Afghan horsemen, Hula hoops and a Ukuleleist

The random things in life, both events and people always seems to appeal to me more - when something unexpected happens (the good kind I mean), you get a spring in your step, and a smile that can't be wiped off. I was told and have read numerous times that Vancouver is not a friendly city, but I just don't think those people must've approached it right. It seems everywhere I turn people are saying hello, opening doors and apologizing! Oh its good to be back in the English speaking world again. Yes I admit I'm in the first flushes of love with this city, and perhaps a little biased because I'm going to be living here - so I have to look for the positive things right?

I noticed it first, one day on the bus, a man was waiting by the door to get off and for the bus to come to a stop, the bus braked suddenly and lurched forward sending the guy stumbling back into me. Not only did the guy apologize profusely, but the other guy next to me who we'd sat in polite silence before then became concerned and asked "Are you ok?". Basic normal human behavior right? I'd be lucky if my presence was even acknowledged if it had happened in Germany, apart from being obligatorily stared at. Most normal people wouldn't even think twice about the small apologies you get on a daily basis, the woman with the basket in the supermarket who innocently knocks you, the man swiping you with his newspaper on the train... but when you haven't had them for a year, and people don't just shove you out of the way without a second glance - its quite refreshing.

Of course I haven't just been getting whacked around on the public transport lately, no sirree I've been getting out and about meeting people. My roommate Susannah invited me out to dinner with her, and a few of her friends to a nice laidback restaurant on West Broadway. After a few drinks we went on to a birthday party held at the Afghan Horsemen on Granville Island (which isn't an island at all, just a peninsula). It was a fantastic place, where you took your shoes off and sat on giant cushions, and talked nonsense. After a stroll around the harbour, and we'd soaked in some of the skyline of Downtown Vancouver at night, we jumped in a taxi and were off to another party, but this time it was held in a swanky brand new apartment, complete with a doorman and lobby, with a healthy $5,000 a month rent tag attached. Cramped, but pristine and perfect, hard lines with somewhat impressive views, white bare walls and the whitest of white carpets - it was all a little sterile to be honest, and I was feeling a little out of my depth. Give me cushions and sitting on the floor any day.

A few days later I ventured off on my own to China town, and marveled at all the random sights and smells. I found a random little tiki shop, and brought a few art prints, to brighten up my room. I snuck into Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese gardens, and sat by a large lilly pond soaking it all in, watching the Carp, Frogs and Turtles. A fascinating Ukuleleist called Boswell, who is also a clown part-time came and sat near me, and we began to chat away. We sat there for a while discussing the world at large, and promised to catch up again, he has offered to show me around Gastown - not as weird/dodgy as it sounds, I promise. Then on Wednesday night I joined a few of the couchsurfers (an Austrian, a German and a Canadian) I'd met the previous week at a Belgium Beer Cafe on Commercial Drive, and reminisced together about Europe.

I've also made friends with Jessica, a local who's also 22, and has only just returned to the city. We plan to do a lot of exploring around Vancouver together, and have started already by hitting Metrotown, a massive mall that seems to go on forever, and is in fact three malls attached by walkways. We get along really well, and we caught up again last night and went out to Dinner and cocktails on West Broadway. I recently did a gig babysitting a six year old boy called Ullie, as a favour to my roommate Maggie, who couldn't do it. He was crazily smart, and would say things like "thats a rhetorical question, you're not supposed to answer it". Although I'm not keen on doing much more childcare, every little bit of money helps I guess, especially when you have no idea when your next pay check is coming. His mother is a bee keeper, and his dad is an artist - so I've been invited to check out his latest installation, something about robotic insects (sounds interesting).

My roommate Maggie, has now left for her summer trip across random parts of North America. Even though I haven't known her long shes been fascinating to live with, pulling me out into the front yard to play with giant hula hoops and I'll miss her random stories. Shes one of the healthiest eaters I've ever seen, and when shes not hula hooping she does everything from puppetry and making puppets, playing the violin, is a clown on occasion with the pseudonym 'The Pocket Lady' and teaches drama to kids. Her sub letter, a French girl arrives in the next few hours and we shall have to wait and see what randomness, if any, she will bring.

A baby Hawk, that lives in a nest in the tree in front of my place. He must've fallen out.

I've been eating really healthily lately, and its almost impossible not to get exercise living here. Went for a walk out on this Dyke at Iona Beach, and didn't realise till I got back it was 8 kms long and I'd gotten sun burnt. Plus I live by this huge park, that overlooks the whole city, so I'll have to get up there one of these nights and take some sunset pictures for you. Boswell wants me to buy a bike to go on a big tour with him around the city, and after my quite enjoyable stint around Stanley park a couple of weeks ago, I'm thinking I just might. Haha Niki owning a bike again, can you imagine! There must be something in the water here. Still no major news on the job front I'm afraid, I have two interviews tomorrow, and a random 4 day promotional gig for a cereal company in a week or so, plus random one off Event work in the pipeline. So not ready to start begging just yet.

Well kiddies in the next blog I plan to write all about the area I live in, and paint a better picture for you of what the Canadians on the West coast are like - stay tuned.