While the rest of the world is worrying about global warming, Canada is having one of the coldest winters in many years.
But I would not go off calling global warming a myth just yet, especially when Snow Geese start invading school yards like this...
If people in HK see this parade, I think their first reaction would be to snort in disdain -- But around here, people actually thought it was pretty impressive.
Personally, I think it was just too damn cold.
When your feet are so cold they hurt, your good humour just kind of goes out the window. I doubt I would have stayed the whole parade if I actually had a choice, but I didn't, not really, because there were so many people on the street you really can't move anywhere until the whole thing's over.
Anyway, before I got all cold and bitter about the whole thing I was volunteering for the food bank, selling pompom (yes of all things) at the jacked up price of $2. Of course, it's all to a good cause, so many people were actually willing to pay the bucks.
I haven't done stuff like this for soooo long. I think the last time I volunteered at a one day event for a charity organization is back in grade 12, when this sort of thing is still useful on my resume. If I am less apathetic (and tragically disillusion), I would have probably feel warm and fuzzy and enjoy the whole ordeal more. But as it was, the whole event was only okay.
But regardless, here are a few pictures of the better floats so you can get a sense of what it was like there.
And just for a touch of patriotism...
I never knew Canadian high schools have marching bands too. O_o
My personal favorites...
I was searching for English translation of Daybreak's Bell (Gundam 00's Op) and I realized that the most wide-spread version is done by some beginner Japanese student translating with a Japanese-English dictionary.
There's a mistake even in the first line of that translation. "Hey, haven’t you seen another shape besides this one?" That's not how you translate "ねえ こんな形の出逢いしかなかったの?"
Yes, 形 can mean "shape" in some situation, but not in this case, according to my research.
Here's my understanding of what the lyrics are really about:
Daybreak's Bell
Hey, can we only meet under these circumstances? How sad.
I don't want you to kill or be killed.
I beg of you...
Even destiny have been swallowed by the seemingly sinking sea.
Let this wish ride the wind and ring the daybreak's bell
Like a bird,
MY WISHES OVER THEIR AIRSPACE*
Let it cross endless wave,
To protect you, who stand to face tomorrow
MY LIFE I TRADE IN FOR YOUR PAIN
End the fighting
Hey, why do people keep making the same mistakes?
I dislike this unevolving blood that flows in everyone's veins.
On this Earth that belongs to no one, we use fire to impede one another.
If a perfect cloudless future arrives one day,
Then even weapons can be overgrown with flowers.**
MY WISH OVER THEIR AIRSPACE
Someone shake and awake me from this nightmare.
If my wish can come true,
MY LIFE I TRADE IN FOR YOUR PAIN
How long must I pray [for my wish] to reach the heavens?
At the moment, the daybreak glow shines on the endless sea and I.
Let my wish ride the wind and ring the daybreak's bell
Like a bird,
MY WISH OVER THEIR AIRSPACE
Let it cross endless wave,
To protect you, who stand to face tomorrow
MY LIFE I TRADE IN FOR YOUR PAIN
Let unwaving*** wings take these thoughts
And fly toward that sky.
No one can shoot down that future.
*I have no control over the Engrish. I wonder what they actually meant. They can either mean "my wish is over the airspace" or "my wishes are over the airspace" or "my wishes are flying through the airspace"...
**A more direct translation of this line would be "even flowers can grow out of weapons"
***it actually said "unturning" in the song but unturning wings don't really make sense, so I choose to translate that as resolute and without regret, thus unwavering.
It's hard to ignore smart presence when you sit right next to them or just a few seats away. That's why it's hard to ignore how smart some people are in university. Seeing them makes me question what exactly can I accomplish when I have to compete with brilliant people like them.
In deed how can I compete at all? They are obviously smart to another level.
But then I remember Mr. President and suddenly I feel strangely encouraged.
Here's a short update on life in general with random pictures I took. I will make a few posts later on a few things I wanted to go deeper in.
Since my first post there had be several sabotage with the Engeneering E.
Our Honda Civic 1997 was brought into the shop right after we bought our car for gear box problems.
And here's our... courtesy car [that I had promptly nicked named 'a piece of junk']?
My father's birthday came and went. Last week, almost a month after his actual birthday, I took him out for dinner to Little Sheep Hot-pot. This is what the soup looks like. The spicy side is really funny and I enjoyed watching my father eat food too spicy for him.
I am still working at the same place doing paper work. (This is actually not my own picture, but I think it demonstrates the point well enough.)
And in the morning I have to line up for bus... which really suck.
I hope I spelled his name right. I really am not a huge Beckham fan, but he came to Vancouver and my friend happened to have an extra ticket... so I tagged along.
The game itself was nothing spectacular. The streaker who ran around the field may actually be the most entertaining part of the game. I have definately seen better games on TV before, plus, Beckham is like 10x better a player than most players on the field. That's pretty sad, since Beckham is seriously getting old and he is injured.
Nevertheless, it was fun seeing a celebrity. At least now I can brag that I have actually seen David Backham live.
They call it Trek Park. I call it junk yard.
My sentiments actually leaned toward them in September but by the end of October all that was gone.
Seriously, you can only save the knoll if you can show with action that you ACTUALLY care about the environment around the knoll.
Leaving random couches and trash around after the protest just isn't it. T_T
