie, forcing the gold medal game into overtime. Shocked, but not yet devastated, Canadians rallied and stayed on the edge of their seats.
On the final day of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games, Canadians witnessed a record-breaking gold medal, bringing the total to 14. The hockey final became the most-watched television event in our history. Just hours away from the Closing Ceremonies, the outburst of pride happened on a scale not seen in Canada's recent memory.
This compilation is possible thanks to over 130 clips on YouTube, which belong to their rightful owners, in alphabetical order: (all are listed)
There are many more clips floating on YouTube, way more than can fit into this, but feel free to post a link to yours!
Song excerpts in this video: "Today" by Chantal Kreviazuk, "Red Heart" by Hey Rosetta! - if you like the music, please support Canadian artists and buy their songs on iTunes!
So where were you when Sidney scored the overtime goal? Who were you with? How did you celebrate afterward?

Watch them and relive the excitement!



Part 1

Part 2

My Mom's on Facebook

Some people cringe when they hear or say those words… but the truth is, I signed her up for the site a couple of years ago, but it’s only in the past few months that she’s really gotten into it.

She’s reconnected with dozens of friends and family members and even old high-school acquaintances.

She types way too fast and doesn’t check her posts for spelling and grammar mistakes before she hits enter, and I tease her about it endlessly. But if you knew Jackie like I know Jackie, you’d understand that her confusing posts do actually make sense.

This week and old friend of hers posted a couple of pictures of Mom and I together. I’m guessing I’m about 2 or 3 in these pics, and although I remember a lot of my childhood, (so much so that I am often accused of making stuff up), I don’t remember this particular day. It looks sunny and warm though, (I hope so, or I shouldn’t be naked!), and I’m sure I’m not wearing sunscreen, but it was the 70’s so I’m sure I was protected by a cloud of funny smelling smoke.

In honour of my Mom and Mother’s Day, I thought I would post the long-lost-but-newly-found pictures of us as well as a few other classics.

Happy Mother’s Day Mom...

I Love You!

English Bay is A-OK

Today was an amazing day in Vancouver; 20 degrees and super sunny.

I spent the morning at the park with Becks and Noles and then came home to pressure wash my deck and get it spruced up for summer. After lots of weeding and washing, I decided that my bike had been neglected for way too long and needed to go for a ride.

I headed out along the seawall towards Stanley Park… I expected it to be a long ride and it would have been had I not kept stopping. English Bay was amazing and packed with people. It was full of energy and everywhere I turned, I saw an exciting new scene.
There were musicians everywhere… dancers and artists too. And the funnest thing I’ve seen in a long time: Roller Derby Girls.

These are just a few videos, (sorry about the crappy quality) of my time there… Enjoy!

Baby Baby...

Just a quick shout out to my g/f Missy who had her 3rd baby (in 4 years!) yesterday… Weighing in at 7.1 lbs and 19 inches long, it’s Baby Jordana!

Just a few pictures… Enjoy!

Big Sister, Saige

The day before... with Big Brother, Mason

Vegas Baby...

So I just spent 3 nights in Sin City and although I’ve been several times before, this time wasn’t a girl’s trip, (bachelorette, wedding, divorce party etc…).
This time was a little more mature Couples/40th birthday celebration and to honour this, I thought I should put together a few do’s and don’ts of Vegas.

DO:

• Go see a show. We saw Love, the Beatles/Cirque compilation. Words really can’t express how much I loved this show. It was absolutely amazing and brought tears to my eyes. You don’t have to be a Beatles fan, but if you are, you will be that much more impressed. It has the full endorsement of the remaining Beatles, Ringo and Paul, along with Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison.

• Buy your show tickets at the Fashion Show Mall’s Tix4Tonight if you haven’t bought them before hand. Tix4Tonight offers same and next day show tickets at discounted prices. (They say half price, but I don’t think so). At 7:30, we walked over to the mall and bought tickets for the 9:30 Love show. They were 3rd row, (amazing seats!) and were $115 each instead of $170.
• Bring comfortable shoes… I brought 2 pairs of sneakers and both of them got uncomfortable after all day walking
• Check out the Dueling Pianos Bar at New York, New York. The night we were there it was about 2/3’s Canadian, and they hounoured us by playing O Canada and the Hockey Song!
• Visit the Freemont Street Experience. It’s not glamorous, so don’t expect to see pretty girls all dolled up in their short skirts and high heels in this area. If you’re going to go to Freemont, wear comfortable shoes and don’t worry about spending a lot of money. Restaurants are generally cheaper here and the casinos have more $5 tables than on the strip. Overhead is the light show… Not sure if it changes, but it was a KISS tribute when we watched… always fun to sing along to.

• Check out the Buffet at the Bellagio. We went 2 nights in a row… all the King Crab legs, sushi, prawns, prime rib, lobster ravioli, and amazing cheesecake you can eat for $35. Worth every penny!
• Gamble... even if it’s not something you know much about. Set aside a limit that you are willing to lose: $20, $50, $100 whatever and stick to it… try the slots or blackjack or roulette… it’s fun, and as long as you don’t keep going when you’re money runs out, it’s all good!

• Also, do some sports betting… I bet on the Canucks, and as usual, they didn’t disappoint!

• Go to the concierge at the Fashion Show Mall and get the coupon book before you start shopping. We were almost done with our shopping when at the last store, the salesperson told us about it. Chad ran to pick one up, and sure enough, we got 20% off at that store. The book is packed full of coupons and it’s free… just ask!

• Grab some candies at Mango in the Fashion Show Mall… they’re Coca-Cola flavoured!
• If you go on the Gondola Ride at the Venetian, go earlier in the morning, (10am), to get a private ride. Later on in the day, it’s a lot busier and if you are a couple, you will have to share the boat with another couple. You can always rent a private ride, but it’s $64 and really not worth it. To be honest, I enjoyed the gondola ride, but it was thrown in for free with our package; I don’t know if it would have been worth the $32 cost.
• Ask the Gondolier to take your picture when his boss isn’t around. They are not supposed to because there are “professional” photos you can buy afterwards in the gift shop. Our gondolier was super fun and nice and had no problem taking our picture when we were in private. He was a great singer too! Make sure you tip!

• Tip everyone. The waiters, cabbies, blackjack dealers, airport attendants… this is the service industry… they rely on these tips. Btw: I only tip the dealers when I get a few good hands in a row
• Visit the Boot Barn if you are in the market for new boots. Chad and I went to pick up a new pair of boots and he walked out of there with new boots, a belt and a new cowboy hat, (don’t judge), for cheaper than 1 pair of boots back home. Tip: it’s fine to take a cab there from your hotel, but don’t expect to get a cab back very easily. We sat in the hot sun for a half hour before we decided to walk over to the outlet mall to (easily) find one there.

• Layer… It’s hot outside, but everywhere inside has air conditioning. It’s not usually cold when you’re walking around, but if you’re sitting at a show or dinner, you can definitely get the chills
• If it’s not too hot, check out the rooftop patio at Margaritaville. I think the hot sun would be too intense in the summer, but it was perfect when we were there.

• Do things when you first think of them…. Every day we said we wanted to eat the gelato at the Grand Canal Shoppes in the Venetian, but every day we got sidetracked and never got to it… Now I have a craving!

• Check out the Artwork at the hotels. We stayed at the Venetian and it was gorgeous. The ceilings were all painted to look like famous works of art from Italy. I realize it’s just a copy, and some people may scoff at it. But it’s still art, and really was gorgeous.

DON’T:

• Bring your kids. You’d think this doesn’t need to be said, but I was absolutely shocked at all the kids I saw. From newborns, (seriously) to tweens… they were all there with their parents. Kids do not enjoy Vegas as there is nothing for kids to do there. The Casinos are so smoky, and although kids aren’t allowed to gamble, you have to walk through the casinos all the time to get out of your hotel. Plus remember the name: Sin City…. Seriously. It is! There are vehicles driving around with pictures of half (more like 95%) naked girls, and people all over the streets handing out flyers advertising girls that can be brought directly to you. While they may not hand these flyers to your kids, they are lying all over the sidewalks, and the last thing you need is your 7 year old asking, “Mommy, what does Hot Horny Girls mean?”. If you want to go on vacation with your kids, go to Disneyland. Vegas is for adults.
• Buy shuttle bus tickets while on the plane ($12 each). The flight attendant tried to tell us it could be a 2 hour wait for a cab and the cost could be as high as $30 to our hotel. In fact, we waited maybe 5 minutes for a cab and the cost was closer to $20
• Drink too much. Seriously. Yes it’s Vegas, and yes you should have a good time, but there are limits and some of the drunkenness I saw was just embarrassing. Drinking is fine, (in fact it’s good!), but try to alternate every other drink with a glass of water. Trust me, your head will thank you in the morning.
• Think you can walk from one hotel to another that’s just “4 hotels away” in a quick amount of time. The strip is long and although the hotels look fairly close, it can easily take well over an hour to walk it. With 40 degree (Celsius) sun beating down on you, you will not be speed walking.
• Get too annoyed with all the smoke… it’s Vegas and everyone smokes…. It’s totally gross, but there’s nothing you can do about it. The guy sitting next to me at the blackjack table was a smoker, but at least he asked if I’d mind. I told him I has asthma… it held him off for a bit.
• Think you can just walk out of your hotel at 8pm and jump into a cab… there are queues… and long ones at that. Plus you have no choice but to wait unless you are willing to walk. You can’t just walk out to the street to catch a cab. They only stop at the hotels.
• Put your camera away… there is always a photo op!
• Wash your hair if you have super-frizzy hair like me. The air there is so dry, and my blow-out lasted 3 days with no frizz… Amazing! However… the smoke smell is kinda gross and I was happy to wash it when I got home.
• Overpack. I am famous for this and I did it again. I really thought I would wear everything I brought, but I probably wore 1/3 of it. I could have gotten away with a smaller suitcase and not hurt my back.
• Expect the party at the beach/club below your window to stop just because it’s 3am and you want to sleep…
• Expect “Class”. There are a lot of words to describe Vegas, but Class isn’t one… Just enjoy it for what it is!
• Don’t make too much fun of those girls… the “oh my God, I’m so drunk/hungover/sick/tired… what did I do last night?” girls… I was one before… and will probably be again!

Viva Las Vegas!