Pictures from people, events, objects and other scenes from around the world. The complete collection can be found on Gallery.
Ed starts an alchemic transmutation
Although it wasn’t a full scale convention, J-Fest was a preview of what would be at Anime Evolution; featuring an artists room, panels on costume design, a video room and registration for the convention itself. A small gathering of cosplayers showed up to debut their costumes and support their series at the one day event. Take a peek at some of the fans who came out on Saturday.
Polar Bear in the park
If you’re in Vancouver, head on down to Stanley Park for the 12th annual Bright Nights in Stanley Park. Firefighters from Metro Vancouver and throughout British Columbia have setup almost two million Christmas lights around the famous train and Children’s Farmyard to bring out the Christmas spirit. There’s live music, face painting, and snacks to keep you warm.
Entry to the event is free, but tickets are required to ride the train and enter the farmyard. Visit the official web site for pricing and further information. Donations are welcome and proceeds go to the BC Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund.
If you can’t make it, check out our gallery from the event. There are over fifty colourful photographs of the lights and displays.
Bright Nights in Stanley Park is open from 3:00 pm to 10:00 pm PST and runs until January 2nd, 2010.
White Rock at night
There are some new photos up of White Rock on Gallery. Had the camera out earlier this evening and was trying some new techniques such as long exposures to capture some really beautiful shots. Take a look and judge for yourself!
Canada Line
I finally had the chance to ride Vancouver’s latest addition to its rapid transit system, the Canada Line. This line runs from Waterfront in downtown Vancouver before branching off to the west to YVR Airport, or south to Richmond-Brighouse. I brought my camera along, so many of pictures I took are available on Gallery.
Even though the Canada Line opened last Monday, people were still crowding the platforms to catch a ride. Considering this was a Sunday afternoon, most of the station platforms were pretty packed, although it was good to see people out and exploring the new system and taking the initiative in planning future commutes.
Inside the train
The train cars are much wider and feature lots of room for bicycles, strollers and wheelchairs. There are more stanchions for standing passengers and the seats are pretty comfortable. The seats have more leg room to store excess baggage instead of taking up seating space or obstructing the aisle. As an aid for noisy commutes, there are interior digital destination signs announcing the next and terminal stations. What really is noticeable, is how quiet and smooth the ride is. It’s hard to determine when the train starts up until you look out the window and “Hey, we’re moving!” This smooth ride is quite possibly the highlight of the trip. The same safety features — the yellow silent alarm strip on the windows and speaker phone by the doors are still there for those familiar with the setup on SkyTrain. However, these are not SkyTrain cars, so don’t expect to see them making the run out to Surrey or into Burnaby — the Canada Line cars were built using different technology by the Korean group, Hyundai/ROTEM. Looking at the tracks, the familiar aluminum centre “rail” is missing, and the dual third rail used for power is a single rail, so it’s incompatible with the existing Millennium and Expo Lines.
Richmond-Brighouse
The platforms at all stations are short, as all the trains are basically two cars. There isn’t much room to expand running four car trains because it would be a tight fit, and six car trains are totally out of the question. The stations are each unique featuring a lot of steel, glass, concrete and some wood for ceiling decorations (except in the subway stations). There are lots of signs designating exits, waiting areas, safety processes, but the lettering for the station names are pretty small, while all other text sizes are much more visible.
If you get a chance, go take a ride. The Canada Line is a two-zone trip, but try and catch a ride outside of peak hours to make use of the lower fares and avoid possible crowds. Existing Fare Savers and transfers work with the Canada Line, so there’s no need to purchase different tickets or cards.
The Alamo at night.
I recently returned from a short visit to southern Texas to attend an anime convention in San Antonio, called San Japan 2.x. While there, I had the opportunity to tour the city and take in the sights of one America’s fast growing cities.
Despite the heat (which averaged over 100° F, or 37° C, on most days), my journey was a very pleasant experience. However, the one thing that really stood out was how friendly everyone is — from those at the fast food counters to security guards. Very impressive.
There’s quite a bit to do in San Antonio, visit the historic Alamo, stroll along the beautiful River Walk, have fun at Six Flags Fiesta Texas, take in the view from the Tower of the Americas or spend some money in one of the many shopping malls.
I hope to return again soon, to see more of this gorgeous city and to take advantage of the wonderful Texan hospitality. If you’re interested in more information, stop over at the San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau web site for a free guide that offers a look into this amazing city.
Pictures from my trip are available on Gallery.
South Africa's performance.
Both Mother Nature and South Africa wowed Vancouverites with a double show over English Bay. A summer storm rolled out from the east in the early evening before the team from South Africa started lighting up the sky with their fireworks. Spectators braved the rain and wind to watch the impressive show.
The United Kingdom performs on Wednesday night and China wraps up on Saturday, August 1st. Pictures are now available on Gallery. Visit the Celebration of Light web site for additional details.
A recap of Anime Evolution 2009 from June 12th to 14th at the Vancouver Convention Centre in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia. Pictures are now available on Gallery.
Downtown from the John Hancock Center
The Anime Central photos have been finally uploaded. There’s 110 pictures from this convention, and I’m sure more will be uploaded again shortly.
Photos from my jaunt through Chicago will be available shortly as well. I spent a few days wandering with some friends through Lincoln Park, Hyde Park, and the Loop along with taking in a Cubs game. Until I finish pulling them off my camera (not my friends, the pictures), enjoy the view from the John Hancock Center.
I went back to New Westminster again today to retake some pictures as a few from yesterday didn’t turn out. I also took the camcorder and got some more video.
Special thanks to the crew for taking the pictures inside the cab. The rest of the photos can be found here.
Naruto
The pictures from Sakura-con 2009 are now online. There’s just over a hundred online, with most likely a few more to be uploaded soon. I’ll have an update of how the weekend went by Wednesday.
Streaming Anime
Vancouver 2010
Canada Line
San Japan 2.x
