happylife

Third parking decar

I purchase the parking decar every year with which I can park anywhere in Downtown where there is a sign saying "No Parking except with Permit." It is useful when shopping around Downtown by car because I don't have to pay for parking anymore. The cost for parking meters in Downtown is between $1 and $4 per hour, and this decar costs $56 per year, therefore if I pay for the former more than once a week the latter pays. The problem is that the number of cars in Downtown is getting larger these years and it is getting more difficult to find a parking space even with the sign "No Parking except with Permit." According to this picture, the parking decar system has been operated for at least 6 years, but I wonder how many more years it would last because extending the parking space in Downtown is impossible while the cars are always increasing.

Private rooms?

The private rooms of washrooms in Canada are very strange because the partitions between them are not tall enough to separate each other. Canadian people are generally tall and I am tall as a Japanese, therefore I sometimes happen to make eye contact with my neighbor when I feel awkward. Why don't they make partitions cover from bottom to top? I think Western people make much of their privacy, but as for washrooms, they are too generous. Anyway I found today a very strange scene in the private room. The neighbor who I don't know was sitting in the opposite direction, that is to say, he was sitting toward the water tank!

Long daylight

It was almost 9pm when I took this picture on the Sunset Beach in Vancouver. I had still one hour before dark. In this season, around the summer solstice, the sun sets 9:30pm and rises 5:00 here. Considering the twilight times, our daylight length comes to more than 17 hours from 4:30am to 10:00pm. It's almost three quarters of the day! In Japan, the sun sets around 6pm and I used to go to bed 6 hours after that. If I do the same thing here, I am to have no time to sleep. I have to be careful so as not to do overwork. Actually I'm taking a nap about one hour afternoon. It is not laziness but necessity.

Richmond

Richmond is a prosperous city adjacent to Vancouver. It is located in the midst of the delta area of the Fraser River. A lot of airplanes are flying above the city because of Vancouver International Airplane and a lot of Chinese people are living and working on the ground. When you go into one of the shopping malls in this city, you would doubt whether you are really in Canada. The other day, I visited this city with my friend to see the Night Market being held only in the summer season. Quite a few street stalls were open selling some junk foods or gadgets. Actually I visited the market two years ago. What I felt this time was that the market has got much larger this year. I think it indicates how Chinese people are doing successful in this city.

A path in a forest

Finding a pleasant path in a forest is my secret pleasure. I was so addicted to finding a delightful mountain route for motorcycles when I was in Japan that I often rode around the country on my bike in every weekend. After coming to Vancouver, the bike has changed into a bicycle without a motor because motorcycles are much more expensive here than in Japan. On fine days, I often go to Stanley Park near my apartment. The park is mostly a deep forest and numerous paths are running just like a maze. They are so attractive for me that I sometimes stops my bike and taste the path taking pictures, deeply breathing air, and so on. It is my happy habit.

Alaska roll

As you know, California roll is a popular, Western arranged sushi menu using a piece of avocado which tastes like tuna roll. It has a lot of brothers and we can see them at some Japanese restaurants in Vancouver. Hawaiian roll is made of boiled shrimp and BC roll contains a piece of eel. BC is an abbreviation of British Columbia, a Canadian Province to which Vancouver city belongs. Today I found this menu named Alaska roll. It contains boiled prawns, asparagus, and avocado. All of them were wrapped with sliced salmon. It is the most luxurious, Western arranged sushi menu I have ever seen. I think these kinds of sushi menu are totally different from Japanese original menu, but I like both of them.

Run aground

A few days ago, I found this boat in the False Creek in Vancouver. This creek is so shallow that sailors should be careful not to run aground like this. Fortunately, this isn't a critical situation because he has stuck just in Downtown, just in front of the coast guard base, and he can call a help if he has a radio. But if it had happened in a remote area, it might be much more serious. The tide goes up and down only twice a day, therefore he might have to wait for more than 12 hours before the tide comes back so that he can escape from sticking. While waiting for the tide, his boat might upset and hit a rock, or the weather might get worse. I don't like to go aground anywhere.

Like Mike 2

Vancouver is popular as a film taking place because it is a beautiful city with artistic structures, beaches, and forests. This week the film staffs of "Like Mike 2" are making movies in the park in front of my apartment. It is an American comedy in which a little boy gets around NBA. They have changed the hockey coat into a basketball coat which is set for a beach somewhere in California. Several palm trees are planted and an ice-cream shop is open. I can overlook the whole film site from my balcony. It's interesting. They seem to enjoy both making movies and playing basketball. Only one problem is that they are not good at playing basketball. It is taking plenty of time before taking a successful goal scene.

A big fire

Saturday morning, when I was sipping a cup of coffee in my balcony, I found a large column of smoke in the south east direction. According to the news, it was a big fire in Richmond, the next city of Vancouver. It is reported that the fire was caused by a dangerous grow-op of marijuana. In the illegal chemical process of making marijuana at a warehouse, someone might have made a mistake and caused this big bang. Fortunately there were no injuries including the chemist. I guess the residents around the place would have inhaled marijuana smoke and felt sodden.

Slow shutter

I like taking pictures and often shutter my digital camera in my everyday life. Vancouver is such a photogenic city that I can easily find beautiful scenes. Fortunately my room has a spectacular view, and I have more opportunities to take beautiful pictures. It was a moonlit night and the sky was spotted with clouds. The light of the moon came through the clouds making a wonderful scene. It was like a dream world. I picked up my camera and took pictures using so called night view mode in which shutter speed is set slower to prolong the exposure time. This is the picture at the time. It is more dramatic than the real scene. Interesting!