One of these Things is Not Like the Others

Click photos to enlarge

Originally I was planning on writing a post about how different my present location is from my location one year ago, but then I started thinking about all the other places I've lived. The photos above are arranged in the order of date lived in: Victoria, BC; Kelowna, BC; Singapore; Banff, AB. I'm not gonna say anything more, let's let the pictures do the talking this time around, eh?

photos (cc) me

a Photoblog - Views of Mount Rundle

click photos to enlarge

photos (cc) me

Music Monday - Hare Ram in the Rockies

Well, I've made it safely to my new home in Banff. It's still a little surreal, walking to work and seeing the giant Rocky Mountains all around and the most emerald water in the Bow River running under the bridge. I'm not sure whether I'll ever be fully accustomed to it, really.

So I wrote something. Those of you on Protagonize might have caught a little something called Rocky Mountain Sūrya Namaskāra the other night. It's not as exotic as it sounds, but it's full of foreign words that even I have trouble reading. If you practice Hatha yoga, you might recognize some of the phrases. And if you do, then you'll actually know exactly what's going on!

The soundtrack and inspiration for this particular piece is Krisha Das' "Hare Rame (God is Real)." I was introduced to the song by an instructor at the Hot Box yoga studio back in Kelowna, where I quickly fell in love with both the practice of hot yoga and the diverse soundtracks selected by the various instructors. Some stuck to more "traditional" yogi music: forest sounds, Hindu chants, wind chimes. Sometimes I heard Florence + the Machine, or Sia, or Passion Pit. I loved the variety, but this one song stands out.

Take a listen below, or pop over to Protagonize to listen to it while reading my short scene.
 

photo (cc) Claude Robillard

on the Grid - Xeriscaping and Landscape Design Challenges in Canada’s Desert

Canada is often imagined as a country of towering mountains, vast prairies, frozen lakes, and lush forests. However, tucked between two mountain ranges is the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, a semi-arid swath of land containing the country’s sole desert.

Kelowna, Canada, is the largest city in this region, and is subject to the many challenges of developing in an arid valley. Most obvious in these summer months is the dry heat, which makes the upkeep of traditional Kentucky bluegrass landscapes difficult without excessive watering.

Read the full post on the Grid

Music Monday: Another Girl from Ipanema

This was my last weekend in the Okanagan, and the weather gods saw it fit to bless Kelowna with an absolute scorcher: 35 degrees Celsius most days, and the rest of the week looks the same. I've got it in my mind to bask in the heat as much as possible before heading into the mountains of Alberta, where I'll be subjected to a winter like I've never experienced.

Sad panda.

In the meantime, I've been doing such summery activities as beach volleyball, naps in the sun with Favourite Cat, and enjoying drinks on rooftop patios. Of course, I've also had a summer playlist on almost non stop, and I've become absolutely addicted to one of the recent additions to my music library: Amy Winehouse's posthumous album, Lioness: Hidden Treasures. I've got a few favourites on the album, but her cover of "The Girl from Ipanema" stands out. It just screams summer, and is such a different take on the classic made famous by Astrud Gilberto. Judging by the comments on YouTube it's a little controversial, but when is Amy ever not? I particularly love the drum bits, but I've always been addicted to bass.

Enjoy!

Favourite Cat is my Favourite

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted anything, eh? To tell the truth I haven't really done much of note in the last while, aside from all this getting ready to move stuff. Basically, my downtime is spent in the backyard with Favourite Cat. Yup, that's about it!

 photos by me

on the Grid - Is Human Scale Important to Cities Without Skyscrapers?

Cities are built for a variety of reasons, but are ultimately places for people to live, work, and play. As such, architects and urban planners need to keep in mind the concept of human scale, or designing buildings and spaces for human use. This impacts everything from the height of buildings to the size of street furniture.

Read the full post on the Grid

Music Monday: Little Talks

This blog post is a bit of a dump and run, sorry to say. Lots on my plate right now, such as packing and cleaning the place in Kelowna in preparation for moving and open houses, finding a place to live in Banff, training for my new job, and then that whole Poetry Tournament thing. Aieah.

So yah, lots to say, not much time to say it. So here's a song instead!

It's called "Little Talks," and is by Icelandic band Of Monsters and Men. Apparently I can't stay away from anything Icelandic. Guess I better make my next adventure to Reykjavik, eh? Without further ado, here's "Little Talks!"