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Last night, the world clock ticked over from 2010 to 2011, and with it, the infinite possibilities of a new year ahead! Time to seize those possibilites...
To begin with, it must be noted that I have been posting less and less here (only 40 posts last year!) I don't feel the desire to write about my personal life, nor have I done much traveling recently. Somewhere in 2010, I made a conscious decision to transform "Bond's Blog" into a space to showcase art and give a peek into creation. I never fully completed that transition.
So my plans for 2011 include creating the formal art communication space here. More shared art, more artistic updates, and artsy travel photograph-of-the-week type posts to start. Organization and planning is key! I am also committing myself right now to the creation and completion of some sort of kids book - something I have been dancing around for the last few years. It's time to do something about it.
2010 also saw the continued evolution of ART Evolved as a more significant force in the paleo-art-isphere. The continuation of the every-two-month galleries and an increase in article content, along with the highly successful Pink Dinosaur cancer campaign, has given me huge satisfaction. I also plan on spending more energy in 2011 so ART Evolved can grow even bigger!
Thanks to all my friends and followers for a great 2010. Here's to a fantastic 2011!
-Peter
(and a big welcome to the world to Calvin Mellow!)
Showing posts with label New Year's. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Year's. Show all posts
Saturday, January 01, 2011
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Goodbye 2009. Hello 2010!
As you may have noticed, Bond's Blog is going through a New Year's refurbishment. So stay tuned, while I work out the html and finalize the tabs. And all this on it's 300th post!
With the end of a year comes reflection. I thought I'd take a moment and recap 2009 from a Peter perspective.
Reflections on 2009:
So ends 2009, a transition year. A creative year. A year of coming together. But what of 2010? What do we have to look forward to next year?
With the end of a year comes reflection. I thought I'd take a moment and recap 2009 from a Peter perspective.
Reflections on 2009:
- It is over a year since I've been back in Vancouver, after living abroad for the previous 3 years. I've been effectively "stable" for the past year, but I still don't feel "settled." I'm sure it will come with time. Just as long as I can repress the urge to grab my pack and run to the airport!
- I did run to the airport once in 2009 though! Las Vegas, Baby! A fun Vegas trip with a couple of buddies, along with some camping and cabin-ing around British Columbia, is the extent of my travels this year. Quite a reduction from 2008, which included Korea, Japan, and the Philippines...
- Upon returning back to this beautiful city, I returned to my substitute teaching job. While I am planning to get my own classroom someday, I was given the opportunity to teach Science 9 in summer school in July! Quite satisfying to teach an entire course from beginning to end...
- 2009 has also seen me in two different apartments - the first: an expensive bachelor with a view, the second: a less-expensive one-bedroom ground floor with a garden (and fireplace!)
- A huge benefit of the Stable Life is an increase in the amount of art I do. I've painted more this year than any previous, and that makes me happy!
- What also makes me happy is my formation of the paleo-art website ART Evolved. Along with Craig, we've managed to create an expanding community of artists and scientists, who create, discuss, challenge, teach, experiment, and appreciate all things prehistoric art! ART Evolved has er.. evolved and grown more then either of us expected - culminating with a featured interview and article in EARTH Magazine! (My thanks to all the talented friends I've made on this adventure this year!)
- With great highs also comes great lows. 2009 was the year we had to put down my dog Toby. This was one of the most painful experiences of my life, as Toby was part of my life for 13 years.
- This was also a great year for visiting friends. My English roommate Emily came to visit for a few weeks in April, as did a couple of my Lookout Crew friends Marianne and Duncan in the summer! It was a blast seeing them and catching up. Miss you all!
- For the past 15 years, the local theater group I belong to, SMP Dramatic Society, has been putting on traditional pantomimes every January. This year, it is The Wizard of Oz and I've delved headlong into the production - not only as Set Designer, but also acting as the classic Dame, Aunt Em! Yes ladies and gentlemen, this role requires a bit of cross-dressing, but don't fret - this is classic pantomime! But I'll tell you, double H-cups are really big!
- The Wizard of Oz run at the end of January...
- A month of artistic collaboration with Craig, as he visits for the Olympics in February...
- And of course, the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games! 43 days until the torch is lit...
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
New Year's Eve Celebration 2008 in Seoul
I am wishing you Happy New Year 2008 from downtown Seoul, surrounded by tens of thousands of Koreans and Foreigners all singing, dancing and letting off hundreds of fireworks while literally ringing in the New Year!
But how did I get here?!
The weather forecast for last night was clear with a 100% chance of freezing your figures off, so Steve and I decided to dress warmly.
We wandered down to our local subway stop (Sinchon); Steve with his ice cream and me with my celon tea. Soon, we are zipping along the rail lines towards Enljir0-3, six stops on Line 3. We use our $1 subway ticket to exit the gate and climb the stairs to the street (there are no escalators). Steve buys a glowstick hat from one of the hundreds of street vendors.
We are early so we decide to eat something. I suggest sumgyeopsal (barbecued pork), so we stop in at a small restaurant off the main street. The warmth of the food and the warmth of the celebratory mood make us giddy and we decide to get 100 people to say "Happy New Year" to us. A New Year Challenge!
Everyone we pass (at this point - 10pm - the crowds are getting thicker), we wish them a Happy New Year, and if they respond likewise, we can count it. After 10 minutes, we were at 24 "Happy New Years." Couples, children, students, families, store owners, police officers - No One was safe! As we approach Jongno Tower, we are at 76 "Happy New Years" and it is becoming impossible to move without touching anyone. We watch traditional Korean dancers drum and dance and twirl their ribbon attached to their hats. Three Korean children wish US a Happy New Year, so Steve gives them his glowstick hat.
The big laser green "11:16" projected onto an adjacent building (which also has a gigantic neon Christmas tree) ticks forward a minute. The crowds press forward toward the stage and temple, as celebrity hosts talk about the festivities planned after the countdown. I cannot understand anything. The temple holds a gargantuan bell that is rung 33 times at midnight to mark the transition into a new year - the number 33 symbolizes luck in Korean.
Soon, over 50,000 people are crowded into the closed-down intersection. We meet Vince, an American who just stumbled on this "little" celebration. 11:32. Politicians talk on the stage. Fireworks (roman candles - illegal this year for the first time!) begin to shoot off from within the crowd. Police are unable to stop them.
11:45. An amazing Korean drum show begins the official countdown. A Korean Backstreet Boys-like band performs. The Koreans around me go crazy. Another Pussycat Dolls-like band plays. Excitement builds. The fireworks are going off almost continuously. I brush soot out of one eye.
11:58. The celebrity announcers come back on the stage and build up the crowd. 11:59. I can no longer hear them over the fireworks. Everyone is grinning, excited for the moment. 11:59:30. The giant video screens scan the crowds; shy Korean girls recoil at their 10m high faces. 11:59:50. The Countdown begins. In Korean and English, at the same time.
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5........4....... 3.................. 2............................ 1.............................
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!
12:00:00! The giant Bosingak bell is struck as the fireworks erupt in glorious wonder and everyone yells and hugs and kisses and jumps up and down and the celebrities begin singing Auld Lang Sign in Korean and everyone joins in except the foreigners who really only know the first two lines of it in English anyway so we just lalala the rest...
Then more rock and pop and opera and lounge singers take the stage as the crowd sings along. Fireworks continue to fly. Someone hands us 6 roman candles, so we release them into the spotlit sky. We meet three very drunk Indians and an awesome group of Korean guys, one of which - Sean - lived in Surrey, Vancouver for 4 years. Yeah, Surrey.
An hour later, the crowd begins to thin and the police move in like a centipede, arms linked. Street cleaners sweep around our feet, but the fireworks continue. Vice decides to make a move towards the stage and we never see him again. Steve and I enjoy the slowing festivities and confirm that we have definitely surpassed our 100 "Happy New Years."
We begin to walk down the now almost abandoned main street and meet another American, Tom, who suggests hitting the bars of downtown Seoul. So we join him and some other Americans, Canadians and Koreans and celebrate the New Year of 2008 in Style!
(As a footnote to this post, we received a message from JiSoo, one of our Korean friends. Apperently, our "Happy New Year" Challenge was caught on film and we were shown three times across Korea on the news networks! I will try to find a link to it in another post! Hahaha!)
But how did I get here?!
The weather forecast for last night was clear with a 100% chance of freezing your figures off, so Steve and I decided to dress warmly.
We wandered down to our local subway stop (Sinchon); Steve with his ice cream and me with my celon tea. Soon, we are zipping along the rail lines towards Enljir0-3, six stops on Line 3. We use our $1 subway ticket to exit the gate and climb the stairs to the street (there are no escalators). Steve buys a glowstick hat from one of the hundreds of street vendors.
We are early so we decide to eat something. I suggest sumgyeopsal (barbecued pork), so we stop in at a small restaurant off the main street. The warmth of the food and the warmth of the celebratory mood make us giddy and we decide to get 100 people to say "Happy New Year" to us. A New Year Challenge!
Everyone we pass (at this point - 10pm - the crowds are getting thicker), we wish them a Happy New Year, and if they respond likewise, we can count it. After 10 minutes, we were at 24 "Happy New Years." Couples, children, students, families, store owners, police officers - No One was safe! As we approach Jongno Tower, we are at 76 "Happy New Years" and it is becoming impossible to move without touching anyone. We watch traditional Korean dancers drum and dance and twirl their ribbon attached to their hats. Three Korean children wish US a Happy New Year, so Steve gives them his glowstick hat.
The big laser green "11:16" projected onto an adjacent building (which also has a gigantic neon Christmas tree) ticks forward a minute. The crowds press forward toward the stage and temple, as celebrity hosts talk about the festivities planned after the countdown. I cannot understand anything. The temple holds a gargantuan bell that is rung 33 times at midnight to mark the transition into a new year - the number 33 symbolizes luck in Korean.
Soon, over 50,000 people are crowded into the closed-down intersection. We meet Vince, an American who just stumbled on this "little" celebration. 11:32. Politicians talk on the stage. Fireworks (roman candles - illegal this year for the first time!) begin to shoot off from within the crowd. Police are unable to stop them.
11:45. An amazing Korean drum show begins the official countdown. A Korean Backstreet Boys-like band performs. The Koreans around me go crazy. Another Pussycat Dolls-like band plays. Excitement builds. The fireworks are going off almost continuously. I brush soot out of one eye.
11:58. The celebrity announcers come back on the stage and build up the crowd. 11:59. I can no longer hear them over the fireworks. Everyone is grinning, excited for the moment. 11:59:30. The giant video screens scan the crowds; shy Korean girls recoil at their 10m high faces. 11:59:50. The Countdown begins. In Korean and English, at the same time.
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5........4....... 3.................. 2............................ 1.............................
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!
12:00:00! The giant Bosingak bell is struck as the fireworks erupt in glorious wonder and everyone yells and hugs and kisses and jumps up and down and the celebrities begin singing Auld Lang Sign in Korean and everyone joins in except the foreigners who really only know the first two lines of it in English anyway so we just lalala the rest...
Then more rock and pop and opera and lounge singers take the stage as the crowd sings along. Fireworks continue to fly. Someone hands us 6 roman candles, so we release them into the spotlit sky. We meet three very drunk Indians and an awesome group of Korean guys, one of which - Sean - lived in Surrey, Vancouver for 4 years. Yeah, Surrey.
An hour later, the crowd begins to thin and the police move in like a centipede, arms linked. Street cleaners sweep around our feet, but the fireworks continue. Vice decides to make a move towards the stage and we never see him again. Steve and I enjoy the slowing festivities and confirm that we have definitely surpassed our 100 "Happy New Years."
We begin to walk down the now almost abandoned main street and meet another American, Tom, who suggests hitting the bars of downtown Seoul. So we join him and some other Americans, Canadians and Koreans and celebrate the New Year of 2008 in Style!
(As a footnote to this post, we received a message from JiSoo, one of our Korean friends. Apperently, our "Happy New Year" Challenge was caught on film and we were shown three times across Korea on the news networks! I will try to find a link to it in another post! Hahaha!)
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Liquid Nitrogen can be fun!
I am very excited about this post, as I have created another short film called "Mr. Bond's Adventures with Liquid Nitrogen!"
Our story begins during my trip to Munich for New Years. I was staying with Nathalie and Toby for a night to see their beautiful new baby boy, Elias. I was delighted to see that Nathalie's parents and her sister Stephanie (check out her blog on the right) were staying there too. The surprise was that my good friend Dave was there too! And with Marianne in Munich, it really was a "small world after all" for New Years!
What does this have to do with liquid nitrogen, you might ask? Well, it so happened that Nat and Toby wanted to make ice cream for desert that night. Ice cream usually takes hours to make with huge industrial freezers - we had neither time nor freezers. We did have a plan though: Toby works in a physics laboratory which has many chemicals at hand. Ice cream can also be made by mixing the ingredients with liquid nitrogen! With nitrogen boiling at - 200 degrees Celcius, it was certainly cold enough to make ice cream...but why stop there?
After the ice cream was made, we still had quite a bit of the chemical left, so we thought we would do some experiments! What happens to leeks, pennies, and twigs when they are put in liquid nitrogen for a while? They freeze and shatter! Well...the penny didn't...it just got cold. We saved the best for last - but you will need to watch the film to find out!
The film takes you on a rollercoaster adventure through Munich, as Toby, Dave, and I collect, bring back, and experiment on liquid nitrogen!
My favortite part of the adventure was where Dave had to sit in the backseat of the car with the cylinder of liquid nitrogen between his legs! Good thing we didn't spill, or there might never have been any little Daves in the future!
Our story begins during my trip to Munich for New Years. I was staying with Nathalie and Toby for a night to see their beautiful new baby boy, Elias. I was delighted to see that Nathalie's parents and her sister Stephanie (check out her blog on the right) were staying there too. The surprise was that my good friend Dave was there too! And with Marianne in Munich, it really was a "small world after all" for New Years!
What does this have to do with liquid nitrogen, you might ask? Well, it so happened that Nat and Toby wanted to make ice cream for desert that night. Ice cream usually takes hours to make with huge industrial freezers - we had neither time nor freezers. We did have a plan though: Toby works in a physics laboratory which has many chemicals at hand. Ice cream can also be made by mixing the ingredients with liquid nitrogen! With nitrogen boiling at - 200 degrees Celcius, it was certainly cold enough to make ice cream...but why stop there?
After the ice cream was made, we still had quite a bit of the chemical left, so we thought we would do some experiments! What happens to leeks, pennies, and twigs when they are put in liquid nitrogen for a while? They freeze and shatter! Well...the penny didn't...it just got cold. We saved the best for last - but you will need to watch the film to find out!
The film takes you on a rollercoaster adventure through Munich, as Toby, Dave, and I collect, bring back, and experiment on liquid nitrogen!
My favortite part of the adventure was where Dave had to sit in the backseat of the car with the cylinder of liquid nitrogen between his legs! Good thing we didn't spill, or there might never have been any little Daves in the future!
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
My New Year's Celebrations in Munich!
Photos from New Year's Eve 2006 in Munich, Germany, with Marianne and her friends!!!
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Happy New Year!
Well, I'm off to party away 2006 and ring in 2007 at Munich's Tollwood New Year's Celebrations with Marianne and 5 of her Greek, French, and German friends! Unfortunately Duncan couldn't make it here in the end (crazy flights), but his wild dancing spirit will be here enjoying the celebrations with us. I am starting my new year off in an appropriate fashion by being on a plane and travelling back to England at 11am January 1st.
I want to wish you all the best for 2007, and hope it becomes everything you want it to be! Happy New Year!
I want to wish you all the best for 2007, and hope it becomes everything you want it to be! Happy New Year!
Friday, December 29, 2006
Flew into Germany... and are my arms ever tired!
Well, I've arrived safe and sound in Munich, where I am staying with Marianne. Today, we are heading into town to see Nathalie and Toby and their new baby! Also we'll hang out with Stephanie and Dave, who flew in this week as well! I predict a bit of beer drinking, city walking, and baby burping.
New Year's Eve is coming soon, bringing Duncan, who will help us ring in the new year. We have tickets to a festival on the Oktoberfest grounds (I just can't stay away!) with four live bands, lots of dancing and lots of drinking. Should be a blast!
What are your New Year's Eve plans?
New Year's Eve is coming soon, bringing Duncan, who will help us ring in the new year. We have tickets to a festival on the Oktoberfest grounds (I just can't stay away!) with four live bands, lots of dancing and lots of drinking. Should be a blast!
What are your New Year's Eve plans?
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Merry Christmas!
Well friends, I am hoping on a bus in an hour and a half and going to Guildford to spend Christmas with my cousins. It's a 4 hour bus ride, so I am bringing some schoolwork as well as The DaVinci Code. That should be enough to pass the time!
After Christmas, I'll be heading to Munich for New Year's. I plan to stay with Marianne and see Duncan, Stephanie, Nathalie (and Toby and baby!) and also Dave, who I think is there until the 31st. We will be attending a festival with four bands, food, and drink, and fun! I'll be back on Jan 2nd.
To all my friends and family who read this blog, Merry Christmas and have a very very happy New Year!
After Christmas, I'll be heading to Munich for New Year's. I plan to stay with Marianne and see Duncan, Stephanie, Nathalie (and Toby and baby!) and also Dave, who I think is there until the 31st. We will be attending a festival with four bands, food, and drink, and fun! I'll be back on Jan 2nd.
To all my friends and family who read this blog, Merry Christmas and have a very very happy New Year!
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