Night at the Opera

Last night’s performance of Puccinni’s Tosca performed by the Vancouver Opera was highly enjoyable. I was thoroughly impressed by the costumes, set decorations and the performances of the 3 main characters (Tosca played by Cynthia Lawrence, Cavaradossi played by Renzo Zulian and the villian Scarpia played by Yalun Zhang). I won’t get into any details about the plot as you can find the synopsis here.

At times I have to admit I felt like I was watching a Soap Opera (hmmm maybe that is why they came up with that name). The melodramatic moments and the over emphasis was sometimes comical to watch. I know this isn’t proper “Opera Etiquette” but it was an experience.

Russ and I did comment at the end when Cynthia Lawrence (who plays Flora Tosca) had her “bow”, purely a “Diva Moment” devouring the audiences' applause. It reminded me of Mimmie Drivers’ version of Carlotta in the movie Phantom of the Opera. For all of you who didn’t see the movie, her famous line is “they Lovaba me, they Lovaba me” (strong Italian accent) HAHAHAHA.

Any ways this was a great performance and I had a fantastic time. I will definitely see another one, but I will have to see what the 2007/2008 Season will bring. I do believe La Boehme will be one of them.

To the Opera

Tonight I'm heading to the Opera for the very first time. Russ has managed to get some tickets to the Vancouver Opera's rendition of Puccinni's Tosca.

I'm not sure what to expect, but I've always wanted to say I at least attended one in my life.

I'll try to report more after the show.

To Blackberry or not to Blackberry

It seems lately our office is on the Blackberry [link] bandwagon. Everyone seems to be getting one version of the Blackberry or another and I'm starting to wonder if I'm falling behind.

Now I currently don't like the selection of Blackberry Telus offers and I find them very clunky and not very stylish. After all I'm all about the style. And not to mention the cost of the data plans here in Canada are ridiculous.

Now recently Apple has announced the new iPhone which is scheduled to hit the stores south of the border beginning in June. We still don't have any confirmation as to when Apple will be issuing it in Canada. People have speculated that Rogers will have to carry the device as the iPhone will be GMS [wiki] enabled allowing for the rich features.

Of course in my opinion Rogers has the best selection of Blackberry's out there. And I'm not just saying this because my niece is the Manager of Accessories for Rogers, but just stating the obvious.

Now my dilemma is should I just wait it out for the iPhone to hit the market here in Canada before I make my switch from Telus to Rogers (or which ever carrier it goes to), or should I just bite the bullet after my contract is up with Telus and move over to Rogers for a Blackberry? I'm not saying I'm not happy with my service at Telus, far from it, but when you want to have cool phones you have to go where they are.

Well some choices for sure.

Damn Those Mites and Other Fun Bits

I took Junior to the vet on Saturday to get his booster shots (2nd shots, one more to go) and during the examination we found out that Junior has ear mites. The symptoms have been there for a few days now, he scratches his ears alot, shakes his head. So now I have to give my lovely boy some ear drops once a day for the next 2 weeks. He's pretty good at taking them actually, he seems to know that this is going to help him in the long run.

I also went out to dinner with Andrea and Theresa on Saturday night to the Atlantic Trap and Grill. This is a bar with very "East Coast" feel, alot of music, alot of drinking and alot of partying. They usually have bands playing on Thursday and Saturday nights and you can check out their April Calendar on the following link. We had some good grub and I stayed to watch a bit of the band (Pearl Jim) who I would categorize as a fusion jazz/funk/celtic band.

Also on Saturday and Sunday Russ and I started our spring clean frenzy. We tackled the deck and started removing all the dead plants and just some general cleaning. We bought some new planters that stand 3 feet high and had a hell of a time trying to figure out if we should just add soil to part of the container or the whole thing. We ended up just adding gravel to 1/3 of it and then dirt to the rest. Now with such a small deck (8x8) I was thinking it wouldn't take so long, but it is still not finished and I still need to remove some plants from the window boxes and decided what plants to put there this season. Boy I've become a gardener, but not like many, I do not find it relaxing at all! I enjoy the finish product and don't like the journey to it. But that is just me. :)

Mom's Surgery

Today my mom is going through an Angioplasty [wiki]. Though this procedure is fairly regular and few risks, one has to remember that is a heart procedure none-the-less.

My prayers are with my mom as she goes through this procedure and I know the recovery will take sometime.

This wonderful Youtube.com video shows the procedure. My sister Maria tells me it will only take about an hour and then they will observer her for 4 hours afterwards.




UPDATE: Looks like she won't be going through this procedure after all. The doctors have told my mom that upon reviewing the case, it will probably do more harm than good. She has to go through a stress test and see. There some blockage in her artery but they say it doesn't suffice to do this procedure as they can probably treat it with medication. PHEW!

Happy Birthday Dad

Yet again I have a birthday greeting to send out. Not just any birthday greeting, but this one is for my Dad.

So Dad, if you are reading this, Feliz Compleano!!!

Spend it well and don't overwork. Surround yourself with family and enjoy the grandkids!!!

Ok I've said it all.

:)

I'm Twittering

I have just joined Twitter (link)

For all those who don't know what Twitter is, basically it is a "mini blog" where you type 1 sentence of how you are doing or what your are doing at a specific moment in time.

These are showcased on my sidebar below, and you can have others join your group of friends. So please sign up and add me to your group of friends.

Pretty interesting.

Thanks Darren Barefoot for the CPRS Seminar yesterday and bringing me on board this new avenue.

Happy Birthday Ernie

OH MY GAWD...OK the birthdays keep coming and coming.

Happy Birthday to my niece's husband Ernie. (Sorry I'm getting old and I don't have a "Blackberry" (hint hint) to keep things on track)

Hope you have a fantastic birthday and enjoy yourself today.

Love
Your Uncle-in-Law

Happy Birthday to my Sister Maria!

Well today my lovely sister turns the big 4-0.

I remember fighting with her on the couch when we were little, kicking each other, slapping each other, throwing things at each other and just plain yelling at each other. Ahhh the good old days. Now we are more civial to each other. Hmmm do you think it's age related?

I do miss not seeing her as often or talking with her as often. So to my baby sister (even though you are the middle child) I wish you all the best on your 40th birthday!!!

With big hugz and kisses!
Your Brother!