My mom suggested I submit a chapter for the annual Province Serial Thriller writing competition. I have been trying to motivate myself to do some creative writing soon, so this was a great opportunity. A clear motive and a deadline, easy peasy – or so I thought. Turns out being creative is tough business!
A total of 9 chapters will make up the series – the first and last by novelist Daniel Kalla, and chapters 2-8 submitted by aspiring writers and detectives to a panel of judges, who choose the most coherent and interesting one for publication in the newspaper. We saw Chapter 5 this past Sunday…and writers, you have until Wednesday at 9am to submit Chapter 6 for consideration.
I went through about 5 pages of notes to try and get the story straight after reading Chapters 1-5, thinking the next events would magically become clear to me. I guess concocting a clever plot is not my forte…my biggest frustration was knowing I couldn’t finish the story. I wanted to have all the answers laid out right away. But this limitation actually turned out to be my saving grace – it forced me to embrace the challenge of writing in the moment, letting the direction pave its own way. Like life, we don’t ever really know how the end will come or what it will look like. But we write and live on anyway, don’t we?
The larry. line and site are still in the works and being perfected to the ultimate, but for now a few temporary sample images are up. If you are interested in ordering a custom hand knit scarf shoot me an email, but otherwise stay tuned for a more extensive line of goods from your friend larry.
The third annual Nepali Film Festival goes down tomorrow at Langara College. 13 documentary and feature films from Nepali filmmakers will screen tomorrow, February 24th, with proceeds going to the Buddha Home Academy project in Kathmandu, Nepal.
I will be going with my friends Nina, Rajen and their beautiful daughter Asha. These are our picks:
The Icefall Doctor: Angnima Sherpa
Director: Hari Thapa
The Icefall Doctor examines the life and work of Angnima Sherpa who, since 1975, has made the Khumbu Icefall safe for thousands of climbers. The Khumbu Icefall is the terrifying gateway to Mt. Everest from the south side. Angnima and his team are the first ones too reach base camp, and the last ones to leave. Building anchors and setting ladders, safety is their top priority. This fascinating, beautiful film brings to light an aspect of climbing of which many people are unaware.
Daughters of Everest Directors: Sapana Sakya and Ramyata Limbu
The award winning and captivating, Daughters of Everest documents the first ever expedition of Sherpa women to climb Mt. Everest. Although the Sherpa people are legendary for their unmatched skill in mountaineering, Sherpa women are discouraged from climbing Everest, relegated instead to support roles in the climbing industry of Nepal. Told from a woman’s perspective rarely seen on Everest or off, this film is both a dramatic, inspiring Everest story and an absorbing portrait of the Sherpa community.
December Blues Director: Shekar Kharel
A look at modern day Kathmandu through the eyes of the affluent youth. This intriguing documentary shows a side of Kathmandu outside the typical scenes of mountain villages and their inhabitants. It shows Nepal youth embracing dance clubs, party websites and western style revelerie.
Head to the VAG FOR for art, music and live performance…and adult beverages. Tonight watch out for performances by the Theatre Conspiracy. $15, free for VAG members. 6pm-midnight.
I probably won’t make it to Fuse, but you should! I have a photography class tomorrow AM, friends visiting from Victoria and lots to do in between. Must hit the hay early tonight..
Just read about this Nationwide Freeze happening tomorrow, Saturday February 23. Watch the clip above, what a mind trip that would be! Imagine passing through Grand Central with hundreds of people frozen in action.
Citizens of Vancouver, here are your instructions:
Meet at Waterfront skytrain station, in the very center of the main hall at 2:30pm. Synchronize watches, then head out to the Vancouver Art Gallery where the group will simultaneously freeze at 3:15pm. Hold the freeze for 5 minutes and then resume normal activity.
I may have to duck out of my photography class early for this…
After work and errands this morning I took Chloe out to Steveston to walk around Garry Point with my younger brother and my family’s dog, Jill. So beautiful out but very chilly. Chloe and I relaxed in front of Pajo’s Fish and Chips for a bit, I drank my coffee and ate some french fries while we waited for the young’uns to arrive. Jill had more than a few splashes in the rain lake in the middle of the park, which freezes over for ice skating in the winter and doesn’t dry up until the summer. Not more than a foot deep anywhere I would imagine. Basically it’s a stagnant water pool for dogs to play in and ducks to live in, and Jill smelled like a ditch afterwards. Towards the end of our walk there was a little hill sprinkled with crocus bunches, so we stopped to take photos. That’s Jill and the fake lake in the background. So pretty!
