All posts by wtcvan
A Different Way of Commuting
I’m pretty sure you’ve already heard about Granville Island, Science World, the Olympic Village, the HR Macmillan Centre and Kitsilano Beach. All are on the list of places to visit while staying in Vancouver. But why not get there in a new, fun and exciting way?
Here’s an insider scoop for a much better way to commute around the false creek area and visit all those must-see spots…the best part: (drum roll please) it’s all BY WATER!!!
That’s right; I introduce to you the Aquabus and the False Creek Ferries. Please hold your applause until the very end.
The Aquabuses are cute little dinghy’s that travel around the False Creek area making 8 stops along the way. Hop on at Science World and sail around the creek before heading to Granville Island. There are a ton of things to do on the island, from checking out the smorgasbord of cool little shops that sell everything imaginable, to taking in the fresh sights at the market. Grab a bite to eat at one of the many great restaurants or laugh until your sides burst at Vancouver Theatresports Improv Comedy. If comedy isn’t your thing, catch a theatre production at The Revue Stage or listen to the live bands playing their sets while sipping on a fruity drink. Then hop back on the Aquabus and get dropped off right where you started. You can make a day out of it by buying an all day pass for just $15, which means you can hop on and off all day long!
For more information on schedules, routes, and fares, visit:
Your other option is the False Creek Ferry Company. False Creek Ferries have a slightly different route, so if you’re looking to head to the HR Macmillan Space Centre, The Maritime Museum or just a day trip to the Kitsilano Beach side of town, this is your best option. They also offer an all day pass for $15 which are available for purchase on board the ferry.
For more information on schedules, routes, and fares, visit:
You do not want to miss out on an opportunity to commute around town like this, and believe you and me, sunsets are even more breathtaking on water.
You are very welcome.
Feeling SAD much?
A new season is upon us and with it, a few not-so-delightful friends.
You may be noticing it’s getting harder and harder to get out of bed or even spark up a hint of motivation for anything. You are tired, your body lethargic, your attitude lazy, and your days lacklustre. The cold, wet, rainy days remind you of darkness, gloom and doom. Welcome to winters in Vancouver and a little thing known as SAD.
Extremely common in Vancouver and Seattle, SAD is the acronym for Seasonal Affective Disorder. We know it as winter depression, winter blues, or seasonal depression. This is basically a change in our mood that comes with the winter because of the changes in weather and climate. Our biological clocks are disrupted because of the reduced level of sunlight which means our bodies get confused with when to sleep or stay awake. Serotonin (brain chemicals that affect mood) and Melatonin (hormones that affect sleep patterns and mood) drop. All these changes trigger and lead to depression like symptoms.
Some of these symptoms include:
– Oversleeping
– Loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed
– Social withdrawal
– Loss of energy
– Difficulty concentrating
– Appetite changes, especially craving food high in carbohydrates
– Heavy ‘leaden’ feeling in the arms and legs
– Weight gain
– Hopelessness
– Anxiety
– Depression
So if you have been dealing with any of the above symptoms, worry no more! This is absolutely – 100% – normal. Many of us will feel a bit blue and a lot tired as the weather changes and our daily intake of sunlight hours decrease.
Here then are a few sure-fire tips to help you kick those winter-blues to the curb.
1) Basic needs must be met. Sleep, nutrition (eat that protein), and water intake are all very important to help function like a ‘normal’ human being. Get enough sleep, eat properly, and drink a lot of water.
2) Stay warm! Seriously, stay warm. Colds and flus are alive and kicking during this season so dress warmly and remember to wash your hands after being out in public.
Some Vancouver staples for the season:
an umbrella
a waterproof windbreaker or a warm coat/parka
a hoodie (sweaters)
rainboots/boots
3) Stay active. Exercise. Get in as much sunshine as you can.
Even if you’re not hitting the gym, running laps, or catching a yoga class (because we all know how hard it is to exercise even on a good day) force yourself to move. Use the stairs, walk the scenic route home, sit down a little less, and enjoy the wide array of winter sports. And above all else, the minute you see some sunshine, bathe in it.
4) Explore new activities. Keep busy.
MOVIES – November and December are known for great blockbusters
GAME NIGHTS – invite friends over for a night of boardgames, or catch the hockey game – Go Canuck Go! – over some nachos and wings
CONCERTS – music, friends, and a night out = happiness
PLAYS – theatre life is always an enjoyable learning experience
COMEDY – laughing never hurt anyone, ever
RESTAURANTS – try a new cuisine every week
READ – because reading is good for everything
HOBBIES – learn something new by signing up for a class after school in the evenings or on the weekends. If you can’t sign up for a class, head online to YouTube – free lessons available for just about anything and everything.
WINTER SPORTS – Vancouver has every single snow sport available right at the palm of your hands. Skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, skating, tobogganing, sledding, and so much more!
5) Wake up every morning and remember, you will never get to live this specific day ever again. So enjoy it and don’t let the weather get you down.
To A Better 2.0 You
It is now the new year. Can you believe how time flies? Goodbye to 2013 and hello to a new year full of opportunities, promise, and hope…or so we’d like to think. Here’s to another chance at becoming better people. And to get that “2.0 you” in the new year, what better way than to create a massive list of resolutions?
From quitting an unhealthy addiction, to changing lifestyle habits for the ‘healthier’, thousands of people have tried and then sadly, failed at achieving their lists. Come February, you’ve fallen into a pit of self-loathing despair and depression. All those great things that were supposed to make you this amazing new superstar have run dry and you’re back to square one.
So to make 2014 a year of successes rather than failures, heres a great little video on Ted Talks about how to build discipline in bite size doable pieces. Matt Cutts – an engineer at Google – talks about his adventures trying an endless string of “new challenges for 30 days”. Basically, 30 days of working at something is easier to accomplish than a vague one year resolution. This small success helps build your discipline muscles and gets you out of a stuck rut which in turn will lead you to bigger successes. Everytime Matt Cutts completed a 30 challenge, he became a different person. He is now healthier, more confident, more positive, and more driven.
The whole talk is under 4:00 minutes but the takeaway is lifelong. Watch it, be inspired, and then begin. A little warm-up never hurt anyone, so before taking on those long-term resolutions, build your discipline muscles with a 30 day challenge, and then another, until you become that better, 2.0 you.
Here are two links to follow for the video:
Just to get you started, here is a list of a few challenges to try:
1) Learn (memorize and use) a new word for 30 day
2) Take one picture each day for 30 days
3) Read an article from the newspaper for the next 30 days
4) Watch a Ted Talks video for the next 30 days
5) Listen to a new song everday for 30 days
6) Visit a new coffee shop for the next 30 days
7) Exercise – 10 sit-ups and 10 push-ups for 30 days
8) Message a friend everday for 30 days
9) Journal a quick recap of the day before you hit the sack for 30 days
10) Help a stranger each day for the next 30 days
So what are you waiting for? The time to start is NOW. We challenge you!
SCOUT LIST: 10 Things That You Should Absolutely Do Between Now & Next Week
by Michelle Sproule |
CINEMA SALON | Every month, Vancity Theatre’s Cinema Salon producer Melanie Friesen asks a prominent Vancouverite to present their favourite film and speak to its greatness. This month, Dr. Ron Burnett, President and Vice-Chancellor of Emily Carr University of Art + Design presents director Jean Renoir’s La Règle du Jeu (The Rules of the Game). Often named as one of the greatest films in the history of cinema, The Rules of the Game is a film about class, politics and romance set on the eve of World War II. Stay after the screening for a drink and movie related conversation.
Tues, May 14 | 7:30pm | Vancity Theatre (1181 Seymour) | $13 | http://www.viff.org/theatre/films/fc7850-the-rules-of-the-game
ART | The Positive Negative Gallery is gearing up for a polaroid photography show. “Beautiful Decay” launches this Thursday night and showcases the work of 30 artists from around the world (Germany, Sweden, England, Italy, Czech Republic, Australia, Brazil as well as the USA and Canada). As the gallery explains, this is a show that “sharpens its gaze on disorder and desolation, where memories are forgotten and left behind, and the laws of entropy take hold: the cracks and blood and decay of modern life. Everything grows older, yet is beautiful in its release.” If you can’t make it down on opening night, don’t worry. This show runs until June 1.
Thurs, May 16 | 7pm | Positive Negative Gallery (436 Columbia St) | Free | http://www.positivenegativegallery.com/Beautiful-Decay
MORE ART | Don’t be sad that the Emily Carr Grad Show comes to an end this week. Cram as much in as you can before the show comes down on Sunday and then move on to some of the lovely off-shoot exhibitions like the photography show You Came Here By Chance at 221a Gallery. A group exhibition featuring a band of talented 2013 photography graduates from Emily Carr, You Came Here By Chance explores the idea of space in relation to environment and is intended to move the viewer to consider their relationships with the spaces they occupy. I caught quick glimpse of some of these works at The ECUAD Grad Show, and know that making the trip down to Chinatown for the opening reception will be worthwhile. Participating artists include Shannon McCubbin, Andy Jenkins, Avalon Mott, Jeff Downer, Caelan Warnock, Adria Leduc, Olivia Lowe, Sewari Campillo, Caroline Halley and David Peters.
May 16 – May 21 | 221a Artist Run Centre (221 E Georgia) | Free and inspiring | https://www.facebook.com/events/196148970534187/
GIG | American indie rock band Yo La Tengo is in town. On the scene since the mid eighties and still blowing away critics and fans, these talented musicians are touring in support of their latest release “Fade”. They’ll be playing a few sets, one electric an one acoustic, at The Commodore on Saturday night.
Sat, May 18 | Doors 8pm | The Commodore Ballroom ( 868 Granville St) | $25 | http://www.timbreconcerts.com/yo-la-tengo-may-18th/
CHOCOLATE | The newly opened East Van Roasters offers tastings of house-roasted coffee, drinking chocolate and flights of single origin chocolates. Slip into the beautiful Carrall Street shop (wooden tables and benches, original tile floors, brick walls and overhead windows) to sip and taste your fill while watching staffers winnow cacao beans and roast coffee.
East Van Roasters | 319 Carrall St. (next to Nelson The Seagull, across from Pidgin).
NATURE | Mosses and lichens are everywhere – part of the west coast landscape that we take for granted. Why are they so prevalent here? What are they all about? What do they do for us? Hook up with botanist Terry Taylor this Sunday to get the full story on what those fuzzy mosses and soft lichens can tell us about things like air quality, the history of a forest, and more. Any Sunday afternoon activity that can leave you better informed about your city and environment is a good one in our books! To pre-register, email programs@stanleyparkecology.ca.
Sun, May 19 | 1:30-3:30 | Stanley Park Nature House on Lost Lagoon | $10 | http://stanleyparkecology.ca/ai1ec_event/mosses-and-lichens/?instance_id=303
VINYL | Hustle over to the Cambrian Hall (just off of Main at 17th) on Saturday and Sunday to pick through box upon box of records at the Main Street Vinyl Record Fair! Talk old school stereo equipment, wear your old concert t-shirts, and marvel at the fact that there are still people out there who collect cassette tapes.
Sat, May 18 + Sun, May, 19 | 11am-4pm | Cambrian Hall (215 E 17th) | $2 at the door | http://www.vinylrecordfair.com/
FOOD FIGHT | Some of this city’s best chefs and bartenders will congregate at Vancouver Urban Winery this Sunday night to participate in Food Fight, a fundraising smörgasbord that will raise money for highly respected and much loved local chef, Owen Lightly. Owen is fighting cancer right now and he could use a little help by way of positive energy and relief from worrying about how his bills are going to be paid. All participating parties have donated time, energy and product to the evening, as have a seriously impressive collection of suppliers and artisan producers. Although tickets are now sold-out, more will likely be released at the door. Tickets for Food Fight are only $60, with the bar operating by donation, so be sure to bring cash. 100% of the ticket sales and proceeds of this fundraiser will go directly to Owen. If you can’t make it, you can donate by clicking next to the ticket sales box.
Sun, May 19 | 7pm | Vancouver Urban Winery (55 Dunlevy Ave) | $60 http://foodfightvancouver.eventbrite.ca/#
SCRUB UP | Learn how to make your own soap at The Homesteaders Emporium this week. There’s something very satisfying about making a product from scratch using your own hands. Get into it! Instructors will teach you how to blend oils and mix lye to produce handmade moisturizing, chemical-free bars of soap. (this Sunday’s class will focus on making vegan soap but the process and technique that you pick up can be easily applied to tallow soaps as well).
Sun, May 19 | 11am – 1pm | Homesteader’s Emporium (649 East Hastings St)
PLAN AHEAD | There is always something great going on that I’d like to write about but can’t because it has sold out. In an effort to get ahead of the game on this, The Scout List will occasionally include details of an event to plan ahead for. Case in point: Buying and Shooting Vintage Cameras with Trade School Vancouver. TSV is a barter-for-knowledge learning community wherein Vancouverites can sign up to take classes and pay their teachers in goods or services rather than cash. There are a few great sounding events on the horizon that you should look in to now, before they fill up. Buying and Shooting Vintage/Film Cameras goes down next Thursday, instructor Stephanie Fayewill lead a class focused (pun intended) on how to go analog. The self-confessed camera-obsessed Faye will talk about where to find quality equipment, how to tell good from bad, and what to do with your old school camera once you’ve got it.
Thursday, May 23 | The Hive (128 West Hastings St.) | Barter | Get on it
Check the Globe & Mail every Thursday for our Special Weekend Edition of the Scout List
http://www.scoutmagazine.ca – check out one of the best online magazines on everything and anything you need to know to be hip Vancouver
Chris Duehrsen
This interview series is designated to not only introduce the awesome teaching staff at WTC but to also share in on some of the personal ‘real’ life moments, that we hope will continue to build and encourage the supportive, warm, close-knit community we strive for here.
Meet Chris Duehrsen, half teacher-man and half soccer champ. Not only has he been teaching Business Communication at WTBC for over three years now, he has also been playing for the Canadian Paralympic Soccer Team for close to ten years!!! As a Right D-man, he’s traveled all over the world showing what great futbolling means; from North America, Brazil, Argentina, all the way to the land of tulips, Holland. He knows how to represent. When he’s not jet-setting around the world, you’ll find him at “training camps” in Florida, Las Vegas, and San Diego…and of course, right here on Granville Street teaching kick arse classes in business-everything-you-need-to-know. A great guy to have on any team; we are lucky to have him here with us.
What is your fondest childhood memory?
Playing pond hockey on the river in Delta. It almost never froze, but when it did, everybody would get their hockey gear and hot chocolate and head out there. The ice felt like it was going to give at times, but it never did (disclaimer: kids don’t try this on your own) Whenever we were out of breath or needed a break, we’d sit on the frozen logs in the middle of the river and just have a great time.
Did you ever have a ‘naughty and didn’t make it on Santa’s list that year’ moment?
My neighbor had a wicked trampoline, so my best bud and I always sneaked under the fence of their place to use their trampoline when their car was out. One time, we found a couple of jugs of homemade beer outside so we decided to “sample” a few. At that time, we were still young so of course they tasted awful to our inexperienced uncouth taste buds.
When our parents got wind of the situation, they dragged us over to our neighbors front steps for a really painful drawn-out apology.
How do you usually spend your down time?
Usually I’m playing soccer with other teams, but the rest of the time i’m either working as an unpaid travel guide and taxi driver for my lovely wife or watching the Canucks and any other sports related show until I have to switch back to my wife’s favorite channel. As you can see, I love my wife dearly.
Fill us in on some favorites please.
One of my all time favorite comics is The Walking Dead. The game is also pretty awesome although the show, only sometimes good. It’s dark, violent, and gory but it makes you think about what you could or should do to survive a post-(zombie)-Apocalypse (and how it would feel to be a brain-chomper – not that I think about that a lot or at all…)
What was the last book you read?
The last book I read was The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. It was quite good and I would recommend it to anyone who hasn’t read it already.
If you were a type of food, what type of food would you be?
I would probably be BBQ Chicken because I want to eat it right now and it’s delicious. (Which apparently shows that Chris thinks of himself as quite a tasty treat.)
If you could be any animal (existent or nonexistent) what would it be and why?
Hands down, a bear. Bears hibernate and get to sleep all winter long, they eat berries and salmon, and nobody messes with them. Plus, we’re both hairy so I feel like if I were to become any animal, converting into a bear wouldn’t be that far of a stretch.
Do you have a crazy – not crazy per se, but more just unforgettable – travel experience or story you could share with us?
It was a scorching hot day, and I was walking with the rest of the Canadian team in a park at Fort Worth, Texas. While we were walking, we felt this tapping on our shoulders and hats, so for a second we thought a sudden freak rainstorm was coming on, but then we realized we had just been given a stinky welcome to the city by a troupe of birds flying by. Four of us were coated with their droppings. We headed back to the hotel to get cleaned up, where the staff apologized for not forewarning us. Apparently it was a common occurrence at this specific park. Lesson learned.
Any last words or advice for the students?
Whatever you do here, no one back home will know so try new things and don’t worry about failing. Instead of being holed up at the library all the time, go out and do things. Go volunteer! I remember when I was in Japan I decided to learn some Judo. Everyone in my class came up basically to my knees and it was an epic fail, but i’m still glad I tried it. One more check off my bucket list.
The Illustrious Kumi Mukai
This interview series is designated to not only introduce the awesome teaching staff at WTC but to also share in on some of the personal ‘real’ life moments, that we hope will continue to build and encourage the supportive, warm, close-knit community we strive for here.
Kumi Mukai is kind of a big deal. She’s also the cutest girl ever, but don’t let that fool you. Inside that petite figure of hers, is a strong independent woman who you just don’t mess with. During the day you’ll find her leading WTC’s Japanese Translation and Interpretation Program, pushing her students to be the best they can. Evening come, you’ll find her swinging and driving away at the range. Rumor has it, if she weren’t here with us, she’d be on the greens making a cushy living. There’s no doubt about it, she’s a keeper and an ‘ACE’.
What is your fondest childhood memory?
Playing baseball with my brothers.
Did you ever have a ‘naughty and didn’t make it on Santa’s list that year’ moment?
I was quite the prankster when I was younger. I once created a whole series about my mother. It was titled either ‘When Mothers Get Shocked’ or ‘The Many Different Faces of My Mother’. The first in the series played out like this: I put a fake dead raccoon in my mother’s bedroom and stood on standby to videotape her reaction. Next was a rubber rat I strategically placed on a fishing line a week later that I dragged across the kitchen floor while my mother was cooking. Of course her reaction was captured on camera. After accumulating 5+ reactions, I made a video reel and showed it at a family function; my first work of art.
How do you usually spend your down time?
Well it’s pretty exciting and can be summarized in three snippets. Candy Crush, drinking and golf.
Fill us in on some favorites please.
Forrest Gump. I like to recite lines from the movie because I really love his character. His life successes and personal relationships are so admirable, especially because he goes about everything obliviously. You can call me Taylor Gump or Forrest Kang, whichever sounds more admirable.
Do you have a crazy – not crazy per se, but more just unforgettable – travel experience or story you could share with us?
Swimming to a secluded island off the coast of Kailua, Oahu in Hawaii passing mud sharks and turtles trying to get there. It was an adrenaline rush I will never forget.
What would your ‘if only, if only’ dream in life be?
Retire, buy an island and build a golf course on it. And I would rule and be queen…
What was your most memorable teaching moment?
I gave a personality test to the students during one class and asked the students a bunch of questions. One of them was to think of a body of water, give reasons for the choice, and explain how it made them feel when they thought of it. Basically, the body of water represents one’s view on what an ideal romantic relationship would be. Anyways, the typical answer falls along the lines of a lake, a river, an ocean, etc but this one student chose ‘a bath’. The reason? She said it made her feel pure and beautiful. Flabbergasted.
Tell us about an epiphanic or epiphanous teaching-learning moment you had.
Students won’t retain information that you just blab out. Most of the material that actually sticks comes from fun activities and games. I play games and have ‘girl talks’ in my classes every afternoon.
What does education, learning, and teaching mean to you?
A never-ending array of experiences that daily build my character.
Any last words or advice for the students?
Language is just a tool. Strive to acquire more than just linguistic communication skills. Find what you truly want to communicate.
Here’s a little bonus swing action on the greens:
SCOUT LIST: 10 Things That You Should Absolutely Do Between Now & Next Week
by Michelle Sproule
LEARN | The Internet is a massive part of our social, political, economic and creative lives, but what is it exactly? If you’ve ever stopped to think about the answer to that question and are interested in getting to the bottom of it, make your way down to hear author Andrew Blum (Tubes: A Journey to the Center of the Internet) give it his best shot. Blum will be at the centre of Vancouver’s Internet Exchange (yes, there is such a thing and it’s really located at SFU Harbour Centre) to give his talk, which is entitled Tubes and Exchanges: Discovering the Real Places of the Internet. Curious? Admission is free, but reservations are required and will likely be spoken for quickly.
Thursday, May 2 | 7pm | SFU Harbour Centre (515 W. Hastings St) | http://cgi.sfu.ca/~hccweb/cgi-bin/OnlineRegistration/site/event/
THE CAVE SINGERS | Live music is such a good move. Do yourself some good and catch The Cave Singersat the Commodore this Thursday night. The indie folk/rock band from Seattle is coming over the border to play tunes from their most recent album, Naomi. Joining them on stage will be The Bleeding Rainbow. So grab a cold bottle of beer, a place in the crowd that has a good view, and enjoy!
Thursday, May 2 | Doors 8pm / Show 9:30pm | Commodore Ballroom (868 Granville) | $18.50 | http://www.livenation.com/artists/43871/the-cave-singers
POP-IN LOCKER ROOM | Canadian brand Muttonhead (unisex clothing made from high quality and sustainable materials and designed to outlast trends) launches their Spring/Summer 2013 “Good Sport” collection with a pop-in-shop exhibit at Chinatown’s Board of Trade Co. this weekend, but if you head down on Thursday night you’ll catch a party that will include a little bit of love from Caribou Brewing Co. and Vancouver Urban Winery, as well as a baseball card-themed photo booth (awesome).
May 2-5 | 11am – 6pm daily | Board of Trade (227 Union St) | https://www.facebook.com/events/502769759777800/
SHARE | Take a seat at the ShwayShway Cafe to meet new people, share good food and slow down a little. The pop-up long table series is setting up shop at The Chinatown Experience this weekend to serve up Middle Eastern-influenced mezzo plates featuring Yummus hummus, beef or roasted vegetable Tajine (stew), dessert made by Sunday Morning Ice Cream and drinks for $30 (you might even see a hookah making it’s rounds). We hear that Friday and Saturday nights might already be sold out, but there are still seats for Sunday and the lunches of hummus, baba ganouj, labneh, sides and tea for $10 are wide open.
May 3, 4, & 5 | Lunch 11-6pm, Dinner 7-11pm | 434 Columbia St | $10/$30 | http://www.chinatownexperiment.com/
FUSE GRAND HOTEL | Once every few months, The Vancouver Art Gallery lets loose. These occasional breaks from the usual civilized gallery behaviour are known as FUSE – an evening of music, live performance, DJs and art. This time around, FUSE follows the theme of the museum’ latest exhibition:Grand Hotel. Expect comedy improv inspired by hotel-themed films, live jazz, a touch of Andy Warhol and a little Blim (with the added incentive of a cash bar and gallery tours).
Friday, May 3 | 8pm–1am | Vancouver Art Gallery (750 Hornby St.) | $20 | http://www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/events_and_programs/fuse.html
GET ACQUAINTED | Forbidden Vancouver is leading a Lost Souls of Gastown walking tour this weekend that will take you through the back alleys and dark corners of historical Gastown. By the time you’re done you’ll know all about Gassy Jack, Klondike Kate and poor old John Bray. You’ll also get a feel for what the neighbourhood vibe was like way back when and gain a better appreciation for its street names, architecture and variouslandmarks.
Saturday, 4 May | 8pm | Various Locations In Gastown | $22 | http://forbiddenvancouver.ca/
KARMA | Local artist Wendy Sexsmith is trying to brighten rehab up by raising funds for a mural project that would transform the colourless hallways of Onsite (a DTES rehabilitation centre). How can you contribute to building a stronger and healthier community through art? It’s as easy as enjoying a plate of Huevos Rancheros. Just show up at the Interurban Gallery for brunch this Sunday and the money you spend on breakfast will go toward funding this project. Bonus: Vancouver band The Sojourners are playing.
Sunday, May 5 | 11:30 | Interurban Gallery (1 E. Hastings @ Carrall) https://www.facebook.com/events/list
WATCH | Doxa is on, and with 74 screenings at 5 venues, there’s plenty to keep you entertained. Highlight include Vancouver director Corey Ogilvie’s Occupy The Movie, Google and the World Brain by Ben Lewis. Also look out for Slow Food Story (Sunday, May 5 @ 3:45 pm) in which Director Stefano Sardo follows the delicious adventures of Slow Food movement founder Carlo Petrini as he endeavours to foster an anti-fast-food movement.
May 3-12 | Various times, Various venues | http://www.doxafestival.ca/festival/program
WILD EDIBLES | Figure out what you can and can’t chow down on while on a trek through local forests by taking a two-hour guided tour with the well informed culinary peeps at Swallow Tail Tours. Not only will hike leaders will brief you on where to find and how to identify delicious items such as wild mushrooms, fiddleheads, berries and stinging nettles, but they’ll also fix you up with secrets of how to prepare them for optimum impact and (the best of all part) they’ll also make you lunch using foraged food right on your walk.
Sunday May 5 | 11am | Lynn Headwaters, North Vancouver | $39 | http://www.swallowtail.ca/tours/wild_foraging_tour_vancouver/
THE SHOW | Prepare to be blown away this Sunday at the annual Degree Exhibition at Emily Carr. Wander the galleries, hallways, foyers and classrooms of the campus to take in upwards of 300 works by talented graduating students. Students exhibiting their work have come through ECUAD in Design, Media and Visual Arts. And for the first time this year, Emily Carr will be offering one-hour tours for those wishing to get a more in-depth understanding of the work on display.
Sunday May 5 | 5-10pm | ECUAD (1400 Johnston, Granville Island) | http://www.ecuad.ca/about/events/284953
Check the Globe & Mail every Thursday for our Special Weekend Edition of the Scout List
The Great Ms. Thang Hilary Miriah Perkins
This interview series is designated to not only introduce the awesome teaching staff at WTC but to also share in on some of the personal ‘real’ life moments, that we hope will continue to build and encourage the supportive, warm, close-knit community we strive for here.
Three words help describe Hilary: skittles, rainbows, and unicorns. Skittles because she’s bright and colorful – as in her words and the descriptions she gives. She can make a rainbow appear on a rainy day. I’ve seen students go through a heck of a rough time, but a bit of love from Hilary and B.A.M. – it’s like, evil be gone – and rainbows! Lastly, she’s untameable. She’s random, silly and knows how to have a good time. I can also imagine her riding a unicorn over a rainbow throwing skittles for the world to feast upon but that’s beside the point. She’s good at what she does and she sincerely cares about her students. The warmth and attention she shows them makes her a class-act unicorn which makes all her classes quite magical indeed.
What is your fondest childhood memory?
Playing hide and seek with all the kids in my neighborhood at night. We dressed all in black – like stealthy ninjas – and ran around in the dark. It was AWESOME. Also the norm in my amazing childhood was being with friends and family building campfires, having backyard bonfires, toasting marshmallows, and fishing.
Did you ever have a ‘naughty and didn’t make it on Santa’s list that year’ moment?
My brother and I got in huge trouble for playing with matches in our tree house – yes, we had an actual house built in a tree like you see in the movies. Regardless, using matches in a tree house was a very stupid idea. It DID seem fun at the time before…
How do you usually spend your down time?
Bouncing around the beautiful city of Vancouver with my friends. I love going to shows and partaking in outdoor activities. I just recently joined a softball league so we’ll see how that fares.
Fill us in on some favorites please.
I love music – with an emphasis on the word love. No particular type, just anything and everything I can shake to.
Do you have a crazy – not crazy per se – but more of just an unforgettable travel experience or story you could share with us?
My time in Korea and Japan was amazing…no stories that I can share here, but maybe after a few beers I will, so come to Vancouver!
What would your ‘if only, if only’ dream in life be?
Unlimited travel and a summer house on the east coast.
What was your most memorable teaching moment?
I have had so many! The people I get to meet, teach and learn from make this the best job ever. If I had to pick one, I’d say the time where my class ended up being a love connection for two students. They came, they fell in love and are getting married this summer!!!
Tell us about an epiphanic or epiphanous teaching-learning moment you had.
Again, so many! I love teaching because when you get people from such different cultures and backgrounds all together in one room, you find out things about people that you wouldn’t normally. I learn so much from teaching…like immeasurable non-quantifiable amounts.
What does education, learning, and teaching mean to you?
Like I already said and won’t stop saying, I love my job. We can learn so much from each other and it all happens with a little communication.
Any last words or advice for the students?
Someone always says it better so here are some of my favorites:
“Expect problems and eat them for breakfast.” – Alfred A. Montapert
“If you’re going through hell, keep going.” – Winston Churchill
“Always desire to learn something useful.” – Sophocles
“Go big or go home.” – someone, but I’m going to credit my dad.
Brian Burke
This interview series is designated to not only introduce the awesome teaching staff at WTC but to also share in on some of the personal ‘real’ life moments, that we hope will continue to build and encourage the supportive, warm, close-knit community we strive for here.
Who is Brian Burke? And no, we’re not talking about the Maple Leafs or Canucks ex-GM Brian Burke but our very own in-house TESOL professional Brian Burke. That’s a great question and the answer, one that we are forever trying to figure out ourselves. With a dry sense of humor and a dash of sarcasm in his daily banter, you’d think he had some Briton or Limey blood in him but nay, he’s pure-blood Canadian – if that even exists. If you’re in the mood for a touch of wit and some good brit-com repartee, then Brian Fourpint is your guy. He’s British-ish in his love for tea and mannerisms, but completely without the ‘oi’s, crumpets, and bloody hell’s’.
What is your fondest childhood memory?
Playing hockey at Maple Leaf Gardens – the former home of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the much despised Toronto hockey team) three times as a kid.
Did you ever have a ‘naughty and didn’t make it on Santa’s list that year’ moment?
When I was a teenager, I took my parents’ car when they were on vacation for a little joy ride and ended up smashing it into the side of my grandmother’s car. Complete idiot move and not something anyone in their right mind should even think of trying.
How do you usually spend your down time?
I enjoy biking or cycling, is it? Walking, reading and slipping in a drink or two along the way.
Fill us in on some favorites please.
Any book by Tom Robbins because he is cerebral, hilarious, and uses the greatest idioms and metaphors to get his point across. Honestly the greatest use of idioms and metaphors ever put in print.
Do you have a crazy – not crazy per se – but more of just an unforgettable travel experience or story you could share with us?
When I was in Korea, I was stopped by a Korean cop in the small town in Kyung-Son because we were speeding. We talked him out of the ticket then all went over to his place and got drunk with his family. Good guy but clearly an alcoholic.
What would your ‘if only, if only’ dream in life be?
If only, if only ESL teachers were paid like surgeons…or parking attendants.
What was your most memorable teaching moment?
May 15 one year, when 80 or so Korean students sang the teacher’s day song to me…it was pretty amazing.
Tell us about an epiphanic or epiphanous teaching-learning moment you had.
Catholic boys high school circa 1985: I realized the ‘fathers’ (priests) teaching me had absolutely no idea what they were talking about. It was a liberating moment for me and the day I said hello to the public school system.
What does education, learning, and teaching mean to you?
Teaching is the profession that teaches the other professions.
Any last words or advice for the students?
If you don’t like ham and cheese sandwiches avoid staying at a homestay. Don’t take pictures at ‘nude’ beaches or use the internet for stuff like that. Last but not least, marijuana and Soju do mix, but not well, so try to stay away from the former.
WTCVAN 