Illuminate Yaletown 2011

February 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Yaletown relived the Winter Olympics through their Illuminate Yaletown street party. February 11-12, 2011.

The 2-night event transformed the heritage district into an interactive city of light. Talented artists from across Canada put on a show and projected a kaleidoscope of colors on the buildings.

There was a lot of people out on the street and a few merchants that set up shop. Even Vancouver’s very own Mayor Robertson dropped by!

Here are some of my photos during the event:

Kinetic Floating Pixels
By Shaun Mavronicolas & Miles Thorogood
Jigsaw Interaction Design Lab & Fruition Labs

Kinetic Floating Pixels

Revolv-a-lution
A group collaboration with general direction by Benjamin Feagin Jr.
Element Art Designs

Mini Cooper

Fiction Facades
By Nathan Whitford & Konstantinos Mavromichalis
Urban Visuals

Mainland Street Yaletown

Illuminati
By Peter Pierobon
Celia Duthie Gallery

Bill Curtis Square

Filed Under: Events, Vancouver, Yaletown Tagged With: ,

Song of the Week: Internet Killed the Video Star

January 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Internet Killed the Video Star, sings The Limousines.

It’s very timely for me to have discovered this song coming from the creative panel (c/o BCAMA) I attended today.

TBWA Vancouver, DDB and Rethink talked about their strategies for 2011. It was short and sweet for each speaker with just 7 minutes allocated to each of them. And all their points referred to coping with the changing media landscape.

Just like this song, which declares another revolution in the music industry. I grew up watching MTV and have seen the shift in focus of their programming. MTV is making so much more money on their reality shows, the music videos all but seem secondary.

The kids are disco dancing
They’re tired of rock and roll
I try to tell them “hey that drum machine ain’t got no soul”

The speakers talked about traditional media and what role it plays in a world where everything is becoming digitized. TV is far from becoming extinct, but as Stefan Hawes from TBWA pointed out ‘transmedia’ is the name of the game. Creating content that’s not only relevant for a single medium.

But they don’t want to listen no
They think they’ve heard it all
They trade those guitars in for drum machines and disco balls

It’s always about the shiny new thing and in this case its social media that’s grabbing people’s attention. But at the end of the day it remains to be seen whether the internet will really and truly kill the video star.

Did you hear what they said?
That rock and roll is dead?
Yeah it’s like a zombie it will dig it’s self back up again
Tune in the signal but it’s fading
Some ghost strumming his guitar on the radio

Internet Killed The Video Star by TheLimousines

Internet Killed the Video Star – The Limousines

Filed Under: Events, Music Tagged With: , , , , ,

Dine Out Preview: Charm Modern Thai

January 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I was lucky enough to be included in Charm Modern Thai’s Dine Out 2011 menu preview last Tuesday.

The culinary adventure began with appetizer: Tiger prawn satay on spicy bread, garlic and pepper prawns, and Charm’s famous duck sticks.

For our entrée let’s just say I might have found a perfect marriage between my love for noodles and curry. The salmon linguine in green curry was sooo good. It had just the right balance of sweet and spicy.

Salmon Linguine

An hour later we polished off Thai tea ice cream, vanilla bean tapioca, and chili chocolate torte for dessert. I can’t make up my mind as to which one I like best. It’s a toss-up between the refreshing Thai tea ice cream (palate cleanser!) and warm vanilla bean tapioca. My advice? Get an extra order of both!

Dine Out Vancouver 2011
Photo Credit: Flickr/YBIA

Dine Out Vancouver 2011 will take place on January 24 – February 6. Click here for the complete Charm Dine Modern Thai menu.

Filed Under: Events, Food, Vancouver, Yaletown Tagged With: ,

Vancouver Christmas Market

December 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Christkindlmarkt in Vancouver

The first Vancouver Christmas Market set up this year much to everyone’s excitement. I expected a large crowd so I let a couple of days slide before even attempting to go. On a day that promised rain (which thankfully proved untrue) I went straight from work and found no line ups at the entrance nor at Kathe Wohlfhart’s tent. Whew! The entrance fee is $5 but if you go on a weekday between 11am to 2pm you only pay $2.

Going around to see all there is to see (minus the Wohlfhart tent) can be done in under 10 minutes. Yes, it’s that small. Mini huts selling food, accessories and wares dotted Queen Elizabeth Theatre and in the middle is a decorated gazebo. On the night I went, a duo was singing under the gazebo while Mr. and Mrs. Gingerbread made their rounds. Over-all still a bit lacking in festivity though. What was great was the number of options you had for food. There was authentic German sausage, Black Forest ham, Quiché, and “Brataepfel” from Das Apfelhaus among others. Brataepfel is baked apple stuffed with nuts, raisin, and cinnamon topped with vanilla sauce. I could not resist the smell of baked apples so I had to get one. Each go for $5.50 a piece, a bit steep in price but it was worth the experience.

Brataepfel

I went inside the Kathe Wohlfhart tent after eating a couple other delicacies with German names I can’t remember. The tent was my main reason for going to the Vancouver Christmas Market and I’m glad I got in so easily!

hand blown ornament

The decor were all so charming. There were hand blown glass ornaments, hand painted balls and wooden decor which Kathe Wohlfhart is famous for. I loved the cute Duftl Mannchen or German smoke blowers! Some are limited runs and numbered at the bottom with prices ranging from $30 to $200+. There’s not many left on display so I suggest you go to the Vancouver Christmas Market now if only to buy these fellas.

German smoke blower

Filed Under: Events, Shopping, Vancouver Tagged With: ,

Holiday Events in Vancouver

December 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

To get into the spirit of the holidays, I’ve lined up things to do this Christmas:

Santa in Yaletown

1. Sit on Santa’s lap

I had my photo taken with Santa at the Yaletown Christmas Caboose by Yaletown Photography last November 28. The event was free and benefited the Vancouver Food Bank. I saw over 100 families line up, have their picture taken and give tons of canned food that day. It was great, like Christmas came early.

2. Sample authentic German goodies at the Vancouver Christmas Market.

This is the first ever Christkindlmarkt in Vancouver and I am excited about the stuffed apple pie, gingerbread and Christmas decor from Kathe Wohlfhart. I heard the line up for Kathe Wohlfart’s tent is crazy so I’m still looking for a good day to go. Admission is $5 and they’re open 7 days a week now through December 24.

3. Enjoy the Festival of Lights at VanDusen Botanical Garden.

I love twinkly lights! Back home, every December our gate and terrace would be lit with Christmas lights and inside the house, my mom would wrap the banister with lit-up garlands. It was a beautiful sight. To channel some of our family’s tradition I’m missing, I will probably be one of the first to visit FOL  when it opens on December 10. Admission is $13 and they stay open til January 2.

4. Catch Christmas on the Coast at the Space Centre.

Where can you find twinkling stars, beautiful West Coast imagery, sparkling city lights, and traditional Christmas music performed by acclaimed Canadian artists all gift-wrapped in one package? Drop by with the family and catch this holiday classic, “Christmas on the Coast.” 2pm daily beginning December 21. [via web]

5. Eat as much chocolate as possible at Sutton Place Hotel’s Chocoholic buffet!

Sutton Place Hotel offers this very tempting fare every Thursday – Saturday from 6-10pm. At $26 per person, I am strategically planning this by having a light lunch on the day I go ;)

Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas.

*VPL is screening “What Would Jesus Buy?” produced by Morgan Spurlock of “Super Size Me” fame on December 9. The documentary shows how commercialized Christmas is and it follows Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping Gospel Choir as they go on a cross-country mission to save Christmas from the Shopocalypse; the end of mankind from consumerism, over-consumption and the fires of eternal debt!

Filed Under: Events, Vancouver Tagged With: , ,
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