Happy Halloween

Unfortunately I won't be doing anything to celebrate the season, I figured I'd remind everyone what Halloween is about courtesy of Wikipedia.

Halloween, or Hallowe'en, is a holiday celebrated on the night of October 31. Halloween originated from the Pagan festival Samhain, celebrated among the Celts of Ireland and Great Britain^{[citation needed]}. Irish and Scottish immigrants carried versions of the tradition to North America in the nineteenth century. Other western countries embraced the holiday in the late twentieth century.

Halloween is now celebrated in several parts of the western world, most commonly in Ireland, the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the United Kingdom and occasionally in parts of Australia and New Zealand.


I'll leave you with this cute pumpkin! I guess they have the biggest celebrations here in Canada in Ladner and Richmond where they show scarecrows and fireworks.

Slightly Off

That's how my weekend felt, slightly off. Therefore, I'm leaving you with some slightly off insights.

• A bicycle can't stand alone because it is two-tired.
• What's the definition of a will? It's a dead giveaway.
• A backward poet writes inverse.
• With her marriage she got a new name and a dress.
• The man who fell into an upholstery machine is fully recovered.
• He had a photographic memory which was never developed.
• Those who jump off a Paris bridge are in Seine.
• When an actress saw her first strands of grey hair, she thought she' d dye.
• Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead to know basis.
• Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses.
• Acupuncture is a jab well done.
• Marathon runners with bad footwear suffer the agony of defeat.

Two Full Moons

On Friday, I had the luxury of seeing the moon set while I was walking to work and saw it rise while I was finishing up dinner while out with friends on Friday night. Sort of cool yet odd. I only took one photo from the day, but I really loved it.

Oh So Pink

This weeks Photohunt Theme is Pink

Happy Full Moon Friday. I'll try to visit the photohunt but I've got a busy weekend ahead.

Things to Ponder

If there are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.

How many ways are there to change a loonie?

I wonder if there are that many ways to make change for a 10 CHF.

No wonder Why we carry so much change around!

When you do you have your time change this year?

Ours in Vancouver is a first for Nov 4th. At least I think so.

Lost in Translation

A Holiday at Tokyo Hotel

Funny Hotel Notices In The Lobby:

1) English well speaking.

2) We take your bags and send them in all direction.

3) In case of fire, do your utmost to alarm the hotel porter.

4) The elevator is being fixed for the next day. During that time we regret that you will be unbearable.

4a) In the lift: Do not enter the elevator backwards, and only when lit up.

4b) To move the cabin, push button for wishing floor.

5) Customers are expected to complain at the office between the hours of 9 and 11 am daily.

Funny Notices In the Bedroom:

1) Is forbidden to steal hotel towels please. If you are not person to do such thing please not to read notice.

2) Please to bathe inside the tub.

3) Please leave your values at the front desk.

4) You are invited to take advantage of the chambermaid.

5) Because of the impropriety of entertaining guests of the opposite sex in the bedroom, it is suggested that the lobby be used for this purpose.

Funny Notices In a the bar:

1) Special cocktails: For the ladies with nuts.

2) Ladies are requested not to have children in the bar.

3) Our wines leave you nothing to hope for.

4) Special today — no ice cream.

Funny Holiday Notices In the Hotel Shop

1) For your convenience, we recommend courteous, efficient self-service.

2) If this is your first visit to Tokyo, you are welcome to it.

3) Order your summer suit. Because is big rush we will execute customers in strict rotation.

4) Specialist in women and other diseases.

5) Teeth extracted by the latest Methodists.

Funny Notices In the Hotel Grounds

1) Stop. Drive sideways.

2) Please do not feed the animals. If you have any suitable food, please give it to the guard on duty.

3) A new swimming pool is rapidly taking shape since the contractors have thrown in the bulk of their workers.

4) Ladies, please leave your clothes here and spend the afternoon having a good time.

5) Take one of our horse-driven tours — we guarantee no miscarriages.
5a) Would you like to ride on your own ass?

Boy I need sunshine and a holiday.

Monday Morning Funnies

A great way to start off Monday Morning...

A German tourist walks into a McDonalds in New York, and orders a beer. The guy in the line behind him immediately tells him: "They don't serve BEER here, you moron!", to which the German replied in astonishment, "You mean you're here for the food!?"

Does Germany really serve beer at McDo's? I swear I never saw that in Switzerland or France!

Photo Hunt - Practical

This weeks Photohunt Theme is Practical

A Practical Way to Spice up a Photo.

In case you want to try anything practical and fun on flickr or for friends.

Friday Fun

Virus Alert - Friday Fun

There is a dangerous virus being passed around electronically,

orally, and by hand.

This virus is called Weary-Overload-Recreational-Killer (WORK).

If you receive WORK from any of your colleagues, your boss, or anyone

else via any means DO NOT TOUCH IT. This virus will wipe out your private

life completely.

If you should come into contact with WORK, put your jacket on

and take two good friends to the nearest grocery store. Purchase the

antidote known as Work-Isolating-Neutralizer-Extract (WINE) or

Bothersome-Employer-Elimination-Rebooter (BEER). Take the

antidote repeatedly until WORK has been completely eliminated from your

system.

I need a break and there isn't one in sight.

The Simple Things

Darkness.
The same as it started.
Rain.
Wetness all around.
Robotic movements.
I listen to my radio and read a book.
A familiar voice races into my head.
Is it really around me.
A reassuring friend.
An invitation for a ride home out of the rain.
A smile.

-The simple things...

What was something that made you smile today?

This travel website will make me smile any day.

A Busy Life

Lately I haven't been blogging about much, or at least anything interesting. It seems my schedule starts waking up before most sane people, working way too much and then swimming and getting home way later than most sane people. There's a big balancing issue that I have been dealing with, and it hasn't been fun. I somehow find time to get a few photo shots in and well the week starts again. I recognize it's not the way to live.

Having said that, my workout was hard but I swam well. I swim for 1h 15 mins a night right now and usually get in 3600m a workout. A year ago, I just started back and I have definitely made good improvements since then. In fact, last night I did 6 x 200's on 3:10 hold 2:45's for the 1st 3 and then decending as the set stated to 2:43, 2:40, 2:35. Most of those numbers mean nothing to the average person, but they are recorded for later viewing..

You see nothing all to interesting..

Weekend Photography

P and I headed out for a bit of photography taking over the weekend. What was really different about this outing was that P was taking photos too! I was shocked. But I love his enthusiasm and eye! He has even decided to post on flickr!

Here are a few of my shots from our weekend tour around North Vancouver.

Colorful Vines around our neighborhood.

Deep Cove Harbor on an Autumn Day

It's time to Enjoy the Blue skies.

A Kayak passes by, and something you see much of the population doing.

Looking out from MapleWood Flats
The entire sanctuary is a great place to visit and bird watch on the weekends.

These were just a snapshot of photos from our Sunny Saturday around North Vancouver. You can of course see more of my photos on Flickr.

Photo Hunt - Smelly

This weeks Photohunt Theme is Smelly

When I think of smelly, I want to think of all of the great smells around me. Since it is fall, there are many fresh smells in the air. Personally I love smelly candles such as vanilla and pomegranate. As well, I love the smell of fall leaves. Here are two picks for the hunt smelly.

The smell of a burning candle.

The famous Silvia Hotel in Vancouver, it's fall leaves and smells.

The Morning View

A Case of the Expat Woes

I think I've been experiencing a severe case of the Expat woes. I know I left my heart in Switzerland and couldn't want or wish for anything more than to go back there. I've settled fine into life in Vancouver, but life here for me is overly dull full of the same daily regime. It's not what I want. It's plain boring, and lacks the sunshine, and adventure I long for.

Life here in Vancouver is just so West Coast for me. It lacks the culture and beauty I've always dreamed of. When I actually get the time to be outdoors, I enjoy every waking minute of it taking photos. But there's nobody here understanding my woes. I guess I'm a nomad and am looking for that new adventure.

I know I should count myself lucky, but seeing that I just haven't found the perfect balance of job life and home life, it leaves me unsettled. What helps me get by are the great photography days and dreaming about Switzerland.

I guess at times I get fed up with wanting to be where I belong and not being able to do it. Add that I'm alone here in my conquest for this and it makes it a hard sales pitch to sell to the better half. It's not like I want to jump ship because I've got someone wonderful in my life. I know life is a roller coaster but I'm ready to jump the track and move onto something new, something that involves enjoying life!

There's my vague rant of bad weather blues and missing Switzerland.. And suggestions?

Thanksgiving sunset.

Thanksgiving Weekend Canada

As most of you might forget, this weekend is Thanksgiving in Canada. Some of the traditions are the same as in the US, but many are just slightly different. The biggest difference is the time of year Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving and how much Americans tend to forget this.

It's always fun to go back and see how life was just two years ago on Thanksgiving weekend as we were getting ready to have a wedding, sort of.

A bit of history about today is as follows thanks to Wikipedia:

While the actual Thanksgiving holiday is on a Monday, Canadians might eat their Thanksgiving meal on any day of the three day weekend. (We are eating tonight with friends.)

In Canada, Thanksgiving is often celebrated with family, it is also often a time for weekend getaways for couples to observe the autumn leaves, spend one last weekend at the cottage or participate in various outdoor activities such as hiking, fishing and hunting.

I'm not so sure people in Vancouver would really choose to be outdoors as it has been pouring rain. But my heart is set to go photograph those leaves.

In other news, my training has picked up again for swimming. I even swim early tomorrow morning since I don't have work. I'm quite busy these days and am so surprised I have time to breath and look at a blog. I'm working on making some changes as that is not what I wish upon myself, to never have time to enjoy anything..

Incredible Curves

This weeks Photohunt Theme is Curvy

When I think of Curvy, I naturally think of anything just amazing in a photo. You know something that British Columbia might be famous for like mountains, or curves along the water, to amazing sunsets. But for this hunt I wanted to do something that I hadn't posted yet.

The photo I chose reminded me of last night's sunset. Incredible can't even describe the colors we saw.. This photo will have to do, cloudless but still amazing in curves, color and beauty.

The curves of Ambleside in West Vancouver.

Expat's View From Paradise

Interlaken
Originally uploaded by thnkfst

I’ve been tagged again by Renny and of course flattered. I have returned the tagging favor since it supports the theme of this blog about Switzerland and photography and my expat life.

I couldn't figure out how to do a snap shot view on my Mac (It's just different to save.), so I figured a photo of my
‘My Desk Top Free View’ was the next best thing.

So here I have grab captured my desktop and I would say it fits the theme quite well.

I took this photo while on Vacation in Switzerland in August 2005. The photo is overlooking the entire Interlaken area and lake below. That tiny spot is a gigantic bee flying straight in front of us.

We had been hiking all morning long and were so happy to have been dragged along to experience such culture, views and knowledge from a local friend who lives in the area.

Talk about Paradise - and so yes that is my Desk Top View too..

If anyone would like to share what their desktop view is, please feel free to let me know you have participated in the comments.