April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day, is a notable day celebrated in many countries on April 1st.
Usually this day is marked with hoaxes and other practical jokes on friends and neighbors, ranging from April fools' errands. In the end, the aim is to embarrass the gullible, or the somewhat unaware....
In some countries, April Fools' jokes now are more widely celebrated on the Internet. Try to see what you can find on the Internet this silly April day!
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Friday, March 30, 2007
Seeing Water in Switzerland
Join the blogroll. Visit participants.
This weeks Photo Hunt Theme is Water.
Since the seasons are changing, I thought I'd choose a couple of my favorite photos of water.
Beautiful views of Lake Lucern high above Brunnen.
A water trough high above the Swiss Alps and Interlaken from our 2005 trip.
This weeks Photo Hunt Theme is Water.
Since the seasons are changing, I thought I'd choose a couple of my favorite photos of water.
The first is summer in Montreux. The Montreux Place du Marche area is a great place to cool off and have fun with kids or people watching.
Beautiful views of Lake Lucern high above Brunnen.
A water trough high above the Swiss Alps and Interlaken from our 2005 trip.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
The Sun Keeps Shining
Just to let you know I'm still here, just been really busy lately. Been sticking with my goals and not much blogging. We also keep having these days filled with stuff called sun. You know, it's a time when the ground is dry and you can see your shadow on the ground. I think I almost forgot what that looked like...
I also signed up for my swim meet coming up in April. I'm doing gutsy events but have been training 5 days a week now. But I feel like I just changed clocks again with my early morning wake ups this week..
I also signed up for my swim meet coming up in April. I'm doing gutsy events but have been training 5 days a week now. But I feel like I just changed clocks again with my early morning wake ups this week..
Monday, March 26, 2007
It's Spring
We officially had a day of spring feeling weather. Here are a few pics from yesterday.
The sun was shining brightly just for me, along with blue skies at the waterfront of North Van.
North Vancouver is growing a lot. They are starting to label it as the next Yale Town. An old shipping yard next to the newest building on Marine Drive.
We got out and walked along a new pier located next to Lonsdale Quay. The views were so beautiful and warm weather was aorund.
The sun was shining brightly just for me, along with blue skies at the waterfront of North Van.
North Vancouver is growing a lot. They are starting to label it as the next Yale Town. An old shipping yard next to the newest building on Marine Drive.
We got out and walked along a new pier located next to Lonsdale Quay. The views were so beautiful and warm weather was aorund.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
I Saw Blue Sky
With all of the complaining I've done lately about this horrible weather, we have finally gotten a glimpse of blue sky. Yesterday it poured all day long but P and I agreed to get out for some fresh air which we were both lacking.
As we were down at Ambleside Beach, the rain suddenly stopped and a patch of sky started opening up. No it still rained more but that was the start to what happened later that evening.
Our sunset looked like this last night, full of pink white clouds and some blue sky! Just amazing, even if it was for 1 short hour, I enjoyed every second of it.
And now we are poised to have sun today and this isn't just the end of it. So I do hope to have a few more photos posted with some spring photos and sun!
As we were down at Ambleside Beach, the rain suddenly stopped and a patch of sky started opening up. No it still rained more but that was the start to what happened later that evening.
Our sunset looked like this last night, full of pink white clouds and some blue sky! Just amazing, even if it was for 1 short hour, I enjoyed every second of it.
And now we are poised to have sun today and this isn't just the end of it. So I do hope to have a few more photos posted with some spring photos and sun!
Saturday, March 24, 2007
The Empty Park
There's an area just above the city of Montreux which is so breath taking. I used to walk up to this lovely little park and sit on the empty park benches while enjoying the views of Lac Leman known to most as Lake Geneva. For me this is heaven and one of the joys of living in this region of Switzerland. There was beauty even on a rainy day but largely the views were just breath taking beyond belief. Usually I was alone when I visited here which was such a treat.
IF you were to turn to your right, you'd see empty vineyards too at this time of the year. Of course the leaves are just starting to grow on the vines soon.
The vineyards of Chateau Chatelard. Be sure to click on the link for it's history and more photos.
Happy Hunting
Friday, March 23, 2007
A Rain Update
We get a lot of rain in North Vancouver but usually don't know how much rain we exactly get because of the measurement from Richmond and not on this side of the mountains.
Today we had 103mm of rain
20 straight days of rain without sun!
I guess we are still planning on 150mm more rain.
Rivers are actually starting to flood throughout the mainland also...
I guess you can say everyone around here just wants to see some good old sunshine!
Today we had 103mm of rain
20 straight days of rain without sun!
I guess we are still planning on 150mm more rain.
Rivers are actually starting to flood throughout the mainland also...
I guess you can say everyone around here just wants to see some good old sunshine!
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Just For Laughs
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
First Day of Spring
I'm so happy Spring is finally here. Now if our weather will just act more like the times, I'd be happy. I read a few suggestions for what to do on this first day. I think some of my own would be great too.
Like Talking Photos with Blue Skies, Bird Watching and Taking in the Sun...
But that's not reality...
So here are some fun spring ideas.
Other Things to do:
Like Talking Photos with Blue Skies, Bird Watching and Taking in the Sun...
But that's not reality...
So here are some fun spring ideas.
Other Things to do:
- As the weather gets nicer, go on a backyard adventure.
- Do research about what happens in the Spring in different pafts of the country or world.
- Make a graph and start checking the temperature regularly.
- Get a rain gauge to watch.
- Talk about the color green.
- Take a field trip to a greenhouse.
- Have a scavenger hunt and look for objects that are green.
- Go for a walk to look for signs of Spring.
- Browse through these books about making bird houses.
Baking Cheesecake Miracles
I actually accomplished baking P his favorite dessert for his birthday on Monday. If you saw how small our kitchen was, you'd probably think it was a feat in itself also.
I took Christina's recipe she had made last week for her birthday boys and modified it to use white chocolate instead of dark chocolate because P loves white chocolate that much! The result was one incredibly tasting cheesecake. I actually took a few snaps just to prove it. P ended up doing the topping which was a bit too much but I let him do it since it was his day...
We also happened to have bought a brand new stainless steel coffee maker which doesn't have any hot plate. The coffee so far is incredible. We opted the simple fresh coffee brew just like we have it daily.
Here's the White Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe
(by the way, this recipe has less sugar and a few other modifications compared to what the Philadelphia packages said here in Vancouver)
2 packages (8 oz/250g each) Philadelphia cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
4 squares Baker's semi-sweet white chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
1 ready-to-use chocolate flavoured crumb crust (9 inch)
1 cup thawed Cool Whip whipped Topping
1 1/2 cups cherry/cranberry pie filling
Mix cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs; mix until blended. Stir in melted chocolate.
Pour into crust.
Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 35 - 40 minutes or until center is almost set. (Ours took about 45 mins since our oven is older.) Cool. Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight. Spread whipped topping over chilled cheesecake; cover with pie filling. Sprinkle with chocolate curls if desired.
I took Christina's recipe she had made last week for her birthday boys and modified it to use white chocolate instead of dark chocolate because P loves white chocolate that much! The result was one incredibly tasting cheesecake. I actually took a few snaps just to prove it. P ended up doing the topping which was a bit too much but I let him do it since it was his day...
We also happened to have bought a brand new stainless steel coffee maker which doesn't have any hot plate. The coffee so far is incredible. We opted the simple fresh coffee brew just like we have it daily.
Here's the White Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe
(by the way, this recipe has less sugar and a few other modifications compared to what the Philadelphia packages said here in Vancouver)
2 packages (8 oz/250g each) Philadelphia cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
4 squares Baker's semi-sweet white chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
1 ready-to-use chocolate flavoured crumb crust (9 inch)
1 cup thawed Cool Whip whipped Topping
1 1/2 cups cherry/cranberry pie filling
Mix cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs; mix until blended. Stir in melted chocolate.
Pour into crust.
Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 35 - 40 minutes or until center is almost set. (Ours took about 45 mins since our oven is older.) Cool. Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight. Spread whipped topping over chilled cheesecake; cover with pie filling. Sprinkle with chocolate curls if desired.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Happy Birthday P!
Today is my lovely husband's birthday. He's a pisces all the way, just like many other blogging friends.
We actually celebrated his birthday last night with friends at a traditional Quebecois restaurant called Frenchies in East Vancouver. We hadn't gone out to dinner on that side of town in a while so it was a treat in itself. Bring on the lack of rain and it was a great experience walking around and enjoying window shopping.
Being the historian P is, I figured I'd give him a few facts to slurp up and take in according to wikipedia. I'm not sure the facts are all too interesting but the On this Day facts in Canada seemed a bit more appealing.
March 19 is the 78th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (79th in leap years). There are 287 days remaining. March 19 is usually the last day of the winter season in the Northern Hemisphere, and the last day of the summer season in the Southern Hemisphere.
We actually celebrated his birthday last night with friends at a traditional Quebecois restaurant called Frenchies in East Vancouver. We hadn't gone out to dinner on that side of town in a while so it was a treat in itself. Bring on the lack of rain and it was a great experience walking around and enjoying window shopping.
Being the historian P is, I figured I'd give him a few facts to slurp up and take in according to wikipedia. I'm not sure the facts are all too interesting but the On this Day facts in Canada seemed a bit more appealing.
March 19 is the 78th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (79th in leap years). There are 287 days remaining. March 19 is usually the last day of the winter season in the Northern Hemisphere, and the last day of the summer season in the Southern Hemisphere.
Yeah for ending Winter!
Here are a few Births which occurred on March 19th for:
1928 - Hans Küng, Swiss theologian
1861 - Lomer Gouin, Quebec politician (d. 1929)
1971 - Nadja Auermann, German supermodel
I'm sure P would be impressed with my picks, (laughs jokingly).
The swallows return to Mission San Juan Capistrano in California.
Hope you have a great monday! P get to sleep in but I'll be sure to wish him Happy Birthday too!
1861 - Lomer Gouin, Quebec politician (d. 1929)
1971 - Nadja Auermann, German supermodel
I'm sure P would be impressed with my picks, (laughs jokingly).
The swallows return to Mission San Juan Capistrano in California.
Hope you have a great monday! P get to sleep in but I'll be sure to wish him Happy Birthday too!
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Vancouver Weather
Amazingly, we actually got a peek of sunshine today here in Vancouver. It's been raining lots lately and I'm definitely lacking the Vitamin D factor from the sunshine. I was very curious to figure out how to explain the climate of Vancouver but found wikipedia to do quite a good job at it.
Since Vancouver is a coastal and mountainous location, micro-climates exist throughout the surrounding areas. There are local weather variations for many parts of the lower mainland as a result of Vancouver's location.
For instance, many people have visited San Francisco at least once. San Francisco has varied weather just like Vancouver. But Vancouver's surrounding cities are actually even more exaggerated than other coastal cities such as San Francisco. The result is moderately low West Coast temps of 2 to 4°C in winter and 3–8°C or more during the summer months. For instance, the temps during summer in North Vancouver might be 28C while temps out in Abottsford would be 34C.
As a rule, North Vancouver and a few other areas close by get the most rain. Unfortunately, the precipitation is recorded out in Richmond at the Vancouver airport where rainfall can vary some 80mm or more within a day. I certainly don't think someone was thinking when they decided to record Vancouver's weather accurately.
Therefore, predicting precipitation is a very complex issue. The general rule of thumb is that for every rise of 100m in elevation, there is an additional 100mm of rainfall. Predicting what a certain area might be like can also be complex. At times, there can be showers at the airport, snow in Queen Elizabeth Park, rain and down town. Areas such as Tsawwassen, which is just south of Vancouver can get much more sunshine, while areas such as where we live in North Vancouver can see much more rain.
Ironcially, most all of the Olympic venues for 2010 will be spread out from Whistler to North Vancouver to areas such as down town Vancouver, central Vancouver and even Richmond. This will definitely be a large area of complex weather differences.
Here is a small chart of the monthly differences in hours of sunshine we supposedly get.
Since Vancouver is a coastal and mountainous location, micro-climates exist throughout the surrounding areas. There are local weather variations for many parts of the lower mainland as a result of Vancouver's location.
For instance, many people have visited San Francisco at least once. San Francisco has varied weather just like Vancouver. But Vancouver's surrounding cities are actually even more exaggerated than other coastal cities such as San Francisco. The result is moderately low West Coast temps of 2 to 4°C in winter and 3–8°C or more during the summer months. For instance, the temps during summer in North Vancouver might be 28C while temps out in Abottsford would be 34C.
As a rule, North Vancouver and a few other areas close by get the most rain. Unfortunately, the precipitation is recorded out in Richmond at the Vancouver airport where rainfall can vary some 80mm or more within a day. I certainly don't think someone was thinking when they decided to record Vancouver's weather accurately.
Therefore, predicting precipitation is a very complex issue. The general rule of thumb is that for every rise of 100m in elevation, there is an additional 100mm of rainfall. Predicting what a certain area might be like can also be complex. At times, there can be showers at the airport, snow in Queen Elizabeth Park, rain and down town. Areas such as Tsawwassen, which is just south of Vancouver can get much more sunshine, while areas such as where we live in North Vancouver can see much more rain.
Ironcially, most all of the Olympic venues for 2010 will be spread out from Whistler to North Vancouver to areas such as down town Vancouver, central Vancouver and even Richmond. This will definitely be a large area of complex weather differences.
Here is a small chart of the monthly differences in hours of sunshine we supposedly get.
Hours Sunshine by month | h | 8:17 | 9:25 | 11:00 | 12:53 | 14:36 | 15:57 | 16:10 | 15:08 | 13:28 | 11:40 | 9:52 | 8:29 |
---|
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Feeling Thirsty
Join the blogroll. Visit participants.
This weeks Photo Hunt Theme is Thristy.
This weeks Photo Hunt Theme is Thristy.
I'm sure I will find many beautiful fountains which are said to be great places to drink the water especially when you are thirsty, but the found in Ouchy, Switzerland was the only one I came across. Switzerland is known for it's variety of fountains and wonderful drinking water. The water is so pure and tastes to me exactly like the bottled Evian, which is about 50km's away from Montreux.
The inscription says A souvenir for the academy of Ouchy. I'm not totally sure how you are supposed to interpret it with donkey's drinking water. This photo was taken in August 2005 while P was on his first trip with me to Switzerland.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Celebrating Saint Patricks Day
Since St. Patrick's Day is this weekend (actually just 2 days before P's birthday), I'm very curious to know if there are any celebrations you participate in. Of course, drinking beer, listening to Irish music, watching Irish dancers or parades are the big celebrations which I know.
Here in Vancouver, we have quite a bit Irish community and a few great things happening. I know there are parades and Irish Ceili dances . The most notable time I had was celebrating with a friend while in San Francisco with an Irish Coffee to die for on a nice sunny day.
Here's what Wikipedia has to say about the holiday: Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated worldwide by Irish people and increasingly by many of non-Irish descent (usually in the US and Ireland), hence the phrase, "Everyone wants to be Irish on St. Patrick's Day." Celebrations are generally themed around all things green and Irish; both Christians and non-Christians celebrate the secular version of the holiday by wearing green, eating Irish food, imbibing Irish drink, and attending parades.
Hope everyone has fun celebrating!
Here in Vancouver, we have quite a bit Irish community and a few great things happening. I know there are parades and Irish Ceili dances . The most notable time I had was celebrating with a friend while in San Francisco with an Irish Coffee to die for on a nice sunny day.
Here's what Wikipedia has to say about the holiday: Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated worldwide by Irish people and increasingly by many of non-Irish descent (usually in the US and Ireland), hence the phrase, "Everyone wants to be Irish on St. Patrick's Day." Celebrations are generally themed around all things green and Irish; both Christians and non-Christians celebrate the secular version of the holiday by wearing green, eating Irish food, imbibing Irish drink, and attending parades.
Hope everyone has fun celebrating!
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Expat Meme
Here’s a meme I stole from Canadian-Swiss because I liked it and I'm having a rough week already with this time change, early morning workouts and the job search...
5) Name five things you love in your new country:
· Polite and Friendliness of people
· The beauty around me
· The closeness of everything to where I live
· Having the mountains and ocean and views out my front door
· Quality of health care and skiing close by
4) Name four things that you miss from your native country:
· My family and friends
· Food: cheap restaurants with more varieties of foods
· Cheaper clothing
· Cheaper taxes
3) Name three things that annoy you a bit (or much) in your new country:
· Canadians can be very unreliable or unable to set a time to meet up.
· High taxes in BC and how long it takes to immigrate here!
· Expensive gas which doesn't correlate to other areas of Canada
2)Name two things that surprise you (or have surprised you in the beginning) in your new country:
· The sayings Canadians have - You do this and "Bob's your uncle".. What? Bob's not my uncle.
· Lack of reliability with people. Really it's not that much different than the US but I guess it's also funny that people down in the states think Canada is not modern at all....
1) Name one thing that you would terribly miss in your new country, if you had to leave it.
· Closeness of ocean and mountains and greenery.
Really for me, since I'm still on the West Coast living in Vancouver isn't much different than when I grew up. Yes people are more polite but actually I enjoyed living in Switzerland much more than here. It's just me and my experiences I guess that I miss the most. I think this would have been more interesting if I spoke about Switzerland though!
5) Name five things you love in your new country:
· Polite and Friendliness of people
· The beauty around me
· The closeness of everything to where I live
· Having the mountains and ocean and views out my front door
· Quality of health care and skiing close by
4) Name four things that you miss from your native country:
· My family and friends
· Food: cheap restaurants with more varieties of foods
· Cheaper clothing
· Cheaper taxes
3) Name three things that annoy you a bit (or much) in your new country:
· Canadians can be very unreliable or unable to set a time to meet up.
· High taxes in BC and how long it takes to immigrate here!
· Expensive gas which doesn't correlate to other areas of Canada
2)Name two things that surprise you (or have surprised you in the beginning) in your new country:
· The sayings Canadians have - You do this and "Bob's your uncle".. What? Bob's not my uncle.
· Lack of reliability with people. Really it's not that much different than the US but I guess it's also funny that people down in the states think Canada is not modern at all....
1) Name one thing that you would terribly miss in your new country, if you had to leave it.
· Closeness of ocean and mountains and greenery.
Really for me, since I'm still on the West Coast living in Vancouver isn't much different than when I grew up. Yes people are more polite but actually I enjoyed living in Switzerland much more than here. It's just me and my experiences I guess that I miss the most. I think this would have been more interesting if I spoke about Switzerland though!
Sunday, March 11, 2007
It's Pouring Rain Again
In some ways the amount of rain we have had over the weekend in Vancouver hasn't been that bad because I've been relatively busy catching up on work all weekend long. Although the rain has been falling down at a constant downpour making it quite hard to even enjoy a walk underneath an umbrella. I tend to get my jeans very wet!
The time change has begun and I'm not too excited about waking up at what would have been 4:40 am the night before. Spring is definitely in the air as temps have risen, including the snow level which has resulted in possible fears of snow pack melts and major floods.
If you recall, we had crazy winds and storms in late November and December which really damaged Stanley Park and surrounding areas. The storm since Friday hasn't nearly been that windy or rainy but it's been enough to cause concerns in certain areas of Vancouver mainland. we aren't near a flood zone, especially since we live more in the hills of North Vancouver.
All I can say is that I am so ready to see some sun again. It's been way too long!
The time change has begun and I'm not too excited about waking up at what would have been 4:40 am the night before. Spring is definitely in the air as temps have risen, including the snow level which has resulted in possible fears of snow pack melts and major floods.
If you recall, we had crazy winds and storms in late November and December which really damaged Stanley Park and surrounding areas. The storm since Friday hasn't nearly been that windy or rainy but it's been enough to cause concerns in certain areas of Vancouver mainland. we aren't near a flood zone, especially since we live more in the hills of North Vancouver.
All I can say is that I am so ready to see some sun again. It's been way too long!
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Classic Montreux Architecture
Since Montreux, Switzerland has a very special place in my heart, I thought I'd try and give you a bit of detail behind some of the incredible architecture within the city.
The period known as La Belle Époque (literally meaning the beautiful era) left it's mark on the Swiss Riviera. This entire region expands from Villeneuve to Vevey, Switzerland. Montreux of course is in the center of all of this beautiful architecture. I believe it's also known as the Grand or Swiss Riviera with magnificient hotels, town houses and villas layered beautifully among neighbouring resorts which align the waterfront of Montreux and Vevey.
The period of time when this 'Belle Époque' boom occurred was from the late 19th century and lasted until World War I. The Belle Époque was considered a golden time of beauty, innovation, and peace between France and its European neighbors.
New inventions made life easier at all social levels, the cultural scene thrived, cabaret, cancan, and the cinema were born, and art took new forms with Impressionism and Art Nouveau. Art and architecture in the style of this era in other nations is also sometimes called "Belle Époque" style. All of this beauty can easily be found within these cities.
Today Montreux is much like it was during the Belle Epoque. Montreux is a city for children and families, wanderers and dreamers. It's a city to relax in with a great book and to enjoy million dollar views. In comparison to my home now in Canada, only West Vancouver can be compared. However, Montreux still has the small city feel with all shops within walking distance of your house. Something a bit too distant in the West Vancouver community. To me, it's the perfect place to retire and enjoy the sunsets and thunderstorms which create the Swiss Riviera.
Please have a look at this building, the most grand hotel existing in Montreux, the Montreux Palace. It's not the same as in the above photo yet the architecture is the same. The architecture I was told comes from a British influence from the 1200's. It's beauty is still found throughout these lovely cities.
If you ever consider traveling to Montreux, don't just visit the city center itself. Take the train to Montreux and visit Glion, the local train and the vineyards above Montreux. There is so much to see from above where the beauty becomes a fairy tale and the beauty never ends.
Switzerland by Rail is the best way to get around the area as you are also able to use the GoldenPass Services such as the chocolate train to Gruyere which includes going up to Les Avants and through the Roches de Naye.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
It's Survey Time
You Are a Chocolate Cake |
Fun, comforting, and friendly. You are a true classic, and while you're not super cutting edge, you're high quality. People love your company - and have even been known to get addicted to you. |
What Kind of Cake Are You?
I'm happy with that.
Thanks to Rositta for inspiring me and
giving us more insight about the Canadian time changes!
You've Experienced 80% of Life |
You have all of the life experience that most adults will ever get. And unless you're already in your 40s, you're probably wise beyond your years. |
I'm happy with that.
Thanks to Rositta for inspiring me and
giving us more insight about the Canadian time changes!
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Daylight Savings Time
This year, daylight savings time comes 3 weeks earlier for those of us who live in North America (Arizona and Hawaii don't participate). The time change will be a bit odd for everyone until we are settled back onto the same time difference as the EU countries and Switzerland 3 weeks later.
For 2007, most of the US and Canada will begin the new time change at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday March 7th. For those of you in Vancouver, you might start your time change at 4:00 p.m. Friday afternoon to get ahead of the game**. Standard time will happen on the first Sunday in November this year as well.
For Switzerland and other European Union members, Summer Time ends at 1:00 a.m. Universal Time (Greenwich Mean Time), the time change occurs on the last Sunday of March and ends on the last Sunday in October. Luckily, all time zones here change at the same time so there isn't any confusion!
Here's a list of the other countries which also participate in daylight savings time.
The confusion might occur with anyone living in North America because many blackberries and computer clocks, which could get confused in the time change. But let's not forget why we do this time change, we do it to save energy.
"Daylight Saving Time saves energy for lighting in all seasons of the year except for the four darkest months of the year (November, December, January and February) when the afternoon advantage is offset by the need for lighting because of late sunrise". Now I wonder if this statement would really hold true to places like Norway or Alaska where there is still little light in January and February.
But for me, I love more light. Our place has a skylight and lets in so much natural light. I already am excited at the noticeable changes and can't wait for spring to really be around!
For 2007, most of the US and Canada will begin the new time change at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday March 7th. For those of you in Vancouver, you might start your time change at 4:00 p.m. Friday afternoon to get ahead of the game**. Standard time will happen on the first Sunday in November this year as well.
For Switzerland and other European Union members, Summer Time ends at 1:00 a.m. Universal Time (Greenwich Mean Time), the time change occurs on the last Sunday of March and ends on the last Sunday in October. Luckily, all time zones here change at the same time so there isn't any confusion!
Here's a list of the other countries which also participate in daylight savings time.
The confusion might occur with anyone living in North America because many blackberries and computer clocks, which could get confused in the time change. But let's not forget why we do this time change, we do it to save energy.
"Daylight Saving Time saves energy for lighting in all seasons of the year except for the four darkest months of the year (November, December, January and February) when the afternoon advantage is offset by the need for lighting because of late sunrise". Now I wonder if this statement would really hold true to places like Norway or Alaska where there is still little light in January and February.
But for me, I love more light. Our place has a skylight and lets in so much natural light. I already am excited at the noticeable changes and can't wait for spring to really be around!
Tamara Taggart Pregnant
Since I have to be the queen of gossip on this one, I'm going to spill the beans as I've got one confirmed source that Tamara Taggart is in fact pregnant. I'm very aware that there is a buzz about this news. I say she's pregnant according to what I saw during her last broadcast this past evening on CTV news.
The Vancouver source quoted "Lovebirds 54-40 rocker Dave Genn and weather caster Tamara Taggart are expecting their first child in August. Taggart emceed the 17th annual VSO Lovers' Ball".....
There is complete buzz around many blogs from Canada in fact about Tamara being pregnant. I've been suspecting this since last month but tonight P and I were watching our local news channel tonight where Tamara is the weather lady. She was wearing a maternity outfit that looked beautiful on her. I just so happen to love her eyes and her bubbly personality. Now I'm wondering if Perez Hilton can confirm the pregnancy too.
The Vancouver source quoted "Lovebirds 54-40 rocker Dave Genn and weather caster Tamara Taggart are expecting their first child in August. Taggart emceed the 17th annual VSO Lovers' Ball".....
There is complete buzz around many blogs from Canada in fact about Tamara being pregnant. I've been suspecting this since last month but tonight P and I were watching our local news channel tonight where Tamara is the weather lady. She was wearing a maternity outfit that looked beautiful on her. I just so happen to love her eyes and her bubbly personality. Now I'm wondering if Perez Hilton can confirm the pregnancy too.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
A Sunshiney Morning
This morning, I was up before the sunrise to watch awesome pink puffy clouds all around North Vancouver. Unfortunately, I was heading to the pool and not out on a photo shoot so I don't exactly have much proof of what I saw. But I can assure you, even at the pool the sky looked pink and awe inspiring.
The proof I can give you is my new camera phone after my workout, blue and beautiful, full of sunshine, without any rain. I've actually lived in Canada for 2.5 years now and never had a phone until now. There really isn't a need for me to have one but I figured I'd get a camera phone to capture some moments when I didn't have my equipment with me. Eventually I'll get another portable camera for those times I just need to snap a photo.
But for now, one can only laugh at the fact that I have been phone less in Canada.
The proof I can give you is my new camera phone after my workout, blue and beautiful, full of sunshine, without any rain. I've actually lived in Canada for 2.5 years now and never had a phone until now. There really isn't a need for me to have one but I figured I'd get a camera phone to capture some moments when I didn't have my equipment with me. Eventually I'll get another portable camera for those times I just need to snap a photo.
But for now, one can only laugh at the fact that I have been phone less in Canada.
Roger Waters In Concert
ET: Today I was fortunate enough to get 6 seats for the Roger Waters concert coming to Vancouver at GM Place in June. I'm totally a fan of Pink Floyd and really grew up with this type of music. However, I think I should let P tell you more about the man himself. Yes P can absolutely talk his ear off about Roger Waters.
P:Well, first of all, I was very happy to finally get tickets to go see Waters. ET was so nice when I phoned her from work and asked her to get four more after she initially purchased two for us. The extra tickets were for some co-workers.
The scene was quite funny actually. At precisely 10am, when the tickets went on sale, myself and two other co-workers were standing around in the hallway at work, desperately trying to get ticketmaster on our cellphones (I had forgotten ET was going to try too from home) but it was always busy. We'd look at each other anxiously, hoping someone would get through; to no avail. We had made a pact that whoever got through first would get tickets for the rest. As it turns out, ET solved everything!
Anywhooo, to get back to what ET was saying... I've always been a great fan of Pink Floyd, but I've especially been drawn to Rogers lyrical abilities. As far as I'm concerned, he's probably the best lyricist in the entire history of rock'n'roll. Now, I don't want to bore you with a long "why that rock star is so awesome" explanation. So I'll simply leave you with a small example of why I'm willing to pay $120 to go see him. True Floyd fans surely know this one:
The Gunner's Dream (Waters)
Floating down through the clouds
Memories come rushing up to meet me now.
In the space between the heavens
and in the corner of some foreign field
I had a dream.
I had a dream.
Good-bye Max.
Good-bye Ma.
After the service when you're walking slowly to the car
And the silver in her hair shines in the cold November air
You hear the tolling bell
And touch the silk in your lapel
And as the tear drops rise to meet the comfort of the band
You take her frail hand
And hold on to the dream.
A place to stay
"Oi! A real one ..."
Enough to eat
Somewhere old heroes shuffle safely down the street
Where you can speak out loud
About your doubts and fears
And what's more no-one ever disappears
You never hear their standard issue kicking in your door.
You can relax on both sides of the tracks
And maniacs don't blow holes in bandsmen by remote control
And everyone has recourse to the law
And no-one kills the children anymore.
And no one kills the children anymore.
Night after night
Going round and round my brain
His dream is driving me insane.
In the corner of some foreign field
The gunner sleeps tonight.
What's done is done.
We cannot just write off his final scene.
Take heed of his dream.
Take heed.
P:Well, first of all, I was very happy to finally get tickets to go see Waters. ET was so nice when I phoned her from work and asked her to get four more after she initially purchased two for us. The extra tickets were for some co-workers.
The scene was quite funny actually. At precisely 10am, when the tickets went on sale, myself and two other co-workers were standing around in the hallway at work, desperately trying to get ticketmaster on our cellphones (I had forgotten ET was going to try too from home) but it was always busy. We'd look at each other anxiously, hoping someone would get through; to no avail. We had made a pact that whoever got through first would get tickets for the rest. As it turns out, ET solved everything!
Anywhooo, to get back to what ET was saying... I've always been a great fan of Pink Floyd, but I've especially been drawn to Rogers lyrical abilities. As far as I'm concerned, he's probably the best lyricist in the entire history of rock'n'roll. Now, I don't want to bore you with a long "why that rock star is so awesome" explanation. So I'll simply leave you with a small example of why I'm willing to pay $120 to go see him. True Floyd fans surely know this one:
The Gunner's Dream (Waters)
Floating down through the clouds
Memories come rushing up to meet me now.
In the space between the heavens
and in the corner of some foreign field
I had a dream.
I had a dream.
Good-bye Max.
Good-bye Ma.
After the service when you're walking slowly to the car
And the silver in her hair shines in the cold November air
You hear the tolling bell
And touch the silk in your lapel
And as the tear drops rise to meet the comfort of the band
You take her frail hand
And hold on to the dream.
A place to stay
"Oi! A real one ..."
Enough to eat
Somewhere old heroes shuffle safely down the street
Where you can speak out loud
About your doubts and fears
And what's more no-one ever disappears
You never hear their standard issue kicking in your door.
You can relax on both sides of the tracks
And maniacs don't blow holes in bandsmen by remote control
And everyone has recourse to the law
And no-one kills the children anymore.
And no one kills the children anymore.
Night after night
Going round and round my brain
His dream is driving me insane.
In the corner of some foreign field
The gunner sleeps tonight.
What's done is done.
We cannot just write off his final scene.
Take heed of his dream.
Take heed.
Monday, March 05, 2007
H and M Coming to Vancouver
I was so surprised to read this morning about H&M, a Sweedish company, is finally opening up a store in Vancouver. It's great news for us since I quite frankly think the selection of stores in Vancouver is not to my liking at least. I guess it's because I come from California originally where I can find just about any and every store possible with weekly sales on clothing.
As well, I thought there was better and cheaper shopping in Switzerland. Yes Switzerland of all places seems to be cheaper than Vancouver for shopping, especially when you factor in the 13% tax you pay on all goods.
So the opening date for H&M Vancouver is expected for Fall 2007. I'm wondering if I will be back to the US before it opens or not...
As well, I thought there was better and cheaper shopping in Switzerland. Yes Switzerland of all places seems to be cheaper than Vancouver for shopping, especially when you factor in the 13% tax you pay on all goods.
So the opening date for H&M Vancouver is expected for Fall 2007. I'm wondering if I will be back to the US before it opens or not...
Misplay of the Week
I'm not sure if you heard the crazy report about the Swiss invading Lichtenstein but it's all over the news everywhere. P first told me about it on Thursday or Friday night in which he told me of the source (Blick.ch) and I had a big laugh. As I know it, Blick is more of a tabloid magazine than actual news. If you read the site, you will probably totally agree.
What actually happened was that the Swiss troops who were in training got a bit lost and ended up a bit in Lichtenstein. During the night, the 170 or so infantry soldiers were doing an exercise and wandered into the unmarked border before realizing they had gone too far. No big deal, no harm done even since the Swiss protect Lichtenstein. But once one newspaper gets involved the tabloid reports fly.
As we were sitting on the couch Sunday evening watching CBC, The Swiss Invade Lichtenstein actually was announced as the misplay of the week! What was even funnier was they went to a commercial ahead of time and I said, oh they are going to say The Swiss Invade Lichtenstein. I still can't believe this non-newsy news made it into mainstream. I guess it's a great lesson in Viral marketing gone right!
What actually happened was that the Swiss troops who were in training got a bit lost and ended up a bit in Lichtenstein. During the night, the 170 or so infantry soldiers were doing an exercise and wandered into the unmarked border before realizing they had gone too far. No big deal, no harm done even since the Swiss protect Lichtenstein. But once one newspaper gets involved the tabloid reports fly.
As we were sitting on the couch Sunday evening watching CBC, The Swiss Invade Lichtenstein actually was announced as the misplay of the week! What was even funnier was they went to a commercial ahead of time and I said, oh they are going to say The Swiss Invade Lichtenstein. I still can't believe this non-newsy news made it into mainstream. I guess it's a great lesson in Viral marketing gone right!
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Crimson Colored Lunar Eclipse
As most of us were not so lucky in seeing the eclipsed moon last night, I thought I'd share with you my most favorite picks from a fellow flickr friend who was able to see such an incredible site on March 3, 2007 in Spain.
Toni used a 400mm focal length on macro to get such an awesome shot. Here in Vancouver, the lunar eclipse was full of clouds. I wasn't able to see anything from my vantage point.
Here's what the lunar eclipse looked like in California, and another from Switzerland. I'll also had to add my funniest shot from another Swiss flickr friend in Luzern.
Toni used a 400mm focal length on macro to get such an awesome shot. Here in Vancouver, the lunar eclipse was full of clouds. I wasn't able to see anything from my vantage point.
Here's what the lunar eclipse looked like in California, and another from Switzerland. I'll also had to add my funniest shot from another Swiss flickr friend in Luzern.
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Full Moon Saturday
There's a full moon out today. Over here in Vancouver, you can start viewing the eclipse around 6pm. Since there is a hint of drizzle in the air, I'm not exactly so certain how well we will be able to see the moon and the wonderful colors of the lunar eclipse. There is some sort of lunar eclipse, happening in Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia. You can get more information on the eclipse through this photo presentation.
This was last months full moon. I'm not even sure if we will see any moon at all tonight. But it always is exciting for both P and I regardless. Wikipedia has some great information on the lunar eclipse which is supposedly safe to view via the naked eye unlike a solar eclipse.
I'd be interested to know if anyone gets a chance to view it. Here's a better eclipse guide to when and where the lunar eclipse can be viewed.
This was last months full moon. I'm not even sure if we will see any moon at all tonight. But it always is exciting for both P and I regardless. Wikipedia has some great information on the lunar eclipse which is supposedly safe to view via the naked eye unlike a solar eclipse.
I'd be interested to know if anyone gets a chance to view it. Here's a better eclipse guide to when and where the lunar eclipse can be viewed.
Salty Roads
Join the blogroll. Visit participants.
This weeks Photo Hunt Theme is Salty.
This weeks Photo Hunt Theme is Salty.
Now do I have a good one for salty, or at least I think it's a good one. It's been snowing in Vancouver off and on all week, thus the need to put down some salt on the roads to keep from those morning drivers slipping and sliding everywhere. I took this photo Friday morning of our local supermarket with a salty parking lot.
You can see the white marks which are loads of salt covering the black top.
An up close macro shot of the salty lump.
And lastly car marks driving away. If you look up, there were white out, snowy conditions. On a clear day you can usually see Grouse Mountain and the Lions from this vantage point. And to think I was going to have to result to doing a macro photo of some grains of salt.
Friday, March 02, 2007
I need Help with Firefox
I'm calling all of your help today. This week my Firefox browser literally shut down, loosing all of my set passwords and my bookmarks. That's easy to recover from but using Firefox 2.0 is so annoying now.
For one thing, I used to be able to click on the mouse and open the new web page in a new tab. Not anymore. If I'm lucky, I can get the web page to load in a new window. Usually you can fix this problem in the preferences in Firefox. It's something odd because nothing usual works.
Secondly, I can't see any blogger visual verifications either which makes commenting a bit hard on blogger. But these problems only happen in Firefox. I've done the usual like re-checking my preferences and going through most of the tabs and options within the Firefox browser. I've reloaded it also. But I just don't know why this is happening.
So if anyone has any hints, it would really make my life easier if I could figure these quirks out, especially since I use the Internet daily for work too.
For one thing, I used to be able to click on the mouse and open the new web page in a new tab. Not anymore. If I'm lucky, I can get the web page to load in a new window. Usually you can fix this problem in the preferences in Firefox. It's something odd because nothing usual works.
Secondly, I can't see any blogger visual verifications either which makes commenting a bit hard on blogger. But these problems only happen in Firefox. I've done the usual like re-checking my preferences and going through most of the tabs and options within the Firefox browser. I've reloaded it also. But I just don't know why this is happening.
So if anyone has any hints, it would really make my life easier if I could figure these quirks out, especially since I use the Internet daily for work too.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
More Snow Again
Just when I'm wishing that the weather will be changing, we hit snow. It's just a little dusting but still I'm shocked. I guess it's not all too out of the norm though. However I keep seeing flowers popping up. YEAH!
What I do know is that I'm happy it's the month of March as many new things should be happening soon.
I've had an awesome week of swim training so far and I've noticed my metabolism is sky rocketing. I'm not sure what I've done differently but I guess the combo of stepping up workouts has done it for me.
I'm curious to know the time change for people this month. Ours will occur on March 11th because the US is switching forward, thus so are we. How about everyone else?
And I promise to catch up on reading and blogs starting tomorrow. I've been way too busy, but that's not a bad thing! Ah what a great day!
On one last note - the things that make me laugh. Today's wonderful question on my stat counter was: what mountain range goes through Switzerland?
Hmm - let me think about that for a minute? the ALPS! Well of course there are mountain ranges all around Switzerland including the Rigi Mountain, The Matterhorn and Mt. Pilatus, Dents du Midi mountains and of course the Jungfrau. There are just too many to list so try this link to Mountains of Switzerland.
What I do know is that I'm happy it's the month of March as many new things should be happening soon.
I've had an awesome week of swim training so far and I've noticed my metabolism is sky rocketing. I'm not sure what I've done differently but I guess the combo of stepping up workouts has done it for me.
I'm curious to know the time change for people this month. Ours will occur on March 11th because the US is switching forward, thus so are we. How about everyone else?
And I promise to catch up on reading and blogs starting tomorrow. I've been way too busy, but that's not a bad thing! Ah what a great day!
On one last note - the things that make me laugh. Today's wonderful question on my stat counter was: what mountain range goes through Switzerland?
Hmm - let me think about that for a minute? the ALPS! Well of course there are mountain ranges all around Switzerland including the Rigi Mountain, The Matterhorn and Mt. Pilatus, Dents du Midi mountains and of course the Jungfrau. There are just too many to list so try this link to Mountains of Switzerland.
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