Fragility of Interconnected Mortality, Trust and Love

I’m sure some travel bloggers look at their own photos and fun posts on where they’ve been, as a string of postcard dreams and memories during the coronavirus-19 pandemic restrictions on daily life. Longing To Be Carefree Again Will we be able to travel again? Carefree and curious, solo or with others immediately beside us,…

Cherry Blossom Bouquets, Sharing Obsession

Cherry blossom bouquets Bounce-sway in warm breeze, Spring pink petals fall. Writing a blog post with photos about cherry blossom season, is an act of memory and hope for me.  Every time.  A thrust forward into the near future with happy expectations of pink bursting-birth all over Vancouver. And Nature delivers every spring. You’re never…

Six Courses for Over Six Decades

Wouldn’t it be lovely to see the decades of your life like grazing through a menu of lovely food dishes? If every decade could be so tasty and palatable. Certainly, each decade has been memorable. Jack brought some fresh seafood from Vancouver when flying in and preparing a 6-course birthday dinner for me. He was…

Jasper National Park- Away from Thronging Crowds

If you really want to avoid wilderness national park tourist craziness, go to Jasper in early October.  Be warned:  I’ve never been there during summer and don’t feel like going there then, to challenge my own claim. Just know that Banff National Park received a bumper crop of all-time high of tourists 2018-2019 (data probably…

Christmas Snow Beauty, Whimsy and Deliciousness

Some Christmases are for real, especially those living in northern climates:   some snow at home, fun irrelevance with all the decorations, even flat-out commercialization and special food treats. Soft Falling Snow Feeds Dreams Lush snowy drifts doesn’t pile on every Christmas in all parts of Canada.  But when the snow does fall around Christmas, snowfluffy…

Bowing Wild Deer, Warrior with a Writing Brush

Since Japan was my first step into Asia, here’s a salutary bag of traveller stories and pithy impressions. After we happily munched on just warm pounded, luscious matcha mochi from a downtown Nara shop, we strolled over to Nara Park, a heritage park steeped in Japanese Buddhism, some temples …and its wild deer. Bowing, Hungry…

Christmas Snow Celebrations

Celebrate new ways, Elf dragonboaters ply Snow-sparkly waters. Season flickers hope. Trilling lightly high above, Sometimes hidden bright.  Step with light and dark Winter solstice snow-dancing Furiously, softly.  Walk deep into hearts Journey into the twilight. Starlit path with friends.  Wishing you sparkly-special wishes for peace in your heart and for a memorable Christmas.

Food Art, Tofu Doughnuts and Octopus Kimchi Pancake: Japan and Seoul, South Korea

Before we flew off to Japan and Seoul, South Korea, I only had one Japanese cookbook which I haven’t even cooked anything from it.  My tasting experience has been based on eating in restaurants in Canada –primarily Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary. And I don’t even eat out as often as others, for dinner. After Internet…

Different Flavours for Different Farmers’ Markets: Canada and Abroad

It’s de rigour for us to check out the local farmers’ market whenever we travel and visit a town, city or country. Squeezing in Happy Time– Local and Abroad In past blog posts, I’ve enjoyed showcasing a few in Toronto, Vancouver, Freiburg (Germany) and Hilo (Hawai’i)  –wonderful local foods, sometimes crafts and ambience which puts…

Awestruck on La Rambla and Beyond: Barcelona, Spain.

Barcelona, Spain is like Vancouver, British Columbia  –millions of tourists pour into each city every year.  After four days, we still had not exhausted its rich treasure chest of sights and experiences.  Inevitably visitors end up crossing or on its main pedestrian street, La Rambla. It was my first time in Spain whereas for Jack,…

5 Kids in One-Bedroom Apartment- Unearthing Space and Its Impact

There’s a Vancouver divorced dad-blogger who blogs about life in downtown Vancouver with his 5 children in a 1,000 sq. ft. rental condo. In fact, he probably lives just few blocks from us. Well, it’s admirable he has some of his growing children in bunk beds.  And the kids are only with him for 2…

Blogging is My Truth-Telling

Sometimes I wonder  if I am a rare, geek blogger:   I date photos on my personal blog.  What a dork.  Do people really care about photo dates? I can’t help it.  It’s about truth-telling –things I’ve seen, propel me to tell stories.  Stories of truth.  My photos are part of truth-telling. As Witness to the Marvellous…

Christmas – Strange, Wonderful and Quirky

Occasionally, Christmas seems to breed some unusual, if not also garish or glitzy displays of ‘art’, to celebrate the festive season. Showpieces range from wild gingerbread interpretations at Vancouver’s annual gingerbread contest to overwhelming Christmas light displays –both with aim to attract crowds for fundraising and just sheer spectacle for fun selfies. Every December, St….

Are North American Cities Boring?

For some North Americans after a long European vacation trip, returning home is to the familiar and mundane  –especially  when home doesn’t have soaring, centuries old architectural monuments or lots of jaw-dropping art.  Or the North American just might be relieved:  thank goodness for space and wilderness.   As a Canadian, I don’t quite view Europe as prime destination to experience stunning,…

Flickers of Chance: Wild Creature Sights

Throughout Cyclewrite, I’ve featured magnificent deer, elk, bighorn sheep, eagles and blue herons. Most  photo gems taken by myself and Jack, were simply random opportunities where each of us did not plan to stalk the creatures. Serendipitous Benefits and Outdoor Activities Over the years, serendiptous wildlife sightings are just another benefit of spending lots of…

Humanities and Arts: Talent and Creativity Redefines Logic

Whenever there are cutbacks to classroom time, courses or extracurricular school activities for: the arts, theatre, music, creative writing, I’m concerned. Arts, Humanities Touches Daily Life:  Highest and Mundane Details Those snickers about people who major in philosophy, history, literature  –university / college programs which don’t provide a clear-cut path to an immediate job, I wonder:  …

Rhubarb Mow Down, Chow Down

Rhubarb started off on the wrong foot with my family.  Not until I was 16 years old, it dawned upon our family, the monstrous red stalk and big leafy bushes in our backyard, were rhubarb. Alien Red Stalked Plant with Poisonous Leaves When I was 10 years old, we were excited to have our first…

A Candle for Canada’s 150th Birthday

This blog post is light and small like a cupcake. 2017 is Canada’s 150th year as a country. Sure, the country did exist centuries before, as a collection of different nations of native Indian and Inuit peoples.  That memory and consciousness is still with us today alongside with Canada – in their voices, in names of some…

Reject Not at First Glance : Stained Glass Church Art

Two decades ago, I tossed out my 30-lb. stained glass artwork into the garbage a few years after I finished two stained glass art courses.  I dubbed the art piece, “Spring Thaw”. “Spring Thaw” was hoisted out into the garbage room,  because I thought it was unworthy of transporting 4,000 km. in moving  to Vancouver from Toronto.  Yes, it was…

Where Was I? During History in the Making

Women’s March –  Jan. 21, 2017 This  peaceful protest march caught like a firestorm with over 160 sister city marches across the world.  I didn’t join our local city march which attracted over 4,000 people.  Instead I was having a hair cut. The massive  march was galvanized first, by American women in protest of their newly sworn-in President Trump, known for his…

Gingerbread Dreamscapes and Christmas Hopes

Just before Christmas, I pedalled over to a Christmas gingerbread display at  Hyatt Hotel in downtown Vancouver.  The hotel hosts this public event,  an annual Christmas gingerbreadscape competition and showcase.  Fun cookie and icing sugar-candy festooned scenery, are lovingly shaped by groups ranging from schoolchildren to aspiring chef students at the Pacific Culinary Institute. The gingerbread…

Cycling the Grands Crus Wine Route: France’s Burgundy Red Wine Region

It’s surreal to cycle through the world’s most prestigious, centuries-old region for producing fine,  expensive red wines and not stop for a tasting.  To atone for this, nearly every evening we often had excellent local red wine for low prices every dinner in this corner of France. Enroute Through World’s Cradle, Centuries and Prestige of Red Winemaking…