Music credit: “How You Like Me Know” The Heavy.
Coca-Cola is Corporate Olympic Sponsorship at its very best. Free Coke, free interactive games, free picture of you with the Olympic torch and the shiniest, happiest PR people ever. Although, come to think about it they did seem a bit disgruntled when I asked if I could get Pepsi instead.
Shot with a Canon 5DMKII, 35mm f/1.4, & Micro LED Lightpanel.
Hockey is to Canadians as candy is to children. They crave it when they don’t have it, complain loudly when they do have it and it’s not what they want, and sky rocket to the moon when they get their favourite kind of sugar high. That is of course, a Team Canada win at the Olympics on home ice.
Yesterday after the tense victory over the Swiss, crowds leaving GM Place whooped and hollered loud enough to wake granny in North Van. The downtown streets sounded like the Battle at Helm’s Deep with someone making excellent use of their commemorative Lord of The Rings Orc Horn.
Although I’m not usually a hockey fan, don’t judge me, it’s a long story involving heartbreak and toe picks, I have been swept into this Team Canada hockey mania with the rest of Vancouver. Last night, I willingly watched the CAN-SWI game over the Men’s free program, much to my mother’s chagrin, who has remained a die hard figure skating fan years after I packed away my sequined unitards and mini gloves.
I won’t deny it, I got a little crush on King Crosby after witnessing his excellent puck control and fearless focus during the sudden death shoot-out. And although phrases like “icing”, “power play” and “off-side” are still quite new to me, I do understand “he shoots, he scores!” quite well. I think that phrase is hard-wired in Canadian brains from birth. That and overbearing politeness. Because even in the most rowdy of Canada hockey mobs, someone will inevitably say, “oh sorry eh” for stepping on your toe.
(Shot with a Canon 7D.)
It’s been about two years since I stepped on the ice, and almost ten since I competed, but French reporter, Gaston Tartarin managed to convince me to return to the sport I love for one more inspiring performance. We hit the ice at GE Plaza in Robson Square yesterday, and I can honestly say that anyone managing to get a glimpse of Gaston’s little skin-tight metallic number, was changed forever.
Gaston discovers that skating shoes aren’t the most comfortable shoes.
Well, maybe we have a bit of practicing to do, but the passion is definitely there. 2012! Vive la France!
Agoraphobia and the Olympics don’t mix well. *hides under blanket for a few days. holds Macbook Air tightly*
The Olympics haven’t even started and I’m pooped! There is so much going on, it’s hard to keep track of it all. This is why I spent most of my day surfing the internet and observing Olympic related traffic jams from my apartment.
I decided to head out into the wilds of Yaletown to catch the end of the Torch Relay and the first night of fireworks. I arrived at 8pm thinking I would be able to just sneak in and see Michael Buble light the cauldron in David Lam Park, and so did 50,000 other people.
I caught a glimpse at the Olympic Torch and so did one little kid who’s annoyed father said, “you’ve seen the flame now let’s go”.
I wasn’t even close to the LiveCity Yaletown stage, but somehow it was more fun to be amidst the animated crowd. Thousands of people, dressed in their finest Canadian apparel, waved flags and cheered as the fireworks lit up the sky.
Today, we open our city to the world. I can’t wait to see what is next.
“The fireworks were really fun!” And you can quote me. :P
Shot with the Canon SD960 IS.
If you Google “Olympic Red Mittens” you will find hundreds of websites dedicated to selling one of the popular souvenirs of the 2010 Games. The mittens are so popular that Official Olympic Store online is currently out-of-stock and sellers on Ebay are offering the $10 mittens at prices as high as $30.
Since I’ve kind of fallen in love with the Olympic Games since witnessing the awe-inspiring Opening Ceremonies pre-show on Monday, I’ve been on a mission to find a pair of those elusive red mittens.
I figured the best place to find them would be at the Official Olympic store at the Hudson’s Bay Company downtown. What I hadn’t planned on was waiting outside the store for ten minutes just to get in the door.
Once inside the store, I was instantly lured into the plush toy section where I made friends with a rather curious Sasquatch named Quatchi. Though we didn’t speak the same language, we bonded over the loud, annoying noises we could make with cow bells.
We spent many hours searching through Canadian hockey jerseys, slippers, furry hats, mousepads, and flasks of maple syrup. Any and anything they could smack an Olympic logo onto they did, including doggy rain wear! w00f!
Finally, I found my very own pair of red mittens! It was another lengthy wait to buy them, but it was well worth it. I slipped my hands in the fleecy warmth and headed out on the downtown streets to cheer on my fellow Vancouverites who are stuck in traffic due to Olympic road closures.
(David Karp (Tumblr), Rachel, Pete Cashmore (Mashable) & Lisa Bettany, Darya & Kevin Rose (Digg), Mike Shinoda (Linkin Park) & Anna)
Sunday was a pretty normal day. I woke up at the Beverly Hilton, ordered 3 small pancakes for $20, stole a muffin from Jessica Alba at a Press Junket, got my hair and makeup done, put on a dress (!), jumped in a pimpin’ limo with Kevin Rose, David Karp, my boyfriend Pete Cashmore. I drank champagne, got yelled at for taking photos of the Red Carpet & nearly got harpooned by Lady Gaga’s diamonte headpiece.
Then, I waved at Weird Al, heard the Pants-on-the-Ground guy sing “Pants on the Ground” not once, but five times sequentially down the Red Carpet, watched the GRAMMYs live IRL, ate a super greasy pastrami sandwich in my satin gown, hugged Imogen Heap, celebrated in a private cabana at Diddy’s party, learned about the intricacies of tea from KRose & toasted with @Ev over Jay-Z’s Ace of Spade Champagne. *yawns*
Here are some snaps from the big night.
Lisa & Pete going to the GRAMMYs!
David & Rachel looking super cute.
David, Pete & Kevin ready for the Red Carpet.
Cheers to salad in the sweet limo!
Pete & Lisa enjoy their pre-Grammy champagne toast :)
Shira Lazar & I.
The Ladies.
Pete & YouTube founder Chad Hurley entertain themselves during the show.
Kevin & Pete go totally nuts at the After Party. #partyanimals
@Ev & @mashable at the Diddy party.
It was definitely surreal going from my socially reclusive, wifi-addicted lifestyle to hob nobbing with celebs at the Beverly Hilton. Now I’m just back to eating packaged hob nobs and watching ordinary people from my apartment window. Ohh someone just crossed the road and got into a taxi, now a bus is pulling up… where are my binoculars?
Just a quick video message wishing you and your family a wonderful holiday! 2010 is going to be a good one… I can feel it!
All summer long I’ve been conquering my biggest fears and crossing off items on my “bucket list”. Apart from sky diving, nothing scares me more than bungy jumping. Let’s be honest, the concept of bungy jumping is freaking nuts. And freaking nuts I was to even consider jumping head first off of a 150ft bridge into a canyon with a rubber band tied around my ankles.
I would’ve never even dreamt of conquering this huge fear on a random whim, but my Dad dared me. He not only dared me, but taunted me for days shouting, “bun-gy, bun-gy, bun-gy!” He wouldn’t let up, and eventually my stubborn pride made me do it.
You must understand that my dad and I have a long and sorted history of one-upmanship.
This father vs daughter competition started early in life. When I was 5, he flagrantly beat me at board games. Monopoly was the worst, especially when he would buy all the lots and send me to jail just for fun. This unsportsmanlike game continued through out the “Tetris years.” I would spend every evening after school trying to beat my dad’s last score. When I finally did, I would go to bed. That’s when my Dad would sneak in and stay up until 3am beating my score.
On and on this stubborn competition went, until one day on a mini golf course I got so fuming mad at my Dad’s teasing, I threw my putter at a windmill. Not only did I lose, but I was banned from Putt ‘n Bounce for life.
So now you understand why I couldn’t back down from bungy jumping, especially when my Dad surprised me one afternoon, by taking me straight to the bungy jump at Nanaimo’s WildPlay.
Now, I figured that since my summer of extreme activities white water rafting with Hyak and zip lining in Whistler with Wildplay, I’ve bascially got my fears in check. How scary could a little bungy jump be?
I was peppy and filled with confidence as I strutted up the bungy bridge that stretched across a river canyon.
“This is easy peasy,” I thought to myself. “No sweat”. Then, I caught a glance of the girl who was in front of me, pale as a sheet, and uncontrollably weeping to be taken off the platform after standing up there for 45 mins.
“Ok, maybe a little scarier than I thought”.
My hands started to shake and clam up and I caught a severe case of Jello legs. The terror hit me when they bound my legs in cuffs and attached me to the elastic cord. There was no turning back. I hopped out onto the edge of the platform and experienced a sweeping rush of vertigo.
People were yelling, the guides were wishing me luck, and my Dad couldn’t stop laughing. I took a deep breath, but the feeling of self preservation was so great I could not budge an inch. My feet felt like they were cemented onto the platform and my stomach was up in my throat. I was going to have to overwrite my with my with my .
I took one deep breath and jumped off. I was angled more chest first than head first. My arms were flailing and I screamed like a possessed demon. The free-falling was insane, like nothing I’ve ever felt. As soon as I hit the water and whipped back up, I really felt like I was going to die, which oddly enough made me giggle and scream at the same time. I continued to bounce, spin and swing under the bridge until I literally ran out of screams.
I honestly can’t believe I did it. Neither can my Dad. For the first time in a long time, he has no comeback. I think I finally one-upped him.
Everyone has a “things to do before I die” list. From skydiving to bungee jumping to watching the sunset over the Great Pyramids, thrill-seeking and adventure travel are usually top on many Bucket Lists. In the top third of my “must-do” list is white-water rafting. I have always wanted to take the plunge, but have always been a bit chicken to try it.
Recently, I had the opportunity to conquer my fears and finally tear up some rapids on the Thompson River in Lytton with Hyak Wilderness Adventures.
Photo by Eric Siwik.
I started my river-rafting extravaganza at 7 a.m., making the three-hour drive to Lytton (billed as the rafting capital of B.C.) from Vancouver.
The drive was quite beautiful through Chilliwack, then past Hope, and winding through Hell’s Gate and the steep, jagged cliffsides of the Black Canyon. I arrived just in time to catch a quick catnap in my car before I attacked those rapids. Read More in The Province.
Lisa Bettany is a photographer and iPhone App Developer (co-creator of Camera+). She enjoys zombie flicks, British tea, R2D2 & her 5DMKII.
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