My library friends on the picket line

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My library friends on the picket line

The biggest plus about being on the picket line is having lots of time to socialize and chat with my fellow co-workers.  Usually I am always so busy answering questions or helping patrons with their books, or even shelving books onto the shelves that sometimes we don't get a chance to talk and catch up with each other.


Ross Bliss' gypsy jazz guitar and Todd Wong's classical accordion meet for cultural fusion – photo T.Wong collection

I have known Ross Bliss for a few years… usually we pass at Central Branch, in between organzing programs.  Ross has created the Jazz 101 series and also plays gypsy jazz guitar in the style of Django Reinhardt…  okay maybe not that incredible… but incredible for us non-guitar players.  Ross often plays at the Kino Cafe in Vancouver on Cambie St.  It was great to try some duets with Ross – even though he improvises gypsy jazz and I sight read classical.  We worked out some nice stuff on O Sole Mio, Avalon and Carnaval of Venice.


Lily Gee, longtime Vancouver city library worker – photo Todd Wong

Last week Lily Gee asked me to sign her autograph book celebrating her 35 years of service at the Vancouver Public Library.  I first met Lily when I was a teenager and worked on Sundays in the Stacks department at the Central Library.  Our paths have often crossed, and it is always with a smile.  Lily is great to work with!

Diana Keng and Tasha are fellow CUPE 391 picketers – photo Todd Wong

I have worked with Diana at at many branches over the years.  She really enjoys travelling and always shows me her latest travel pictures.  She is one of the first facebook users I know, and started up the VPL facebookers group.  I have only met Tasha a few times at Kitsilano library, and have enjoyed her company and conversation.  Both of these fellow co-workers are great people, and they are constructively using the picket time to knit caps that are being sold to help needy people at the Carnegie Centre.

Friday Night in Vancouver: Robson Square Summertime Dancing + Singapore cuisine

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Friday Night in Vancouver: Robson Square Summertime Dancing + Singapore cuisine



Friday Night Dance lessons and Dance Sport demonstrations at Robson Square – photo Todd Wong

Every Friday night at Robson Square in Vancouver, there is dancing…  Last Friday night was tango night.  I joined some Gung Haggis dragon boat food and social club members, for dinner at Primataste Singapore style restaurant. 570 Robson Street, 604-685-7881. Open daily 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.  I couldn't remember the last time I had ever been a to Singapore restaurant before… but my cousin's wife is from Singapore, and I have eaten Singapore cuisine many times.

The food was good, and it was fast, once we ordered.  My girlfriend ordered a curry chicken noodle dish for me.  My mistake was in casually adding in the spicy paste that sat on a corner of the dish.  Hot!  Her noodle dish with prawns and calamari was much more mild and very tasty.  The service was friendly and helpful, and we all enjoyed it.

Check out this reviews:
Hakka House: Prima Taste Restaurant
 
VancouverBest Eating | Prima slings fab Singaporean | Straight.com Vancouver

Then we walked the block over to Robson Square.  Tonight was Tango Night.  While I have played tangos on my accordion such as La Cumparsita and El Choclo… I have never before danced a tango.

“Step, step, step, stop, rock, rock, back…”

The instructors were good and Asian!!!  Gee… that would make sense in multicultural Vancouver, with so many Asians practicing ball room dancing.  They explained and demonstrated each of the opening steps.  But the “dance floor” was crowded and not easy to see up close.  My girlfriend and I tried the steps again.  “Oops…” missed a step.  “Oops…” wrong foot.  It was good to try.  I had taken ballroom dance lessons many many years ago… and it all came back to me quickly – the mis-steps, the hesitations, the clumsy feeling like I had two left feet.  But we were having fun, and if we knew that if we really wanted to be good, we would have to take some lessons.

At 9pm, the first evening showcase began.  Competitive dancers stepped onto the floor to demonstrate the tango, and other dances.  Beautiful.  Then the couple that had been giving the tango lessons did a wonderful dance performance to the same music used in the movie: “Shall We Dance” with Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez.  Beautiful.  Wow!

We tried some more general dancing – then a few of us headed back to my girlfriend's apartment and we watched “Shall We Dance” leaving the dancing to to the experts.  Of of course, I just had to watch the Richard Gere/ Jennifer Lopez tango dance scene twice!

Check out the DanceSport BC website for information:

DanceSport BC (DSBC) is proud to present the Robson Square Summertime Dance Series 2007.
This free community event has been held every summer since 1979. It is
open to the general public, and people of all ages and backgrounds are
encouraged to join in the fun. Spectators and participants range from
children to the elderly and ballroom enthusiasts to interested downtown
passers-by.

Each week we start the night with a free dance lesson given by a
local hand-picked dance instructor. Lessons will vary each week
providing a fun, social atmosphere. Show-case dancers perform dressed
in full competitive costumes, making the two twenty-minute show-cases
the highlights of each night. Dance couples and teams have been chosen
from local dance studios to perform. This is a chance to see ballroom
at its best with performances which may include Standard, Latin or
Social dances; such as Waltz, Cha-Cha, Tango, Jive, Swing and Salsa.
During the general dancing, DJs will play a mixed selection of ballroom
and social dance music for the audience to enjoy.

Nightly Schedule

  • 8:00 pm – 8:30 pm: Professional dance lesson
  • 8:30 pm – 9:00 pm: General Dancing
  • 9:00 pm – 9:20 pm: First Dance Performance
  • 9:20 pm – 10:00 pm: General Dancing
  • 10:00 pm – 10:20 pm: Second Dance Performance
  • 10:20 pm – 11:30 pm: General Dancing
  • 11:30 pm: Last Waltz

News from Scotland… SFU bagpipes place 2nd at Worlds + deciding Scotland's future

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News from Scotland…  SFU bagpipes place 2nd at Worlds
+ deciding Scotland's future

Every now and again, I receive news from the Scottish diaspora about the Scottish diaspora, and even from good old Scotland itself. 

The following information is from Ron Macleod – chair of SFU Scottish Cultural Studies, and Russell Walker from the Govt. of Scotland – who is a big Gung Haggis Fat Choy fan.

Here are today's (Saturday's) results at the 2007 World Pipe Band Championships, Glasgow.
Regards, the other Ron
1st Field Marshal Montgomery (Northern Ireland) 
2nd Simon Fraser University (Canada) 
3rd House of Edgar-Shotts & Dykehead (Scotland) 
4th Scottish Lion-78th Fraser Highlanders (Canada) 
5th Strathclyde Police (Scotland)

Choosing Scotland's Future

Scotland's First Minister, Alex
Salmond MSP launched a White Paper today inviting the people of
Scotland to join in a national conversation on the nation’s
constitutional future.The First Minister values the engagement of
Scotland's diaspora in this conversation. The paper has been published
as part of the Government's fulfilment of its manifesto commitments and
100 days undertakings, and to ensure competent government.

The paper sets out three principal choices.

· Small extension of devolved powers

· Radical redesign of devolution and greatly enhanced powers

· Independence

A new website – http://www.scotland.gov.uk/topics/a-national-conversation
– has been launched to attract comments from all shades of opinion.
Anyone interested in contributing to the discussion, can do so by
e-mailing joinin@anationalconversation.com.

Greetings, an interesting BBC website, courtesy Norman Calder. regards, the other Ron

Scots 'mither tongue' goes online 

 An archive of the Scots language is now available all over the world thanks to a comprehensive new website.

Researchers
at Glasgow University have completed work on the online resource, which
contains more than four million words in Scots and Scottish English.

 As well as meaning and usage, the project also has audio links, allowing people to hear words being spoken.

 The site, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, can be accessed at www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk

 People
from the US, Australia, China, Japan and South America have already
logged on to use the service, as well as people in Scotland.

  It is one aspect of a long and flourishing cultural heritage.

 Dr Wendy Anderson

Project researcher

 The website currently includes text from 1945 up to the present day, with researchers working on expanding it.

 They are building up a new resource for older varieties of language, dating from 1700 to 1945.

 Once completed this should allow people to trace the development of features of Scots and Scottish English over time.

 Project
researcher, Dr Wendy Anderson, said: “The Scots language is a source of
interest across the world as it is one aspect of a long and flourishing
cultural heritage.The website will be a useful language resource for
academic researchers and students, language learners and teachers,
dictionary writers and secondary school language teachers, not to
mention for the large number of general users who just want to satisfy
a curiosity about the Scots language.”