Saturday, May 31, 2008

White flowers


Today is the last day of May already, thought better post this before summer arrives.

Friday, May 30, 2008

Stairs








Fewer and fewer people are taking the stairs. We much prefer the escalator as we move from one level to another. One morning at work the elevators weren't working. A large number had problem climbing the steps. Luckily my office was at the seventh floor only.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Coffee mug


Didn't know they sell souvenir coffee mugs until a visitor pointed it out. Whoever buy them have to be in die-hard Starbucks fan classification. Look for the mug in every city they visit and add it to their Starbucks souvenir mug collection.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

i cafe


Despite its name this is not an internet cafe at all. It is just a regular restaurant which caters to the young Oriental crowd. Richmond has a similarly misnamed eatery by the name e canteen.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Staircase




Must admit that I have this fondness for circular round forms. It has been ages since I last set foot in this building which I happened to wondered in the other day. Not much has changed; still serves as a sanctuary from the busy street that is only a few feet away.

Monday, May 26, 2008

Disposable society


This Lexmark Z1320 Inkjet is priced under C$30 which is about the same price as an original manufacturer's replacement ink cartridge. Still can't go out and get a printer every time because the enclosed ink cartridge is only half-full. How long before the manufacturers start to give the inkjet printers away to entice the consumers to buy the replacement cartridges?

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Starbucks bear


Saw this cute little guy at the Starbucks counter the other day. A great ornament for the monitor as long as one is willing to part with C$19.95 before taxes.

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Me and my handset

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Handsets are everywhere. It seems everybody has one. One of the most common sight is somebody walking yet the focus is on the screen of the cellphone in his/her hand. The most frighten sight is seeing people driving with their cellphones in front of them.

Friday, May 23, 2008

VHS


The other day while waiting for the light to change I had a chance to glance around and this sign caught my eyes. It is VSH part. I know just about everybody has some sitting in a box or two down at the basement. Didn't think any would still be available in a video rental store. Or is the adult film industry a bit behind the curve?

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Tai Chi


A practitioner going through his daily the Tai Chi movements.



A Tai Chi group gathered in Central Park on a Saturday morning.


Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Sushi


Another sushi restaurant!? This one is a couple of stores from one of the busies McDonald's, right next door to a Dairy Queen and a cinnamon bun outlet. In addition a mini-donut shop and a pretzel place are within the vicinity. It'll be interesting to see how many people will opt for the more "healthy" alternative.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Nurseries














It has been an abnormal cold spring. The number of sunny days are low even by our Vancouver standard. When the forecast for the Victoria Day long weekend finally has some Spring if not Summer flavours we decided to visit some nurseries in the Lower Mainland.

Monday, May 19, 2008

Three chairs


These three chairs were out on the sidewalk. Not sure the children were playing with them and left them there or were intended for the weekly garbage pickup. In which case there should be clear sign saying such.

What struck me was the different in the chairs' heights which kind of reminded me of Goldilocks and the three bears.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

What's wrong with this picture?




The driver's window of this car is rolled down all the way. There is nothing the matter with this on a summer day. Except these photos were taken 5 in the morning. Still somebody could have had the window down and forgotten about it the night before. However, on more than one morning I've seen the same mountain bike leaned against a street sign without even a token security measure. I did wondered whether that was a bait bike or not. The same thought entered my mind especially normally no car parks in front of that particular house.

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Our world

This week Metropolis at Metrotown is hosting an interesting display of art works by students from a Surrey high school. The theme is for the students to investigate environment issues through art.




























Friday, May 16, 2008

curb side service


This downtown restaurant has a small sidewalk eating area right by the front entrance. It may had been a smoking area but no more because the new City of Vancouver bylaw creates a 6 metres buffer zone in front of any entrance.

This bylaw, if restrictively enforced, should effectively prohibits smoking while walking along the streets since there is no sidewalk that is more than 6 metres wide.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Is it necessary?




Saw this jar in the windows of a herbal shop. After reading the English label felt I must take a photo of it. I don't think it makes any sense to anybody who has to rely upon the English translation. For somebody who is not familiar with Chinese culture the entire label is nothing short of mumble Jumble. This begs the question whether the translation is necessary or not.