See Between the Shots

Arch

2009-02-07T16:34:00.001-05:00

Found

2009-01-24T00:22:00.001-05:00

2008-10-19T17:28:00.001-04:00

Precision Demolition

2008-10-12T22:53:00.001-04:00

I looked to my left and there it was

2008-08-13T21:11:00.001-04:00

my first moose

2007-08-13T00:01:00.001-04:00

So. You don't need to go to another country to have fun while traveling. The boyfriend and I went out east--Nova Scotia, which is originally home for me. A week-long roadtrip around the province and to PEI. Both trips I've done with my family, but somehow it's different when you are in control of when to drive, when to stop, when to turn.

Driving through sheets of rain to get to the island, then the North Cape Coastal Drive. The sun is strong, giving incredible contrast between the red soil, blue sky, and green fields. I've seen this all before, but not like this. Cruising on the hilly twisty roads with hardly a car around. He the driver, me the navigator. Roles that we are each content to play. We stop whenever we see something interesting. Lighthouses, windmills, old churches, the perfect ocean-side view, dairy bars, and any sign advertising something irresistibly mouthwatering.

Pulling into a gas station off the highway. Putting 42 litres into the tank. Checking the specifications to see how many litres the tank holds. 42 litres.

We camp, get bitten by mosquitoes, learn how to build a fire, set up our tent as the sun falls down. We get drunk on marshmallows, wine, and fire.

Cape Breton, N.S. Winding our way up, and down, around, and through the Cabot Trail in a trusty Toyota Yaris rental. The Maritimes are built for drivers; the boy enjoys every minute. Acadians, fishing villages, a moose just off a hiking trail, whale watching with pilot whales, a ski-lift ride, descending into a coal mine, stuffing ourselves with delicious seafood.

Strawberry shortcake, lobster rolls, fishing coves, boats, lobster traps, a famous lighthouse. Good, fun things. It always comes down to that.

three overseers

2007-07-24T13:12:00.001-04:00

glow balls

2007-06-08T11:36:00.001-04:00

The University of Toronto's pharmacy building.

where eight wheels takes you

2007-05-14T14:52:00.001-04:00

The first skate of the season is always fun. You get to go places that you wouldn't normally go on foot. Like this bridge, for instance. I've driven by it countless times. It's much better up close.

She plays, I eat

2007-04-02T11:06:00.001-04:00

--Antigua, Guatemala--

I was eating at a restaurant.
She was playing in her space.
I had a table and chair.
She had a ledge and some toys.
I had the boyfriend.
She had a couple of passersby.
We both shared the same view
the same open space
staring across the street at one another.

A hilltop stop in Laos

2007-03-27T11:46:00.000-04:00

I don't remember where I was coming from or where I was going. I remember the driver stopping, but I don't remember why. I remember opening the window to take pictures of the magnificent view. I remember kids getting in the way. I remember waiting for them to move. I remember taking these pictures. I no longer remember the view.

it's all about timing

2007-03-10T19:44:00.001-05:00

--taken at a bird park in Singapore--

Synchronicity. Five syllables. Five. Odd.
Asynchronous. Four syllables. Four. Even.

Sometimes things are just off.

woosh

2006-12-09T19:29:00.000-05:00

picnic tables at it again

2006-11-30T11:02:00.000-05:00

a la perfection

2006-11-14T23:01:00.001-05:00

The annual trip to Montreal was a success.

French was kind of spoken.

A tourist place was visited: Biodome.

A movie was watched at Cinema du Parc: Shortbus.

Copacabana was visited. $4 drinks, a $100 night.

And most importantly, all the mandatory meals were eaten: hotdog poutine from La Banquise, fondue from La Fonderie, Alto's delivery of poutine, pizza and cheesesticks, chicken sandwiches from Coco Rico, Chinese food from Maison VIP, and smoked meat sandwiches from Schwartz's.

It's good to venture outside of Toronto sometimes.

reach out and touch someone

2006-11-14T22:53:00.000-05:00

a man, a horse, a mother, a child

2006-10-27T23:32:00.000-04:00

Sometimes people don't get in the way.

welcome to the library

2006-09-27T12:39:00.000-04:00

courtesy of a guest photographer: the boyfriend, using a Sony W7.

bird's eye view

2006-08-09T11:34:00.000-04:00

2006-05-05T22:21:00.001-04:00

I thought they only parked like this in Japan.

streetcar jam

2006-01-28T00:12:00.001-05:00

A starry night

2005-12-10T22:50:00.000-05:00

You can see stars in the city. If you look hard enough.

grow different

2005-11-17T12:44:00.000-05:00

Koh Tao, Thailand.
This horizontal tree provided the perfect line of shade for a day on the beach.

the most amazing thing I saw this summer

2005-11-12T23:00:00.001-05:00

Lake Taal, in Tagaytay, The Philippines.
A lake inside a volcano inside a lake inside a volcano.

red means stop

2005-11-02T11:54:00.000-05:00

I didn't know they lit up Niagara Falls at night. It was freezing outside, and we waited 20 minutes hoping for the colour to change. Giving up, we hailed a taxi. Of course, it then changed to green.

see you in october

2005-06-07T22:12:00.000-04:00

It's too hard to keep this up while traveling. Check again in October. For now, new pictures will be added to my flickr stream.

capital T

2005-04-25T10:47:00.001-04:00

A friend is currently visiting from Canada. Together, the next while will be spent traveling outside my comfort zone of Nagoya. For me, a farewell to Japan. For him, a hello.

Some highlights from Tokyo:

The Tokyo Metropolitan Buildings. An elevator to the 45th floor, gives us a view of the city. Absolutely sprawling, at every angle, as far as the eye can see.

On the opposite side of the tracks, Kabukicho, where adults go to play. Drink, eat, fuck. Repeat. Just follow the lights.

The Prada building in Harajuku. The pathway there teeming with shoppers, anxious to trade their yen in for designer goods.

Ueno park. I took a similar picture last year. It's better this year.

My favorite building. The Asahi Building, in Asakusa.

A genuine treat. The bus to Tokyo rounds a bend, and all of a sudden, there it is. 2 years in Japan, and I've only experienced the view from a plane.

incoming

2005-04-14T03:26:00.000-04:00

I could feel the footbridge vibrating from the traffic, both above and below.

a self-portrait of sorts

2005-03-31T18:23:00.000-05:00

open eyes open

2005-03-21T21:49:00.000-05:00

I walk by this everyday.

But it's the first time I saw something.

balance beam

2005-03-15T10:10:00.000-05:00

I'd like to be an ant. Following an undetermined path of pipes, poles, and grooves. Up, down, horizontal, diagonal.

the attraction

2005-03-08T21:37:00.000-05:00

A gnarly tree turned black by the blocking of the sun by tall buildings.
Beside it for 500 yen, people revolve.
What do they see up there?

destruction

2005-03-06T21:31:00.000-05:00

Now this is must be a fun job.

it's a beautiful day...

2005-02-28T06:19:00.001-05:00

An early morning start at 4 am. But not leaving the city until almost 6. Showers, getting breakfast, and bad directions to homes never before visited get in the way. A 4 hour drive to Nagano. Land of mountains, and snow. My eyes remain closed for almost the entire trip. Lack of sleep combined with the twisty, turny, forever winding mountain roads end with me clutching a plastic bag, hoping I don't have to use it. When the car door finally opens, the fresh, cold air sends the nausea packing. I breathe deeply, filling my lungs, and waking up my body. The day is perfect. Sun, and fresh snow. My body is feasting.

A piece of encoded plastic is my lift ticket. God, I love Japanese technology. Scanned through a gate before getting on the gondola. Gone are the badges of honor that show everyone how many times you've skied that season. I feel like snagging one for a souvenir. But at a replacement cost of 1000 yen, decide against it.

I'd only been skiing about half a dozen times over the past 10 years, and had never quite gotten it. But after a few tips from my ex-ski instructor friend, I was flying. Erratic Ss and sometimes Zs, with intermittent snowplowing became one long snake stretching from the top of the mountain to the bottom. Instead of focusing my eyes on my skis, I take in the view as I go down. I'm finally learning how to fly. I want to do a hundred runs, but settle for six. While waiting for my snowboard friends to strap on their boards, I snap some pictures. I can't believe I'm in Japan. I can't believe I haven't been coming here every weekend. So often, I'm guilty of having the impression that Nagoya is Japan, because it's where I live. Even though I've traveled Japan quite a bit, it's good to have this reminder again, before leaving.

We get back late, around 11 pm, fighting through traffic as it feels like everyone is returning to the city. We're exhausted, but content. I continue flying as I go to bed, my hands in fists gripping the poles.

in the sandbox

2005-02-24T09:30:00.000-05:00

This is what you drive after you're done playing with Tonka trucks.

shop and ride

2005-02-14T09:49:00.000-05:00

A new department store, with a ferris wheel attached to the outer wall. Only in Japan...

white hole

2005-01-29T04:51:00.000-05:00

I wonder what the view is like from the top.

glass

2005-01-28T08:24:00.000-05:00

35 degrees in KL. My window would be open too.

Hindu Gods

2005-01-26T23:43:00.000-05:00

the way out

2005-01-22T05:05:00.000-05:00

Could you do it?

animals

2005-01-16T00:24:00.000-05:00

A butterfly park, a bird park, a zoo, the wild. Two continents. The only thing missing is the aquarium.

the beach

2005-01-02T23:30:00.004-05:00

The Petronas Towers

2005-01-01T09:01:00.000-05:00

where do you live?

2004-12-08T09:19:00.001-05:00

I live by Nagoya Dome.

stretch

2004-12-07T08:55:00.000-05:00

This tree wasn't content to just grow on one side of the brook. It had to reach out to the other side.

I love docks

2004-11-25T09:12:00.000-05:00

This one had character. A couple rotten boards towards the middle, with a crook. What a metaphor for life.

Is it a house or a boat?

2004-11-16T09:01:00.000-05:00

Either way, it looks like a fun place to live.

More Elvis

2004-11-11T11:12:00.000-05:00

Check out the hair. It kills me.

Birdwatchers?

2004-10-28T10:29:00.000-04:00

I went to the Suzuka F1 race a few weeks ago. These fans will do anything for a good view.

Elvis Impersonators

2004-10-18T21:55:00.000-04:00

The Japanese can't sing, but man can they dance. I'd always heard of the crazy Elvis impersonators, but never had a chance to see them until this past weekend. Hair slicked back, dark shades, dressed completely in black. Elvis' voice blaring from speakers powered by portable generators. 4 men in a circle, each taking turns or competing against each other, showing off their Elvis moves. He would have been proud.

Belugas

2004-10-07T21:53:00.000-04:00

They're glowing white animals in a sea of black. Beautiful.

Woof

2004-10-05T12:38:00.000-04:00

This is a Japanese dog, called a Shiba. They're very common here in Japan. Small, and friendly...kinda like the people.

Ferris Wheel

2004-09-26T10:00:00.000-04:00

I took this in Kobe last winter. It wasn't open for riding at the time. Not that I would have gone near it. I remember getting on one with my uncle, as a kid. After the first revolution, I was screaming at the operator to stop, and trying to lift up the safety bar to let myself out. Scary ferris wheel - I'd take an earthquake any day.

View

2004-09-23T22:13:00.000-04:00

This is the view from the entrance to my apartment. Nagoya Dome - I see it everyday, but I haven't been in it yet.

Bones

2004-09-20T00:30:00.000-04:00

We should always look up when lying under a tree.

Garden

2004-08-31T21:22:00.000-04:00

Another taste of home. I've always enjoyed looking out the kitchen window, and being able to see two gardens - a vegetable one, and a flower one.

Toronto

2004-08-24T21:11:00.000-04:00

I made a stop in Toronto before going home to NS, to see some friends from University. I hadn't seen such a red sky in quite some time. My camera didn't quite capture it, but it still looks remarkable.

Lobster

2004-08-22T12:19:00.000-04:00

The best thing about being from the East Coast of Canada.

Funky

2004-08-03T23:20:00.000-04:00

When my friend came to visit me from Canada, we stayed at a youth hostel in Tokyo, close to Yoyogi park. It was on the site of the former Olympic village, from when Tokyo hosted the '64 Olympics. This is the main building housing the cafeteria, etc. I can't believe it was built in the '60s.

A beach can be a beach without sand

2004-07-29T11:23:00.000-04:00

This was taken last year, when I was in Canada. It's the closest patch of shore to my house, and I spent a lot of summers walking along it's rocky coast. I'm looking forward to going there again this summer.

The best picture I never took

2004-07-12T22:09:00.000-04:00

My friend spent the last two months working on an organic farm at the base of Fuji-san. He said for the first month, it was just kind of there. And for the second month, he'd run out every morning to see what it looked like. This is a rare, clear day when you can see the peak. It's usually covered in a cap of clouds. They say you can tell the weather by what the cloud cover on top of Fuji-san looks like.

Auto Shoeser

2004-07-08T21:59:00.000-04:00

Bowling in Japan is a unique experience. The bowling shoes come out of an automated machine. The wall is lined with machines for each foot size. You simply push a button, and they pop out of the chute at the bottom. How cool is that?

Beach Ball

2004-07-07T22:13:00.000-04:00

This is one of my favourite pictures. I took it last summer, during my only venture to a beach in Japan. The boy had no clothes on, just his red ball. The picture turned out a little blurry, but I think I prefer it that way.

The Beach

2004-05-25T10:30:00.000-04:00

It was a rainy day on a tropical island in Okinawa. My friend and I plodded on a dirt road, through the pouring rain to get here. It was absolutely deserted. But in the absence of a blazing sun, we did see a different kind of beauty.

My View of Japan Through a Generic Sony

2004-05-25T10:27:00.000-04:00

I've been in Japan for a year, and have taken about 1,000 pictures.
I think it's time to share.

2004-05-03T21:43:00.001-04:00

Heavy Load

I saw this man on a busy Sunday afternoon in Osaka. He was moving, slowly but surely, through a crowded outdoor shopping mall. The load he was pulling was wider than that of a typical Japanese car. I wonder where he was going.

2004-03-23T20:08:00.000-05:00

Look closely, what do you see?

My friend and I went to a fertility festival a couple weeks ago. It involved the parading of a rather large phallus by drunken Japanese men, and various shrines with rocks that made us titter. God, I love Japan!

2004-02-23T22:34:00.001-05:00