Dooley's Pool Hall

My brother called us up in the evening asking if we'd like to shoot some pool with him. Along with my brother, my folks, myself and my brother's girlfriend all met at Dooley's, which is a Canada-wide chain of pool halls.

One table costs $10 per hour, so we played for two hours. It was great fun. I asked for a pitcher of beer, which myself, my brother and dad shared. The beer was only $7.

My usual these days: beer and jelly beans...^_^


We all told funny stories and teased each other in between shots.

It was really, really fun. On cold winter nights, why not shoot a round of pool or snooker? ^_^

Jungle Jim's

"Jungle Jim's" is the name of a "jungle themed" restaurant in my hometown. The inside is filled with tacky bamboo and dangling plastic bananas. If you visit this restaurant, just ignore the interior and enjoy the excellent food.



I ordered a whole wheat chicken quecadilla, and a Greek salad. The salad had a lot of ingredients that I usually don't eat: tomatoes, black olives and raw onions. But, I surprised myself by eating the majority of this salad AND enjoying it. Yay me! ^_^

Klu'skap Art Gallery

I think the image of "indians" is synonymous with North America. When I lived in Germany, my host sister even asked: "Is it possible to see an Indian in Canada?"

After reading an article in the local paper about a new exhibition of Native Canadian art at a local gallery, I decided I had to go and check it out.

The gallery's owner, Mr. Pascal Pelletier, invited my folks and I inside even though a sign on the door said: "closed". I felt spoiled next as Mr. Pelletier actually took the time to explain the meaning, history and the artist's personal background for each painting. Amazing hospitality!

These works are from one artist: Mr. Roger J. Simon (1954 - 2000). He lived and painted Indian tribes in the Maritimes, British Columbia and Santa Fe, New Mexico (U.S.A).

When I asked if I could take photos for my blog, his response was positive: "As long as you don't profit off it, go right ahead."

I thought I would share with you some of the stories for several of the works which, in my mind, stood out.

Painting #1:
- Depicts "Temptations" in native folklore. A God, or some being "tempting you" and the inner struggle to resist. Beautiful.


Painting #2:
- From the "Horse Series". The complete series is 6-8 paintings in total. As the gallery owner explained: "Simon was afraid of horses as a child. As he grew older, he began to paint horses. The first, a rocking horse, to represent his childhood. The next, a chief standing in front of some horses, but still fearful, as represented in a cougar painted in the background. Finally, the artist depicts himself sitting on a horse, becoming braver and the last in the series, shows him riding tall on the horse, the horse running. The artist has overcome his fear. He died shortly after that painting was completed." That story just blew me away. While the artist didn't actually ride a real horse, he depicted his fear in the paint and overcame that fear in paint--his work. I thought it to be very profound.


The artist, Roger J. Simon:


I hope you enjoyed the works and will be inspired to visit YOUR local art gallery.

Snowmen!

At around midnight, my parents and I heard some giggles from outside. My mother went to the window to investigate: a group of university students were busy making a snowman.

When I woke up this morning, right outside the balcony of my parent's place, stood two HUGE snowmen, complete with rocks for smiles and carrots for noses. They looked great.



To give you a sense of how tall they are, notice the heads of the snowmen reach the second floor of the neighboring building!

In Japan, it's interesting to note that snowmen there tend to be only two snowballs in height, while in Canada, we use three balls of snow.

A Japanese snowman:


Japan has snow kids, we've got snow MEN. ^_^/

Wit and Wisdom for Canadians

As mentioned in an earlier post, I bought a book called "How to be a Canadian" by Will and Ian Ferguson. The guidebook is meant to be a satire of what is the "typical Canadian". After reading the first chapter, I have to share with you some of the book's gems.

On Economy:

"The main product manufactured in Canada is snow."

On Population:

"There are 30,000,000 people in Canada -- all of whom have, at some point, frozen their tongues to the side of a chainlink fence or flagpole. Even though their mothers told them not to."

(Yes, I have actually done this.)

What You've Learned So Far:

"If you want to appear Canadian, all you have to do is tuck a beaver under your arm and stroll allong humming the Hockey Night in Canada theme song."

If you are Canadian and enjoy poking fun at yourself, I highly recommend this book. I often find myself laughing out loud at the observations.