2010 Vancouver winter olympic games!

Everybody, welcome to Vancouver!

Now vancouver is so busy because of 2010 Vancouver winter olympic games.

Many tourists visit to vancouver and enjoy the important and impressive moment together. Yes! You and Me, we are also in Vancouver.

How lucky we are!!

There have so many interesting places, special events and olympics games in Vancouver. So I'd like to introduce some good and free events to you! Hope it's a good information and you enjoy that during the olympic game periods.

From January 22 to March 21, the best artists from Canada and around the world will play in Genre-bendling theatre, Vancouver.

The international showcase is hosting nearly 200 artistics events throughout the city, featuring visual art, music, dance, theatre, performance art and more.

Some of the events are ticketed performances, while others, I will introduce to you, invite the public to simply stop by and just enjoy together that.

1. The magical theatrical vending machine : Feb. 12-27 / Various sites

2. Vectorial elevation : Feb. 4-28/ English bay

3. Raven Stole the sun : Feb. 20-25/ Multiple venues

4. Art Under Foot : Feb. 1-28/ Sleep country canada vancouver's public art

Regarding some events ticketed, please check the below website. It's useful website for olympic event and others.

http://www.tourismvancouver.com/

- Richmond O zone -

I recommend two programs. Music on the main stage and Holland Heineken House.

The O Zone Main stage offers,

- En Karma : Feb. 24 / 10:15pm

- Brave Waves : Feb. 26 / 3:30pm

- The Dudes : Feb. 27 / 9pm

- Five Alarm Funk : Feb. 28 / 9:30pm

It's easy to get the detailed information from the below website for you.

Don't hesitate, Just join here together!! >.<

http://www.richmondozon.com/

The holland heineken house,

The highlight of the Holland Heineken House experience is the main hall, featuring celebratory medal ceremonies for the successful dutch athletes and nightly performances by renowned Durch artists and DJs.

Open daily from 9 am till 2am, the Holland Heineken house will be an ideal palce to catch up on the latest of the olympics or simply relax with something to eat or drink!!

Wed, Feb 24 - Roel van Velzen

Thu, Feb 25 - Gerard Joling

Fri, Feb 26 - Roel van Velzen

Along with the artists listed above, house bands De Corona's and Evers Slaat Door, and the house DJ/VJ will hit the stage every night starting at 8pm. All these artists are very popular and are renowned in the Netherlands.

- LiveCity Yaletown -

On the water's edge at David Lam Park, LiveCity Yaletown, Giant screens will show highlights of olympic winter games sport coverage and visitors can enjoy the interactive olympic sponsor pavilions, vancouver house, and much more. All for free!

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Valentine's Day

Yesterday, I saw so many people carrying beautiful flowers and when I passed by the streets, most of the restaurants were full with people happily celebrating Valentine's Day. ( or it may have been the celebration of Olympics or Chinese New Year!!!)

Now I am not surprised to see kind and happy looking men buying flowers for their partners. But when I first experienced North American Style Valentine's Day I was very surprised because in Japan we celebrate Valentine's Day quite differently.

FROM WOMEN TO MEN

From my perspective, in North America, people celebrate Valentine's Day as a couple. Men and Women both as a couple try to make that day romantic. Flowers, Chocolates, Candle Dinners...etc... both partners contribute to enjoy the Valentine's Day atmosphere.

Compared to gender neutral N. American style, Japanese Valentine's Day is very gender specific. In Japan, it is girls who give chocolate to boys. It is a day for girls to confess their feelings to boys by giving chocolates to them.
I used to think this was unfair. Why should girls work extra hard and boys get delicious treats?
But now, I think that Valentine's Day is a big opportunity and chance for shy and reserved Japanese women to be courageous and show their feelings. And men enjoy a heartfelt gift of chocolate.　



COURTESY CHOCOLATE

In Japan, women not only give chocolates to someone they like. They have social pressure to give chocolates to male co-workers or male class mates. Indeed I remember every year, on 14th of February, my father used to bring two or three bags full of chocolates that his female colleagues gave him. In this case, the chocolate is not for showing love, but to show friendship, respect, or kindness. It is interesting how simple act of giving a chocolate can create cheerful atmosphere and better communication within work place or class room.
My father was not big fun of sweet stuff and My mom and I finished most of the chocolates he got. But he still seemed happy for the his female co-worker's effort and consideration.



WHITE DAY

So until now, it sounds like girls are the hard workers and boys are the lucky ones, right?

No. Japanese gentlemen also put effort. In Japan, it is a custom to give the present back to women on March 14th. It is called White Day. The present can be cookies, candies, flowers... anything.



RECENT TREND

Although everything I mentioned above is still relevant in Japan, there is a new trend.

Nowadays, boys and men starting to learn Western Culture and beginning to give chocolates to girls.

It is called Reverse Chocolate.

All in all, no matter which part of the world you are or what cultural background you come from, we all have one thing in common. We all enjoy the most romantic day of the year. V-Day!!!!

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Chinese New Year

What does people normally do on February 14th in North America? Probably most of you would say "Of Course people will have nice romantic dinner! Its a Valentines Day!" But for the year 2010, February the 14th is not only the Valentines Day, but also its the Chinese New Year Day.


Chinese New Year, also referred to as Lunar New Year, is determined by the lunisolar Chinese calendar and it usually falls between end of January and middle of February. On Chinese New Year day, people visit their families and relatives to celebrate together. People would decorate their houses with red couplets and red lanterns.


Children and juniors are provided with red envelops with some money inside by the elders. The symbolism for red envelops is to suppress or put down the evil spirit and be lucky. Traditionally the amount of money inside the red envelop should be even number (Chinese people believe that odd number is unlucky as its sometimes associated with funerals.)



Probably, the most important tradition of Chinese New Year would be the family dinner. The way Chinese people put their heart in the New Year Dinner is the same as how important the Christmas dinner is in the Western culture. People will eat or display fish. Fish is one of the important cuisine for the new years day as the pronunciation of the word fish in Chinese is the same as the pronunciation of the word surpluses. Also, in Northern China, people would eat dumplings(jiao zi in Chinese) whereas in Southern China, they make a new year cake (Niangao in Chinese). In Vancouver, you will be able to experience some traditions of Chinese New Year as there are many events happening in the city. Here are some information.




*The annual Chinese New Year Parade:
Time: Sunday, February 14, 9:30am - 11am
Place: starting from the Millennium Gate at Pender St.

*Cultural Fair:
Time: February 14, 11am - 3pm
Place: the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden Courtyard

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Lunar New Year's Day (Seol lal) in Korea

"Happy new year"
New year is comming soon!! Oh?! You think New year already come? =)
I am talking about the lunar new year's day in Korea!

Korean New Year, commonly known as Seollal (Hangul: 설날) is the first day of the lunar Korean calendar. It is the most important of the traditional Korean holidays. It consists of a period of celebrations, starting on New Year's Day. The Korean also celebrate solar New Year's Day on January 1 each year, following the Gregorian Calendar. The Korean New Year holidays last three days, and is considered a more important holiday than the solar New Year's Day.
Korean New Year is generally the same day as Chinese, Mongolian, Tibetan, and Vietnamese New Year.

Customs -

Korean New Year is typically a family-oriented holiday. The three-day holiday is used by many to return to their home towns to visit their parents and other relatives where they perform the ancestral ritual known as charye (차례). Many Koreans dress up in colorful hanbok. Tteokguk (떡국) (soup with rice cakes) is commonly served.
Many Koreans greet the New Year (both Western and lunar) by visiting East coast locations such as Gangneung and Donghae in Gangwon province, where they are most likely to see the first rays of the New Year's sun.

Traditional Food, Tteokguk(떡국)-

Korean dish eaten during the celebration of the Korean New Year. The dish consists of the broth/soup (guk) within which is placed several thinly sliced rice cakes (tteok).It is a tradition to eat tteokguk on New Years because it is believed to grant the consumer luck for the forthcoming year and for him or her to supposedly gain an additional year of life. Additional ingredients are usually added to the dish; these include thinly sliced cooked eggs, marinated meat, mandu, and/or dried seaweed for seasoning is a traditional food in Korea.




Sebae(세배)-

Sebae is a traditionally observed activity on Seollal, and is filial-piety-orientated. Children wish their parents a happy new year by performing one deep traditional bow (rites with more than one bow involved are usually for the dead) and the words "saehae bok manhi badeuseyo (Hangul: 새해 복 많이 받으세요)" which translates to please receive many blessings in the new year.
Parents typically reward this gesture by giving their children new year's money (usually in the form of crisp paper money) and offering words of wisdom, or deokdam.

Sound interesting? ^^*

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