Olympic Moments

It's certainly exciting to have the 2010 Olympics at our doorstep despite the tax money our citizens would have to fork out in the years to come. Since we would have to pay for this memorable event one way or another, we might as well make the best of it. P and I went to try out the free Olympic line between Granville Island and the Olympic Village the other day. The train was new and quiet. From the looks of it, lots of other people went to enjoy the temporary Bombardier transportation too. P and I also checked out the many festive displays downtown as well as the Zipline and free ice rink at Robson Square; I've posted those pictures on Facebook. We were saying that Vancouver should really have these kinds of attractions permanently to attract more tourists.

A few days ago, my students and I also took advantage of the fact that the torch relay was passing by our neighbourhood...so we went to see it! Yes, even the pouring rain did not steal our Olympic spirits! We all wore red and white and Olympic gear. One student dressed as the flag while others brought signs. The street was filled with other school students as well as nearby residents. It was a long walk for us but very memorable. Though, to be honest, I didn't even know who this particular torch bearer was.

Then, I was telling P how I was a little disappointed that though we went to see the torch, I didn't get a chance to take a picture with it and the bearer. Well, believe it or not, one torch bearer happened to visit our school! The students went crazy and all our staff became like little fans asking for pictures. He is also the husband of one of our district's well-known employee, so he stayed and took pictures with some of the staff! How exciting indeed. He informed us that the torch cost him $371 to keep and if I heard him correctly, anyone can buy one too.

Movie Marathon

Recently, my coworker passed along an excellent site where I can watch all the recent movies without having to pay nor download. The quality of these full length movies are usually from satisfactory to excellent too. As a result, all P and my leisure time at home have become movie- watching time. I, especially, have watched quite a few movies in a week: Fame, Leap Year, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, The Blind Side, Up in the Air, Lovely Bones, Julie & Julia, My Sister's a Keeper, etc. With the Oscars coming up, this is a great way to catch up on all those movies P and I didn't get a chance to see but are potentially good.

From all that I've watched recently, I especially enjoyed The Blind Side and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Blind Side is so touching because of Sandra Bullock playing a mother who "adopts" the 18 year old potential football player Michael Oher. He was homeless and came from a broken family. With Bullock and the family's support, he became a successful NFL player. The inspiring part is this is a true story. I'm not a mother yet but being a teacher, and watching the character Mike struggle with his learning as well as trust on Bullock, I was truly touched. I don't even like football and I liked the movie!

As for Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, at first, I thought it was just a kid-family movie like many others. But this one had a wonderful technology/science message integrated into its creative depiction of parent-child relationship. Moreover, it was so clever of them to incorporate humourous food pairings with specific events throughout the movie. It was a pleasure to watch. Even P, who usually sleeps through 80% of movies, said he liked this one.