An evening at the VSO Pops!

At thFebruary 7  -a week before Valentine's Day I decided to take Darcy out to the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra at the Orpheum Theatre on Smithe, downtown Vancouver.

This theatre was built in 1927! The interior is very baroque and Art Deco  / with ornate ceilings, lots of detailed gilded mouldings, pillars and fixtures that take you back in time! Red carpets and massive staircases. 3 levels in total with two balconies!

The stage was impressive with great lighting and background colours that changed with each item on the program.

Darcy went up to the 3rd balcony to take a photo of the beautiful ceiling.

 We were in Row 16 aisle seats 41 and 42. The music was wonderful and the maestro was very personable and fun. The two guest vocalists from the Broadway stage were very talented and their voices superb. Betsy Wolfe debuted at The Met to add to her repertoire and it was telling in the power of her voice! Of course she sang my favourite My Heart Will Go On simply effortlessly and it was powerful and full of great emotion!

The evening concluded with rousing applause and a finale that was an upbeat version of the Captain and Tenille's Love will Keep us Together!

The rain had stopped so we walked out thinking we could grab a bite to eat. Walking down Granville Street at night was a little scarey! We walked an entire circle and found nothing we wanted so back to the parkade! Even a drive down Kingsway and Commercial Drive at 11:00 a.m. Came up with no food options so it was down to Joyce for 2 slices of Super great Pizza and a pop for $4.00 great deal and the place is called super great pizza! It is neither super nor great but better than average compared to most quick and easy pizza places / they just have it hot and ready to go and you can buy by the slice! 

So we ate driving home in the rain which had now started up again ending a lovely evening!

Conductor / Performers

Steven Reineke conductor

Betsy Wolfe vocalist

Mike Eldred vocalist

• Repertoire

  Barry White/arr. Berens Love’sTheme

  Porter/arr. Applebaum
  I’ve Got You Under My Skin

  Rodgers/arr. Steinberg 
  Medley of Selections:
  “I Have Dreamed”
  “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered”
  “If I Loved You”

  Morricone/arr. Vanacore
  Cinema Paradiso Suite

  Eric Carmen/arr. Berens
  “Almost Paradise” from Footloose

  Previte/DeNicola/Markowitz
  “I’ve Had the Time of My Life” from Dirty Dancing

  Barry Gordy/arr. Berens
  “Do You Love Me?” from Dirty Dancing

  Alex North
  “Unchained Melody”

  VARIOUS/arr. Berens
  “Elephant Love Medley” from Moulin Rouge

  Barry Manilow/arr. Berens
  “Copacabana”

  Frank Wildhorn
  “Sarah” from Civil War

  Styne
  “The Music That Makes Me Dance” from Funny Girl

  Irving Berlin
  “Anything You Can Do” from Annie Get Your Gun

  Dolly Parton/arr. Berens
  “I Will Always Love You”

  Kander/arr. Berens
  “Gimme Love” from Kiss of the Spider Woman

  James Horner/arr. Reineke
  “My Heart Will Go On” from Titanic

  Lovland/Graham/arr. Roth
  “You Raise Me Up”

  Mancini/arr. Hermann
  “Moon River” from Breakfast at Tiffany’s

  
  

Family Day Long Weekend!

Inspired to revisit my blog by my friend Sue I noticed that my last entry was unpublished from January 2014! That is just a testament to how fast time goes by and how when unrecorded we forget all that has transpired in the days, weeks and months that swiftly wing by!

So how does one resurrect a blog ? I must admit with great difficulty when the mind is preoccupied and full of uncertainty about what should or can be written out in words to be shared!

Probably best to not attempt to try and accomplish too much! I must confess that not having kept up with my blog is full with regret because I have not made the time to spend on what I do find a great deal of comfort with which is writing ! Perhaps my korean drama watching is a telling sign that I have been in avoidance mode and just letting my brain get absorbed in the drama of others on television. 

In fact 2014 was a busy year which wrapped up with a trip to Hong Kong and home for Dad's 80th birthday!

This year we do not have any big travel plans at all! Not sure what I will do with all my holiday time.

The girls are getting on with their own lives / full of ups and downs and uncertainties. I have decided to not interfere and let them make their choices and decision though I am fraught with worry but that is the plight of every parent regardless of the age of their children.

Work has changed significantly with staffing but with hope for positive outcomes. Retirement is not even in the radar so might as well make work a good part of daily living.

So besides watching korean drama, reading novels - this year decided to embark on a creative adventure of the artistic nature with mixed media and journaling via Journal52. So pleased that Shannon is joining in with me as having a friend share in a resolution is supportive and comforting! 

I guess my blog would be a good place to write about why I chose to draw or create the page I did for each theme!

Week 1: pathways

I chose a stream flowing through rocks with flowers on its banks to capture this theme. The rocks being the little obstacles in the way.

week 2: just Be

I drew the water lilies and the silhouette of myself to show that I just need to be me. The quote was important for me in my quest to just be...at peace, filled with hope and ultimately being at peace and happy. I always think of water Lillies as being tranquil.

Week 3: conversation Starters

This week was Darcy and Chrissy's birthdays two days apart and our conversations that week were about this occasion. How we celebrate by eating together and with this activity everyone is not in conflict with each other. I wanted to draw a little Chrissy and her a Daddy sharing their birthdays together after all she was his gift two days early!

Week 4: silhouettes

Just captured seasonal trees for the theme this week! Trees really do match the seasons and each cycle signifies another year gone by! I was inspired by a painting at my sister Jocelyn's in Singapore that she had painted and I thought this would fulfil the theme well.

Week 5: Television 

And so no one would be surprised that I picked to draw about my Korean drama watching hobby. Maybe it's an addiction or an obsession but I don't care...everyone tells me I need to do something for myself well then that is my selfish indulgence but one that allows me to share with my mum and my friend Morina! I wish I could get more friends to join in as I want to discuss the themes, the gorgeous handsome flower boys and more!

Before I conclude my first blog entry of 2015 I must discuss how motivating having a Jawbone UP24 has been since September 2014 I have been trying to complete my daily goal of 10,000 daily steps and more sound sleep ! Slowly I have gone back to walking and making the effort to feel healthier and somewhat fitter!

So maybe 2015 will be a good year if I just keep life uncomplicated and be as happy and grateful as I can with what we have for us! 

What is that quote that Jawbone handed out me this week...

“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” 
― Mae West

Victoria Day Long Weekend - Saturday

A weekend home alone - time to decompress and to attempt my detox cleanse with my amazing new Breville juicer thanks to Joe Cross. Just need a weekend to read, watch Tv and play games - well with Wings work in between as well.

So the only way to do something successful is to journal so I will attempt to do that just so that I have notes to look back on to see if I would do this again.

Was up very early just as if it was a work morning. Somehow overnight I seem to have developed a head cold and a cough.

So up and showered early.

7:30 a.m. Hot water with 2 lemon slices

8:00 a.m. First juice: carrots, apples, ginger - more ginger this time and I liked it much better.

11:00a.m the mid-morning juice consists of: cucumber, celery, kale, ginger, lemon and apples

1:30 p.m. Lunch juice - not sure about this one - tomatoes, celery, red pepper, onion, parsley and lime. This juice was a little bitter-ish. I could use juicier tomatoes and cut back on the onion.

4:30 p.m. The mid- afternoon juice - oranges, cucumber, kale, Swiss chard

6:30 p.m. The pre-dinner juice - this is a weird one - sweet potato, red pepper, apples, oranges and beets but really yummy! My second favourite after the first juice of the day!

For dinner - a vegetable curried stew with sweet potato, potato, mushrooms, broccoli, onions and cauliflower.

Besides spending the time cleaning the juicer, watched Moulin Rouge, played my games and finished a book and started another.

Sunday Afternoon Catch up

So much for trying to blog everyday...guess I shall just have to try and recap what I can.So...The last thing I posted was probably on making my pink timeless wreath.Ok - this was back to Wings evenings for me so that made for a tiring week - next week Wednesday evenings start up again so then its 3 nights I am at work and home late.Friday evening was a home night just to relax and play my new-found Candy Crush and Bubble Witch games - it is always nice to have an evening to do absolutely nothing. Found out that Terry had been admitted to the hospital for severe back pain - at first we thought abdominal pain and thought he had stones in his bladder but turns out it is his lower back that was causing him severe pain. He was under observation for a couple of nights but has to go back as they need to further assess a lesion on his liver. Tough being far away and not really knowing what is going on.

 Saturday we decided that we would take a sunny Saturday drive down to the mailbox in Bellingham. Truth be known Darcy had some xbox games waiting for him - his excuse is to play with Todd, Evan and C.K and he is actually doing that right now as I am typing - playing some shooting game with Todd. It's getting annoying so I might have to vacate the doggie/man cave in the basement. Back to going down to Bellingham...so the usual...went to Trader Joes' and then to Cash & Carry, the usual Costco and then back home. We never go down for too long...just get the stuff we need and head home. The worst thing that I ever saw where two giant jars of sausages that I have attached picture of - so gross!

So far on this Sunday - went for lunch at Cotto - Gabriel's treat for Chrissy and Darcy's pre-birthday. It was alright - not really somewhere we are likely to return to. We did have a nice fried Gnocchi with arugala and pancetta bits, prosciutto with melon and 2 pizzas. One was good but the other with was a little bitter with the fried brussel sprout leaves. Darcy has likely posted pics.  Today I also completed my re-reading of Pride & Prejudice. I love this book and each time I read it I find more memorable parts

.Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved reading this classic Jane Austen again...I cannot even recall how many times I have completed this wonderful gem of a book. The reason why I re-read it is because I ran a series of Jane Austen classics movie versions at Glen Pine and that motivated me to read the books again. Of course I am also planning to go through all the prequels and sequels - all the fan fiction that has Mr. Darcy at the centre. I have to say that Jane Austen was brilliant - she really was ahead of her time and she wrote some great truths. Of course this book has so many memorable quotes that have become so popular.
I highly recommend everyone to have a Jane Austen binge!!!

View all my reviews

Watched the Golden Globe Awards and had grilled cheese sandwich for dinner as Darcy was making a pot of his speciality chili. House smells very spicy Mexican. I am sure it will be delicious. He really has become quite an accomplished chef.

What a day!

Is it only Wednesday? I cannot even begin to describe the kind of day today was - more than crazy but at least the work day concluded with some fun and laughs making postponed Christmas wreaths. We did have our postponed GoFitlam hot lunch which was nice and full of spirit. Invited to join the book club at City Hall by Andrea which I am seriously contemplating. They are currently The Piano Teacher which I have completed.
The rains did stop today so I did manage to go for a walk as a break. We had an interesting meeting in the afternoon about keeping seniors in their homes longer. How we can assist those who wish to retain their independence for as long as possible with non-medical needs.
The biggest stressor today I cannot even blog about - it is that controversial that we have to remain discreet and quiet about. It caused a great kerfuffle and craziness! Needless to say we were under a great deal of strain.
However the fun part was staying a bit later to craft and have some laughs. I have attached my pretty pink timeless wreath that I made. Next week it is back to working on Wednesday night!
Darcy had made Asian slaw and chicken wings - quiet evening and time to unwind. My ultimate thought today courtesy of Joanne - don't allow myself to get so bothered by other peoples' actions especially when you know that they are never going to change.

Oh my!

Rain rain rain it has been raining nonstop all day it is miserable out there. The forecast seems to be continued West Coast Wetness - it could be snow and we would be complaining about having to shovel. Such a long day it is to go from one job to the next.
Today the crafters had their Christmas luncheon that was postponed from the snow day before the holidays. We set all the tables and we waited on them served them! I am sure they appreciated it. Today I got a belated gift a very cool tea glass with a loose leaf filter. I was very touched by the gesture - a lovely and kind token of affection from someone from back home as well originally also from Petaling Jaya but having lived in Canada as long as I have. She is a well-loved Yoga instructor. I admire her sense of peace and serenity and her gift was an unexpected surprise but I know it came from her heart because she knows I am a tea drinker.
Anyway it was busy at the gym too with current session ending and next one set to begin- lots of parents with rather weird questions too.
On these nights it's a late dinner and very little down time. It is only Tuesday.

Manic Monday

Woke up to the sound of pouring rain outside on the deck. What a way to start up a new work week - the first full one of 2013. So much to do right of the bat at work -that is the only downfall of being on a break and coming back to pick things up again. The day went pretty fast and in between all of this I was dealing with a Wings issue that needed immediate attention. Such a shame that a long term relationship with Omega for training space could change with new owners at the helm. Anyway, looks like we may have resolved it for now and just move forward.
Tonight we had fish again with potatoes and onions which was really good. Spent a bit of time on Wings paper work and then time to play candy crush and bubble witch.
Currently watching The Vow that I had taped - Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdam are so cute together -I hope the movie ends well. Yes it ended well - I intend to read the book in the near future.
Time to lie in bed and continue reading P&P. I am so amazed still with the number of spin-off sequels fanfic type novels that I do intend to red as well - in the new future.
Alright then...tomorrow it's back to a 13plus hour work day /sigh not quite ready for it. Today's photo from a little model hawker stall to remind me of yummy food back home.