There’s nothing than seeing Vancouver at dusk. The setting sun provides a blend of colours that you just can’t really replicate anywhere else. The open sky with the clouds massed against the North Shore mountains and glow from the city created some interesting light mixtures. See the rest, including some night shots of the recently renovated BC Place Stadium too!
Even at night, the Mission San Antonio de Valero – forever known by history as the Alamo, teems with people. While catching a short break from San Japan after dinner, I snapped a few pictures of the chapel before returning to the hotel.
Texas weather can be described as hot and humid – it was anything but that inside San Antonio’s Marriott Rivercenter hotel for San Japan 4TW. Once again, the Alamo City was taken over for a weekend of Japanese pop-culture with colourful costumes that which occasionally clashed with the white and blue of Dallas Cowboys fans, also in town for their training camp. Being my second San Japan, I had great time catching up with old friends and getting to make new ones. The three day convention ran from August 5th to 7th, 2011. A collection of photos taken during the weekend are available on Gallery.
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It’s hot in Texas, and that’s not describing the weather! San Japan 4TW had sizzling style as costumes paraded through the Marriott Rivercenter hotel in the heart of San Antonio. Want more? Check out the rest on Gallery!
China lights up the night
The first evening of the Celebration of Light started off on the right foot. Although the fireworks festival is down to three days from four, it still was a spectacular show with the first performer, China, setting the bar. Event organizers made some adjustments to help spectators have the best experience – an increased police presence to clamp down on disorderly conduct and public drunkenness, signs that arranged the beaches into alphabetized sections (similar to that of a parking lot) to help people find their friends, and a grand stand for others who just wanted to sit and have a clear view. Even a stunt pilot provided some intense aerial acrobatics for those who waited on the sandy shore of English Bay.
The overcast sky and threat of rain didn’t dampen the spirits or the pyrotechnics. With the barges closer than ever before, everyone was treated to waterfalls of fire, champagne bursts of light, and the thunderous boom of exploding stars. And with a brilliant selection of music, the crowd was definitely pleased. Missed the show? Check out some of the best shots on Gallery!
The winner from 2010, Spain, is on Wednesday, August 4th, and Canada wraps up the celebration on Saturday, August 6th.
Car 1207
Now that it’s summer, the Downtown Historic Railway is back up and running. Although the refurbished interurban line doesn’t go all the way to Science World, it’s still a unique ride from the Olympic Village Canada Line station to Granville Island (or vice versa).
Operated by volunteers from the Transit Museum Society (TRAMS), car 1207 is a blast from the past, having last run the British Columbia Electric Railway’s Steveston line in 1958. Restored by TRAMS in the early 1990s, car 1207 retains its charm with its original seats, retro advertisements, and memorable whistle.
The Downtown Historic Railway operates only on weekends and holidays until October 10th, 2011 between 12:30 pm and 5:00 pm PDT. There is a round-trip charge of $2 for adults and $1 for seniors or children.
Browse through more images of the Downtown Historic Railway on Gallery.
Project Naruto is the first in what is to be a series of photographic adventures of various animated figures on trips around Vancouver and possibly beyond. I’ve been toying (no pun intended) with the idea for a while, thinking of having a 6 inch Naruto Uzumaki suspended from fishing wire from a branch and using some tricks to make it looks as if he was leaping through the trees. Instead, Naruto ended up being placed in a few poses during one of my frequent journeys through Stanley Park.
It turned out to be quite interesting once I moved out from the trails in the forest and then onto the sea wall and out to Canada Place. The forest seemed quite fitting considering that Naruto itself takes place within Konohagakure (The Village Hidden in the Leaves). The figure proved to be a challenge when placed in position and toppled over comically a few times while I adjusted myself to take the picture. I had bought Naruto a few months earlier on eBay, and he arrived without a stand — this made things a bit interesting since the feet are aren’t really designed to support the top of the character, thus requiring the use of the special stand. I encountered a few strange looks at Waterfront station from a group of tourists after Naruto capsized off the sign holder and onto the platform.
The next set will be, hopefully, featuring Sora from Kingdom Hearts II. I’ve already got a few thoughts of how I want these next pictures to turn out. I might have better luck with this set as the game Kingdom Hearts II utilizes a vast world — everything from the beach to a dystopian cityscape. Sora shouldn’t be too much of a pain, considering his shoes are much larger providing a little more stability when poised. That, and the Keyblade weapons can be removed from his hands, whereas Naruto’s kunai are permanently affixed.
All pictures from Project Naruto can be found in The Lab on Gallery.
While this Mega Man figure has been on the market for a while, my local anime store, Sakura Media, never had it in stock – until this week. In a sea of heroic robots, this unit stands out really well, and is nicely detailed. In addition to being articulated, Mega Man comes with extras – including facial expressions, buster cannon and an energy tank. Personally, I’m more of a pre-assembled figure fan, but I can’t say no to classic Mega Man.
Setting aside a few hours, Mega Man slowly came to life. The directions were fairly clear and easy to understand, which is important when making a model. The only downside, and this is probably my fault because I’m not used to putting together these kits, was the annoying little plastic tabs from where the parts joined the mould frame. I used scissors to clip the part from the frame and then a sharp utility knife to remove the remaining tabs. The end result showed a bit of discolouration.
It’s a really neat figure and comes with so many accessories to change the functionality, which will keep any collectors shelf safe from Dr. Wily. The price can vary between $40-$60 USD, although I paid $29.99 CAD thanks to a no tax sale. Don’t forget, the Blue Bomber’s sister Roll (purchased separately) too!
It’s hard to believe another weekend of partying in Rosemont is over. As usual, I had a blast at Anime Central, with this being my fourth year attending. However, this convention wasn’t without its ups and downs – some stuff that carries over from previous years, along with the new. Anime Central 2011 took place at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare and Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois, just on the edge of Chicago. As always, photographs are available on Gallery. Read the rest of this article…
Now that Anime Central has finished and everyone has headed home, it’s time to reminisce over all the colourful costumes and events. Of course, a recap of the entire convention will be available in the coming days. Until then, pictures!
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