Tossed in Vancouver
Last Tuesday my friend Anna and I looked for a place to snack before our evening class. Very bright and fresh, Tossed, a salad cafe across from the Vancouver Art Galery grabbed our attention. And surprisingly to us this place had just opened and was running a special promotion night.
Tossed generously offered free samples from their menu to everyone who walked by, and they gave out Tossed souvenirs. We enjoyed our delicious meal and the warm atmosphere in this cafe.
So, everyone who likes fresh salads now has a new place right in the middle of downtown Vancouver.
PNE (Art and Shows)
One of my favorite exhibitions at the PNE is the Sand Sculpture Competition. This year the public chose Fan Dancer as the best sculpture.
Yes, this sculpture with all its beautiful fans captured my attention at first sight. However, the other one — The Beauty and Her Beasts — as an example of thinking outside the box, made me think and smile.
At the PNE even “art inside the box” is very creative and unconventional. I mean the Container Art exhibition which always amazes my imagination.
Sand Sculptures and Container Art are challenging to create but I think that a huge talent and creativity are required “to grow” these horse and the dragon too
This year Chris and I visited two PNE shows – Mexican dancers and the Delhi 2 Dublin concert.
At Festival square the Mexico Vivo Dance Group performed a very exciting spectacle of colorful music and dresses.
Argentine Milonga was very passionate and hot
Delhi 2 Dublin’s concert added some spice to the air. It was a great fusion of different music styles such as Indian Bhangra, Irish Jigs, Reggae, and Hip Hop.
You can see more of Delhi 2 Dublin here.
PNE (Playland)
This year Chris and I kept our tradition and went to the PNE. We go to the Exhibition every year because we like the atmosphere of celebration and fun we find there.
Speaking of Atmosphere, this year the organizers of Playland created a new ride, AtmosFear, that is 218 feet high and faster than 70 km/hr.
If Atmosfear is not fast enough for you, there is another ride – Hellevator- which elevates you at 75 km/hr to the top of 202-foot high tower, and drops you.
For free flying lovers Playland has a Drop Zone where you are lifted 100-feet above the ground and dropped for a free fall.
As for me I prefer something more innocent, fun, and wet, as Flume where you ride in a special boat from a 40-foot hill into the waves
I love riding the vintage Westcoast Wheel. Because this year we rode it after dark, we had a fantastic view of the night lights of the PNE midway.
Children enjoyed riding small copies of adult rides. Even though these rides were shorter and slower, the excitement wasn’t.
As always there were a lot of games which enticed participants with their attractive prizes.
So Playland as part of the PNE adventure offers different activities for everybody.
Just Married!!!
Sarah and Ken’s Wedding
August 27, 2011
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| A picture slideshow by Smilebox |
Congratulations!!!! Be happy guys!!!
Mamma Mia!
Last Sunday we went to Mama Mia at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
It was a wonderful experience. Forever young, ABBA’s music, stirring dances, and comedic acting together created a great show. Familiar songs often sounded even more powerful and emotional than their original versions.
I love musicals, but Mama Mia is a “Super-Trouper” musical because every single song is a hit!
100 Years Ago…
The Maritime Festival was not only fun, as I mentioned in the previous post, but also very educational.
There we learned how cannery workers and shipbuilders lived at the begining of the 20th century.
We visited three different houses, now museums, at the Britannia Heritage Shipyard. One was about the life of Canadian fishermen.
The other house was the Chinese Bunk House which showed the hard living conditions of Chinese cannery workers.
However, they encouraged themselves with slogans, such as -
Walso visited Murakami House.
The history of one Japanese family was represented here.
Asayo Murakami came from Japan to Vancouver in 1924 looking for better life. She got married here and lived until she was 104.
I like this type of museum, where artifacts are not only collected, but also incorporated in realistic interiors. I remember the same type of houses from Fort Edmonton Park. At Fort Edmonton however whole streets were reconstructed from the past.
My walk through a touch of Canadian history was very special. In houses of real people, who lived long ago, I could feel the spirit of these days, and could almost imagine the original inhabitants were right beside me.
Maritime Festival
Richmond is surrounded by water. That is why the city is a perfect choice to hold a Maritime Festival. Chris and I visited this celebration of the ocean last weekend. To put it simply – it was fun.
Different boats were opened to visitors during the festival.
Among these was the graceful Oriole – the oldest sailing boat in the Canadian Navy.
Also, we had a cool chance to feel like recuers on a Coast Guard rescue boat!
While exploring another ship – the tugboat “Master,” Chris remembered his days in the Navy.
He skillfully mounted up and down the ship’s decks.
We were allowed to see all cabins includung the captain’s cabin and the wheel house.
In one special exhibit we could see how similar steering wheels were made, and in another, how ships were built and repaired.
In one of these exhibits, about the Marine Products Company, Chris steered “a piece of Canadian Maritime history”.
I enjoyed the art vendors. There were representatives of different artistic societies. One of these was from the Richmond Potters Club. The craftsmanship of their work was just amazing.
Artists created their masterpieces right before the public.
The exhibition of model ships from the Steveston Maritime Modellers was very interesting too. How much patience, creativity, and skill people must have to make these little twins of real boats!
Children learned to fold origami “wish boats” and then let them sail around in the ocean.
В прозе…
Смотрю, что я давно не добавляла посты. Все потому что увлеклась немного литературой. Решила пару месяцев назад взять курс английской литературы. Он мне так понравился, что я забыла про блог. Чтобы как-то оправдаться, опубликую свой первый (и скорее всего последний) в жизни короткий рассказ. Я сама бы и не подумала что-то сочинять. Но это было задание. Учитель предупредил, что будет очень сложно придумать историю самому. А мне так не показалось. На каждой строчке приходилось сдерживать свою фантазию, потому что рассказ должен был быть короткий. Получилось вот что:
Good Morning.
Alarm clock was ringing happily as always. Max’s face was so peaceful. If somebody saw him at that moment they would think that he was traveling in a beautiful fairytale. But nobody could see his relaxed childlike face. Max was alone in his queen size bed. He didn’t open his eyes for a moment. Staying in his dreamland, Max reached his arm and stopped the alarm’s song.
It was 7 a.m. Every day alarm started to ring for Max its happy song at 7 a.m. And then again at 7:15 a.m. And again at 7:25 a.m. And so on, until Max finally got up at the last possible moment, when he still had a chance to reach his office on time. Sometimes however, he didn’t manage to get at work before 9 a.m. These days were most painful for Max, because nobody at office lost an opportunity to condemn another late arrival.
In his 29 years Max had some achievements. He wasn’t a lazy man. He had a degree in IT and worked in the office of the large IT company in downtown New York. Max was good at his job and got series of promotions. He liked music. He enjoyed reading books. He loved beach volleyball and swimming. However, mornings were his weak point. Max could stay up all night. He was especially energetic in late hours. His best work projects he did at night. But mornings were painful for him. Even when he reluctantly dragged his body out of bed before 8 a.m., his mind woke up only at noon.
Max felt very guilty about mornings, because everybody around him seemed to like mornings. His mother often called him on Saturday mornings. She was always wondering why his voice was so sluggish. His friends sometimes invited him to Sunday brunches and they couldn’t understand why he was always busy when the get-togethers were before 11 a.m. Max’s coworkers from time to time came to work earlier to show their loyalty to company and devotion to work. For Max just arriving on time was his best possible way of demonstrating his devotion.
Max wanted to change. Every evening he promised himself to get up after first alarm ring. But in the morning he couldn’t leave his dream land. For some mysterious reason he saw the most beautiful dreams in the mornings.
This morning Max got up as usual after 8 a.m. As quickly as possible he had shower, shaved, dressed, jumped in his car and drove to work. He was on time at work and day seemed the same as every day before, until he met her. She was the new office administrator. Some coworkers were already joking and chatting with her, as if she had always worked here. They called her Margo.
Margo was tall and beautiful. She glowed like sunshine on a spring day. Her blond hair looked like a small cottony cloud around her radiant face. Her eyes were clear blue like early morning sky. “She is a morning fairy,” thought Max every time when he saw Margo. And he was glad that she didn’t know his relationship with mornings.
Max and Margo got together easily. They started to have coffee after works. Then they decided to go to a movie on Fridays. After couple months they started to meet each other on weekends. They could never talk enough and they laughed a lot. They shared their secrets with each other. However, Max never told Margo about his difficulty getting up in the morning.
Once Margo lingered at Max’s place so long that it was too late to go home, so she stayed over night with Max. All night Max tried to keep his eyes open because he didn’t want to miss first alarm song. However, nature took over and he fell asleep.
Suddenly Max open his eyes just before 7 a.m. He looked at alarm clock and couldn’t believe that he was awake. It was a triumph. He felt proud of himself and looked at alarm clock as a conqueror looks at a defeated opponent. Clouds of Margo’s soft balmy hair gently touched his shoulder. Max turned off alarm and got up quietly. He had a plan. He wanted to surprise his sunshine Margo with early breakfast. So he was in hurry to get everything ready before Margo awake up. However, in his great surprise Max noticed that Margo slept peacefully in his queen size bad without any hint of soon awaking. She was in a dream land and Max admire her bright and childlike face while she was travailing somewhere far away. It was around noon, when her cell phone alarm clock rang happily.
June 2011
Irina Mis ©
It’s a Wonderful Life
Our perfect Christmas Holiday continued, with us going to see “It’s a Wonderful Life,” a heart-warming play, based on the movie classic!
Chris and I decided to spend Boxing Day, not at crowded stores, but at the cosy Granville Island Stage.
It was the right choice! This play was full of warmth, delight, and optimisim. Clarence the Angel got his wings, George Bailey got his wonderful life back, and we all left feeling good, and with renewed faith in life. The afternoon for all was merry and bright!
Christmas Excitement
Merry Christmas!
Even though I started celebrating ‘Catholic Christmas’ only tree years ago, every Christmas since then has been very special for me. This year was no exception. Chris and I enjoyed a wonderful Christmas Eve, Midnight Mass, and then had an exciting Christmas day.
I especially love Christmas Day, first thing in the morning, when it is time to open presents! Moments of anticipation turned to surprise and joy! Thanks to father, mother, grandmother and of course, Santa!!
We had many perfect gifts, all beautifully wrapped, waiting under our tree. The ceremony of unwrapping presents and reading good wishes sent to us in Christmas Cards, put big smiles on our faces and filled our apartment with Chrismas spirit and cheer!
Chris cooked a delicious traditional Christmas Dinner–more anticipation, turned to joy, and a full tummy for me!
My Christmas was wonderful I wish you the same!
Film Festival
Hi!
Until now, I just haven’t had the time to mention this year’s Vancouver International Film Festival. Chris and I watched two movies.
One was the French fairytale, “Snow White”. Actually it was ballet turned into a movie. Yes, the entire movie was the ballet, made for the screen. There were no special effects, and I think the best way to see this type of production is in a theatre, with a real stage. Screen cannot transmit all the energy and emotion of the dancers. However, I enjoyed the film, especially one moment of silence when the dancers moved without any music. And of course costumes of Jean Paul Gaultier were astonishing.
The other movie we watched was a Canadian documentary called “Winds of Heaven”. This was a very interesting story about extraordinary arist Emily Carr.
Surprisingly, unlike the first film this movie was able to transmit the energy and emotions of this talented woman, whose art was far ahead of her time. She painted British Columbia. In the begining she drew First Nations people and their mysterious pieces of art. Later in life Emily Carr found her own style and depicted the character and beauty of great Northwest Coast forest. Even though she was misunderstood by most of her contemporaries, she remained strong in her opinions, like forest which she painted. Interesting that this movie was made by Michael Ostroff who lives in Ontario but not in BC.
This was our second year of enjoying this Film Festival and we look forward to next year.
Boo
The week before Halloween Vancouver changes. There are jack-o-lanters, skulls and other weird stuff everywhere.
I walked around and made some pictures to decorate my blog for Halloween
I hope everybody is scared now
Just smile and wave, boys. Smile and wave.
It is always my great delight to watch the animals at Stanley Park. They are very friendly, almost tame. They are for sure not scared of people. Rather, they are happy to see people, because they often get yummy treats from them.
One little black squirrel was very glad to meet us. He came straight to us, looked us in the eye and almost said hello!
Even though our new little friend had a lot of berries to choose from, he happily tried some of the bread we offered him.
One other squirrel was very busy, but still had time for quick “hi”.
My favorite Stanley Park dwellers are the racoons. They are very trusting and can come very close to people.
Chris prefered the little duck who came to him from the lake, and was very grateful for her snack.
Actually the snack attracted not only one duck…
Everyone at the Park enjoyed the nice sunny day. Even the flowers seemed to smile and wave.
One Hundred Years of Fun!
The Pacific National Exhibition celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. Because of this, the fair started with a special Parade of PNE participants.
The music and dancing were great. Big balloons added fun and excitement for everybody.
Here are some photos from this event.
La Dolce Vita
After our wonderful “trip to China” Chris and I decided to visit Italy.
Yes we have also little Italy in Vancouver, just a couple blocks away from Chinatown
along Commercial Drive.
This is a nice area with comfortable Italian cafes, food markets and neat boutiques.
All these Italian names around – Dolce Amore, Calabria, Bella Napoli etc, make it very romantic and unique!
Of course we couldn’t resist buying some Italian food in one of the numerous markets.
However, for dinner we chose a Cuban restaurant with an obvious name “Havana”. We picked this place because it seemed the most popular restaurant on the street.

Хотя поужинать мы решили в Кубинском ресторане Havana. Он показался нам самым популярным на улице. Наше внимание также привлекли соблазнительные кувшины с мохито
It was the perfect choice for this hot summer afternoon. Refreshing mojitos and incredibly delicious food sent us on our way in happy moods–the finish to our Italian-Cuban evening of sweet life (dolce vita)!
Shanghai noon
Recently Chris and I made а little trip to China. It’s great that we have a piece of China right in the middle of Vancouver. So we don’t need to pack large suitcases and buy expensive tickets to experience some Asian exotica.
Actually Vancouver has the biggest Chinatown in Canada and there is always something to do here.
At the very beginning of our trip we found a beautiful little Chinese garden – Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Park.
It was so peaceful inside, we couldn’t believe that such a relaxing place exists in the middle of busy and loud downtown Vancouver. We enjoyed beautiful trees and a nice little pond with gorgeous fish and cute ducks.
After some quiet meditation here, we walked the streets wondering at all the curious small markets, tea stores and other shops.
Of course we checked out one of a little Chinese restaurant. It was our most exotic experience of the day
)))
In the end we visited the Chinese night market and had a lot of fun there.
It was the first time in my life that I tried bubble tea. It is great to have yummy candies right in the tea

впервые я попробовала bubble tea - холодный фруктовый чай с желатиновыми сладкими шариками внутри! Очень весело его пить!
With all this adventure we didn’t notice how our Shanghai noon switch over to a late Vancouver summer night!
Brazilian Bracelet
Hello!
Recently I noticed that many Brazilians wear tiny different colored bracelets on their wrists. It can be one bracelet or several in row.
These are “Brazilian Wish Bracelets”. They are worn by wrapping them around your wrist and tying three knots. With each knot you make a wish. When the material breaks down and the bracelet falls off naturally, it is believed that the three wishes will come true. You can’t take off the bracelet before this. Some people wear their bracelets for years.
The text on the bracelet, translated from Portuguese: “In remembrance of our patron saint good luck in life”.
Today my Brazilian friend, Luis, gave me this beautiful pink wish bracelet! I am waiting for my wishes to come true )))
Thanks Luis
Obrigada
Unique Theatre
Last weekend Chris and I were in a unique theatre. We saw the play “Theatrics at Mansfield Park”, presented by the United Players of Vancouver, in the Jericho Arts Centre. It was different from theatres I’ve visited before. It was very small and didn’t have a stage and common seats. We sat at comfortable tables, like in cafes or restaurants. The tables were
decorated with candles. Before the play we were treated with apple cider and tarts. In some ways it was a bit similar to dinner theatre, but much more comfortable and cozier.
The actors performed right next to the public, and sometimes they even shook hands with the audience, greeting them. The play was very pleasant. I felt like I was invited to my good friends’ house.
This theatre is a very good place for those who want to relax in a “down-home” atmosphere, and at the same time to escape from reality to the beautiful world of art.
See you.
Happy New Year!!!
Hello!
Here are some photos of our New Year’s Eve party. It was a great celebration. I hope 2010 will be happy and cheerful like this last night of the “Old” Year.
Happy New Year!
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Love Irina
xo
Merry Christmas!!!
While I am waiting for my Christmas dinner (Chris is busy cooking it)
, I want to wish you Merry Christmas and share my favourite poem. I think it’s very Christmassy ).
Footprints.
One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the LORD. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand. One belonging to him and the other to the LORD.
When the last scene of His life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times of his life.
This really bothered him and he questioned the LORD about it. LORD you said that once I decided to follow you, you’d walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life there is only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why when I needed you most you would leave me.
The LORD replied, my precious, precious child, I Love you and I would never leave you! During your times of trial and suffering when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.
(Carolyn Carty, 1963)
Merry Christmas!
To see you.
Ms Exellence )
This past Thursday I was pleasantly surprised to receive an award from the Vancouver English Centre, where I am taking some courses to improve my English. I received an Award of Excellence.
I felt twice honored, for I was nominated by my writing teacher, Janet. I love her class. Janet has taught us many secrets for good writing. She teaches us to think, and to express our opinions. More than this, her classes are fun, creative, and filled with positive emotions.
I was surprised to find that this year the Award of Excellence went only to seven students. Now my name shines from the honours board
I very much appreciate this honorable award. (And it’s a great Christmas present).
And now I mentioned on Days-At-VEC
))
Thanks Janet, and my favourite school, the Vancouver English Centre.
To see you.
Santa Claus Parade
Hello!
Santa Claus visited Vancouver last Sunday. There are some photos of the Santa Clause Parade.
To see you!
Ho! Ho! Ho!
Corinna Avraamidou’s big love
Hello!
The European Union Film Festival starts in Vancouver at Cinematheque on Howe Street. Many great movies are going to be screening during next two weeks. I have had a chance to interview with Corinna Avraamidou, director of “The Last Homecoming” (Cyprus). This film screens on November 30.
“The Last Homecoming” won several awards in 2009 – for Best Feature Film at the London Greek Film Festival and for Best Newcomer Director at the Alexandria International Film Festival. This film was also an official finalist at the Canada International Film Festival in 2009.
I would like to share now some of my interview with Corrinna Avraamidou. The entire interview has been published in the Russian newspaper Vancouver Express.
- The “Last Homecoming” is your first feature film. Tell me a little about your previous work.
- In 2001 I wrote and directed a 25 min short film with the title “The Secret of the First Day” which was a psychological study of a young man’s frustrated life and his complex relationship with his disabled mother. It won Best Screenplay at the Cyprus Short Film Festival. Since 1992 until today I have been working in the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation as a director, mainly of serials and television movies. So my strongest experience comes from the background of television.
- What prompted you to make this film?
- I always wanted to make films, ever since I can remember. Also, when growing up, the sorrow and memories of the 1974 events in Cyprus “haunted” my childhood, in such a way, that artistically I needed to find a way to “exorcise” my country’s tragedy through my work. My mother’s family house was in Kyrenia; she was born and raised in that beautiful seaside town that has been under Turkish occupation ever since. So the idea of a family reuniting just before the break up of war during that specific summer of 1974 started to develop, with the characters becoming more and more alive, full of their own passions and secrets.
- How long did it take to complete “The Last Homecoming,” from the time you began to write the script? Did you experience any difficulty during making the film?
- I wrote the script in 2003 and went through script development until the day I shot it in the summer of 2007. The main difficulties we experienced had to do with the funding of the project. Cinema is a very expensive “hobby” and especially in Cyprus where the funds are limited and Cyprus cinema is at its early stages we fought some difficult battles in order to be able to gather the amount to start production. In 2008 the film was completed and was ready to face the world!
- Producer Kyriacos Tofarides said in one of his interviews that movies are made either with big money or big love. If this movie wasn’t made with big money what was your big love? Cinematography? Cyprus? Something else?
- Our great love was and will always be the art of making films. That and our need to make films that are Cypriot, that have the smell, colours and “taste” of the Mediterranean island that we call home. As Theo Angelopoulos once said the more specific and local one film is the more universal it becomes.
- Tell me about the name of the film? Why is it the last homecoming?
- Because for the characters it signifies the end of their life as they had known it up to that moment. The war changes their country, their home forever. It draws a dividing line between the two communities, nothing is the same after the disaster.
- Why don’t we know what happened with Alexandra and the two brothers
after the war? Were these also their final days in the homeland?
- It is open to interpretation. The fact is that the betrayal, both in their personal life and in the level of their country was what had such a strong impact on them. What happens after, will always have the dark shadow of their loss haunting them. They can never be innocent again, the way both Cyprus and their youth were innocent. They have matured, pain has made them stronger, maybe more sad, but definitely wiser. So they are not the same and their choices would be more unpredictable.
- Despina Bebedeli said that art in Cyprus today is a weapon, both offensive and defensive, of a peaceful attack. She also thinks that art works as a tool of enlightenment. Is the The Last Homecoming a weapon, or a lesson, or both?
- I would hope as Despina Bebedeli says that the film is seen as a way to open a window, to make a point in the peaceful way that art makes a point, to be able to let people in Europe and elsewhere understand what happened in Cyprus, the way it affected our world and hopefully help us find a way to resolve our differences and move on. That would be a real blessing…
- In the end of the film one of heroes said “The world is sometimes so beautiful that my heart aches”. Are these your words: is it your heart that aches?
- Yes, indeed, my heart aches for a world that is no longer…
- What are your future plans? Are you currently working on any other films? (If so: Would you care to share anything about your next project?)
- For now me and Kyriacos Tofarides are working as co-directors in the development of a new feature film called “Home, Sweet Home”, which is a political comedy. We are working with the development of the script as well as trying to find money for the production-again! It is a never ending struggle, but… it’s great!
To see you.
Their Name Liveth for Evermore
Hello!
Today I just want to share photos of the Victory Square Vancouver Remembrance Day Ceremony.



























































































































































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