on the Grid - How and Why We Should Put People Before Vehicles

The Victoria Transportation Policy Institute and Walkable Communities provide many tips and resources to encourage pedestrian activity. While some of these aspects are in the care of urban planners, such as human scale in block length and street width, others can be achieved by individual property owners or developers.

Read the full post on the Grid.

Learning to Deliver a Rock to the Button

Sorry for the relative silence again, I've been busy with life in Banff! Last night I tried curling for the first time, and it wasn't quite as difficult as I thought. Didn't have a chance to learn how to sweep, but I had a couple hours to deliver (that is, throw the rock down the ice). I've got very little accuracy at this point, but maybe I'll head back to the hacks (the block you deliver from) and work on my delivery. Who knows, maybe I'll end up joining a bonspiel (tournament) this winter! Also, I like throwing around this new lingo. Makes me sound very Canadian, eh?

For those of you who have no clue what I'm talking about, there's a video below. It was filmed right here in Banff at the old recreation centre. The town built a new one recently, and the facilities are gorgeous.

That's all I've got today, enjoy the video!

Photo by Benson Kua

a Photoblog - Elk in Banff

all photos (cc) me

Past, Present, Future

I'm still not quite accustomed to the fact I live in Banff. The other day I said the words, "Here in British Columbia." Nope, this ain't BC. I'm an Alberta boy now.

If you told me a year ago I would be living in Banff, doing what I'm doing, I wouldn't have believed you. I probably would have laughed. A year before that, the idea of living in Singapore would have brought forth the same reaction.

But here I am, living in the Rocky Mountains, working as a manager at the Gap, volunteering as an intern with planning and development in Banff.

Oh, right, I don't think I've mentioned that. I volunteer for the town of Banff! Basically I'm an assistant in the planning department. A few days ago I finished up some policy research, now I'll be compiling said research into various "best practices" case studies, and then the next step is to present this to the stakeholders and engage in constructive discussion. Our timeline ends in November, when the policy is presented to council for approval. Hey, look, I'm involved in the planning world!

All these recent developments make me chuckle when remembering posts like "Done Done Done," in which I mused the abysmal future Canada's number-crunched had forecast, and "Angsty Unemployment Cycle," where I ranted about my lack of gainful employment and workplace challenges. Well, I've got both in plenty, now!

I couldn't be happier with the way things have turned out. Moving was a gamble, and an impulsive decision at that, but I've been dealt a good hand. The social life could be improved, but now that I'm in the groove of my two jobs I'll have some time to dedicate to social pursuits. And it's only been the first month of twelve! Count me excited for the future.

photo (cc) me

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

I be Moving, Again!

Big news! Sometime next month I'll be moving to Banff, Alberta for an unknown period of time. I announced it on my Facebook and on Twitter earlier, but here's a bit more info.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Banff, it's a resort town located within Banff National Park in Canada's Rocky Mountains. The service population is largely transient, like other resort towns in Canada, with a large number of Aussies and Kiwis on work visas.

I'll be there a little more long term, at least a full year. I've decided to take a gap year and work at the Gap (HAH), which has hired me on as the new logistics manager. Basically that means I'll be in charge of receiving shipments, keeping a clean and organized stockroom, and getting new merchandise onto the sales floor. Behind the scenes stuff.

Suffice to say, I'm stoked!

Banff will be an interesting change of pace for me, as it's a much smaller town than Victoria or Kelowna. I'm talking less than 8000 people. That, and it's located inside the national park. I have to get special permission from the federal government to live there. It's serious business.

Anyway, just wanted to keep people updated!

photos by MarilynJane, afagen, and letsgoeverywhere