focused and unfocused self-portraits taken at home
subject: me? or the daisy?
Stuck At Home
When you’re stuck at home, might as well use this opportunity to take photos… or share old ones (in this case).
everyone’s current mood?!
or everyone’s current mood?!
As most of the world is stuck at home due to what’s happening with the Covid-19 pandemic, people cope and keep busy or NOT keep busy in multiple ways.
Given the extra time I now have in my hands, I decided to share these photos while at home at this point in time. Nothing much to say about it really, but I sure do miss my grey ombre hair.
As for the Covid-19 pandemic, hoping all this settles down in the near future. && many thanks to all front liners working and serving our communities, and keeping us healthy!
A special shout out to my mom and Ate (older sister) for working at the front lines of this global pandemic. Praying always for their health and safety!
Keep safe everyone!
Photo by Colleen
urban out
This was a farewell blog post I created back in February 2019, which I am only publishing now. Hehe oops! :) Read along for a glimpse of what I’ve worked on while at UO.
For the past 3 years, Urban Outfitters has always been good to me! Working at the flagship store here in Vancouver has been a great experience, especially alongside the chillest managers and co-workers 🤘🏻 What I liked the most is that I enjoyed and learned different areas of the business from talking to customers, selling merch, folding clothes (dropfolding is 💯), packing orders, unpacking boxes, merchandising, and sharing creative ideas.
Sharing some photos of the mini creative projects I was involved in:
• wearing UO merch (Kanken bag anyone? HAHA)
• taking a few product shots for the UO Vancouver IG
• assisting with store display (painting walls, drilling things, nailing things, hanging things, and taping things) *also hello to 12 ft ladders!!! no joke
• assisting with visuals and window display (putting up wallpaper, window film, and graphics)
It’s not your typical customer service/retail job — that I can say.
BEFORE
DURING
AFTER
wallpaper close-up shot
another wallpaper close-up shot - can’t you tell I’m obsessed with this aesthetic?!
I honestly loved working here at UO! (some co-workers may disagree hahah) I think what really helped was having opportunities to be involved in creating things inside and outside the store, and not just talking to customers and selling merch. I’m lucky to have worked with such a cool company during my university years! Thanks UO, it’s been a blast!
urban out,
Marie
2015 - 2019
Exploring Gibson's Pier & Ferry Ride To Vancouver
If you are reading this blog post, you may have already known what I've been up to at Gibsons, BC two years ago. If not, read my previous post about my time at Camp Sunrise with mothers and their children.
The second day of the Moms & Tots Camp, I had a longer break in the afternoon while the moms & tots had bonding time together. The camp staff had prepared an afternoon fair filled with games and fun activities for the camp participants.
This meant I had an opportunity to explore the island of Gibsons - a forty minute ferry ride from the Vancouver Ferry port. I figured I could use this extra time to check out Gibsons’ downtown area.
Filippa, a fellow chaperone who I had met during the ferry ride, had the same idea. Filippa is from Finland and she was here in Vancouver on a working holiday visa. We left at 1pm and walked to the nearest bus stop. We got the chance to explore the pier. Lots of boats were docked during this summer. Since it was a Saturday, people were outside enjoying the sun.
Here's a few photos I took at the pier and on our way home from camp.
AUG 2016
Moms & Tots At Camp Sunrise
Two summers ago, I was tasked to babysit/chaperone at a mother-child camp called "Moms & Tots" at Camp Sunrise in Gibsons, BC.
In my previous blog post, I have mentioned that I did a co-op work term at The Salvation Army. I was hired as a summer intern at one of their offices here in Vancouver. I assisted with various programs run by this unit, which includes a breakfast program, a gardening club, and a women’s group, and helped with administrative tasks.
Summer time is a busy time for The Salvation Army as the organization runs a variety of camps for families and children of various ages. One of this is the Moms & Tots Camp.
The Moms & Tots Camp is a 3-day & 2-night camp for mothers and their younger children as an end-of-summer bonding/mini-vacation opportunity before school starts in September. It’s an annual camp organized by The Salvation Army for families in the lower-income bracket and/or those with certain vulnerabilities.
A number of participants coming from cities all over the Lower Mainland attended this camp. My rough estimate would be around 80 - 100 mother and children participants. In order to reach Camp Sunrise, the participants and I rode a ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale Terminal. It was a 40-minute ride to the ferry terminal, and a 15-minute walk to Camp Sunrise. I was in-charge of chaperoning a group of 7 mothers and 8 children; we stayed in one cabin.
Spending time with these mothers and children, I’ve observed various parenting styles and dynamics of each family. Some children had strict sleeping schedules while others had flexible ones. This would often translate to their eating habits and play time as well.
Speaking of eating, our meals were SO GOOD! There was a large variety of food - buffet style! No complaints! For breakfast, we had pancakes, waffles, bread, eggs, bacon, sausages, cereal, yogurt, and fresh fruit. For lunch and dinner, we had vegetable salad, pasta, soup, meat dishes, and fresh fruit. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take photos of the dining hall :(
I spent most of my time here with the children especially while their mothers attended seminars and participated in camp activities. I was around the younger children (toddlers and preschool-aged) babysitting them in the playground or in the activities hall. I had so much fun with them! I got to talk to them, play with them, and help them out with games/puzzles.
Being at this camp took me back to my own childhood years - to the times I played outside our house with my sisters or neighbours, to the times our parents would take us swimming, and to the many times I was being picky with food (not anymore! HAHA).
I realized how blessed I am to have parents that love my siblings and I so much! I am blessed that my parents chose to spend their time with us whenever they were done working. I am blessed to have a childhood where all I had to think of was school and extra-curriculars.
Here are some of the photos I took during my break. A 10-minute walk from the cabin will bring you to the shore of this island. You could see the ferry dock from this point. There were logs scattered along the shore that people use for sitting. I went here in the morning for some quiet time for myself.
The only time I had a break from chaperoning was a few hours in the afternoon. This time was allotted for mothers and children to bond together. They were able to roam around the campgrounds, swim in the pool, or to freshen up. I, on the other hand, would get some rest, and/or explore around.
Want to know what I was up to during my downtime at Camp Sunrise? Wait till the next post!
AUG 2016
A Trip To Fort Langley
Last Summer 2016, I had the opportunity to explore Fort Langley with a lovely Women's Group, as part of my co-op work term at The Salvation Army. This was a short field trip into the town of Fort Langley, about a forty minute drive from Vancouver.
We explored the town centre and browsed at the local shops. We passed the community hall and local post office, and visited a church as well (not pictured here).
Fort Langley has a small town feel. There are lots of small shops and local diners that have been running for decades. For some of these women, it was their first time visiting this place. I, too, share in this experience. I was not aware of such a town until this day. hehe oops?
After walking around town for about an hour, we proceeded to have our lunch at the lelam’ cafe.
The lelam’ Arts & Cultural Cafe is an Indigenous owned cafe, with a menu incorporating some of the traditional flavours of the Coast Salish diet. Their dishes include wild smoked sockeye, wild pacific salmon, and bannock (a type of bread).
Good news! I found out they have an express cafe at the Richmond Cultural Centre!
I forgot what my sandwich was called but I had a chicken breast sandwich with mushroom soup on the side. The purple spread is their cranberry chutney YUM!!! (I checked their recent menu and this is not being served currently)
Take a look of how GOOD this sandwich is - TASTES GOOD TOO!
After lunch, we all made our way to the Fort Langley National Historic Site - a former fur trade post of Hudson's Bay Company. It’s also commonly referred to the ‘birthplace of British Columbia’.
When we entered the site, we arrived just in time for the blacksmith's presentation. There were also barrel-making and gold panning live demonstrations, but it did not fit our schedule. The site was full of costumed storytellers sharing the tales of this trading post back in the 1800s. It’s like you’re re-living the past!
Another good thing about visiting this place is that they provide self-guided audio tours in languages other than English (ex. Mandarin, Japanese, French, Spanish, etc.) - perfect for the multicultural nature of Vancouverites.
Blacksmith Shop
Overview of Fort Langley National Historic Site
Cooperage (barrel-making and woodworking)
Big House (where HBC directors/traders stayed)
Tried on one of their uniforms here and took a ‘candid’ shot HAHA :)
Thankful for this opportunity to visit Fort Langley with this lovely group of women. Hopefully, I can visit back to explore the town a little more. I’m sure there’s so much more to see!
JUL 2016
Alouette Lake Camping Trip
The summer of 2015, my friends and I went on our second camping trip together. We camped at the Golden Ears Provincial Park by Alouette Lake in Maple Ridge, BC.
We booked our own campgrounds away from the other campers. What I liked about it, was that it was a 5 minute walk away from the lake. Once we arrived at our campsite, the girls and I hurried to the lake while the guys started setting up. Don't worry, we helped them out after! hehe
Since this was our second time camping together, we got a pretty good grasp of anything camp-related. We brought everything from tents and sleeping bags, food and drinks, a grill and cooking stuff, clothing and toiletries, cleaning stuff, etc. We even got sparklers too! :)
Baby, you're a firework...
Our second day, we went on a short hike to Lower Falls. It took us 20 minutes to reach the falls from the parking lot. I'm not even sure if you would call it a 'hike', since it felt more like a 'walk'. We just went there in our flip flops (except one... ) and it wasn't that bad. There were families that Saturday so I'd consider it a fairly easy hike.
One by one, we jumped into this pool of emerald green COLD water. And ohhh, it was cold!!! Super lamig, grabe! But totally refreshing!!!
We jumped from about a 12-15 feet cliff, which was a little too high for us. A few of us hesitated at first, I being one of them, but gave in at the end! So worth it! :)
Our last day consisted of taking down our tents, cleaning the campsite, and chilling at Alouette Lake. Not pictured here, but we grilled our leftover burger patties and sausages, and had an afternoon picnic. By this time, everyone's pretty exhausted so we just hung out and tanned in the sun.
Camping in the woods has been one of my dreams! I've seen it in movies and tv shows, and wondered how they would be like. Thanks to my awesome friends for being down for trips like these where we could take a break from our busy lives and spend time together. Cheers to the next!
AUG 2015
Around The World
I went around the world in less than 100 steps!!!
And my oh my, was it a windy day! Can't you tell? My hair was all over the place and all over my face! hehe :)
Colleen and I met this day and had lunch at Stepho's on Davie Street. Greek food, yum!!! I remember my old Samsung S3 phone dying on me and that I seriously needed a new battery. Or maybe a new phone...? Kidding... I kept my phone for another two years!
After lunch, we went on walking downtown and passed this really cool art exhibit featuring a world map. It was interactive in a way that you could walk near the wall. If you look closely, there is water surrounding the stepping blocks, and yes, my feet got wet walking on those.
Woven Chronicle by Reena Saini Kallat
This world map was showcased at the Vancouver Art Gallery Offsite, an outdoor exhibition space which presents public art projects by local and international artists. Pictured here is the Woven Chronicle installation by Mumbai-based artist Reena Saini Kallat. It was on display from May to October 2015.
“The rendering of the world map is treated like a piece of embroidery, suggesting the knitting together of different cultures... The work serves as a reminder that these past migrations have resulted in the cultural exchanges that define our population today.”
This piece shows how much our world is intertwined and wired up together through migration/travel, trade, and communication. I felt this exhibit is perfect for Vancouver, a city which embodies multiculturalism. Our city is so diverse with people from all over the world, and that's one thing I like about living here.
But hey, I'm still looking forward to actually going around the world! Hopefully, in MORE than 100 steps! :)
See you then,
Marie
JUL 2015
Photo by Colleen
Green Wall & Blue Waters
In A Vintage Shirt
I did not quite understand the design of this vintage shirt, and that's exactly why I bought it. It looked like a person just randomly drawn a bunch of lines and shapes on fabric and sewn it into a shirt. I got the shirt from one of the stores in Gastown called Community Vintage and Thrift - a shop I stumbled upon while walking around the area a few weeks ago.
Colleen and I took photos inside the Woodward's building which, by the way, has an indoor basketball hoop. So, if you ever want to play ball and you happen to be downtown, you know where to go! It's more of a half court, really.
Nothing else to say about these photos other than I AM wearing shorts :)
AUG 2015
Photo by Colleen