Category Archives: Society

Food, Japan, Photography, Society

Nikkei Mini Matsuri in Burnaby

We took in the Mini Matsuri (festival) at Nikkei Place in Burnaby, BC, today. It was scaled down due to Covid, but it was still a lot of fun. Great food, displays, and entertainment.

nikkei matsuri burnaby bc

Let’s move on to the food!

Yumi and I split an Okonomi Japadog, split an order of shrimp takoyaki, had one sweet red bean taiyaki each, and split an order of gyoza.

Don’t think we’ll need to cook any dinner today! 🙂

nikkei matsuri food burnaby bc

Society

Remembering My Short Stage Acting Career – Mohyla 60th Anniversary

For Throwback Thursday, how about we go back to July 5, 1976, and the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix coverage of the Mohyla Institute 60th Anniversary show? Yikes!

I’d forgotten all about this until some garage cleaning today turned it up. My short stage acting career! 🙂

I vaguely recall having multiple roles as a young romancer, a WWI Ukrainian-Canadian soldier, and as renowned Ukrainian dance instructor Vasyl Avramenko.

Mohyla 60th anniversary show 1976

Society

Despicable Behaviour in My Neighborhood

I was angry and sad to come across several of these posters on my walk in SE Burnaby and New Westminster today. They were on the urban trail that runs along the Skytrain tracks between Taylor Park and 22nd St. Station.

Over the last year or two it seems such incidents have been increasing, be it harrassment of women, or of Asians, or. . .

I’m angry that woman and people of colour walk in fear, and sad to find it in my back yard.

assault warning burnaby bc

Nature, Photography, Society, Travel

Visiting Terra Nova Park, Learning Its Awkward History

We visited Terra Nova Park in Richmond, BC, for the first time today.

A beautiful place but some awkward history.

I don’t recall coming across any reference to First Nations at the park, though there is a tish of information on the website.

I also don’t recall coming across any reference to Japanese fishermen/cannery workers on the site, though again, there’s a bit of info on the website about Japanese homes in the area being destroyed when Japanese-Canadians were interned during WWII.

And it is odd that it still retains the name Terra Nova which was bestowed upon it by a few early “settlers from the Maritimes” who got the land in grants around 150 years ago.

Perhaps to them it was “Terra Nova,” but. . .

I’m still mulling all this in my mind, but get the sense that much of the awkwardness is not exactly highlighted.

Perhaps the presentation of that history could finally change in this age where Canadians are deeply rethinking the racism still embedded in our society, be it anti-FN or anti-Asian. . .

terra nova park richmond bc

Nature, Pets, Society, Sustainability

Temps to Break 40C in Burnaby

The plan today:

Up at 5:00am and get some stuff done.

Crank all the windows open until 7:00. Then batten down the hatches and hunker down while the temperature steadily climbs to ~42C (107F) here in Burnaby, BC, peaking between 2:00 – 4:00pm.

Thank you tall trees of Byrne Creek Ravine Park that keep us shaded until noonish.

Supposedly it will be back down to 30C by 10:00pm, and a bearable 23-25 overnight.

Check in on vulnerable family, friends, and neighbours.

Stay safe, all. . .

UPDATE: And watch out for pets, too. Sora the Cat quickly figured out that an ice-water filled bed warmer is a great place to hang out :-).

sora ice water bottle

UPDATE 2: As of mid-afternoon it now looks like we’ll top out around 36C instead of over 40. Whew!