9.22.2008
Closing Ceremonies Beijing
Kevin and Oskar ended the Olympic Regatta in 4th. They performed extremely well in the second half of the regatta and scored 4 second places in a row. They just missed the bronze and made Canada, friends, and family extremely proud of them. China put on an incredible show and this olympic experience will be a great memory for the rest of my life.
8.15.2008
Day 1 of racing in Qingdao
Oskar and Kevin were delayed after shifty and light winds. With one race into the 10 race regatta they are in 8th place. For full results go to www.sailing.org or www.tornado.org
I caught him on tv yesterday on the local network QTV, channel 11, but the Tornado race weren't televised. Instead the Stars were.
See below for pics.
Last night after racing and a debrief Oskar and I caught a taxi to go out to Italian. The taxi drivers are crazy here, but do tone it down for westerns, even so as we were pulling in front of the restaurant the driver slams on his brakes and we hear a huge crash.
Very scary considering their are no seatbelts in the back seats of the cabs. Anyway, it turns out the authorities were using what looked like an over sized bike rack to warn drivers of an uncovered manhole (no lights, cones, or lane merging devices being used). So Oskar and I ran out of the taxi, threw our 10 rambos at our driver, and headed to our table for a much needed glass of wine.
Apparently, I did a little research this morning. The first american death during the olympics, which was swept under the red rug, was of a female volunteer on her way home to her hotel at night and fell into an uncovered man hole. It turns out that the covers are a hot commodity and were being stolen for scrap metal to use in the construction going on in beijing and qingdao.
I caught him on tv yesterday on the local network QTV, channel 11, but the Tornado race weren't televised. Instead the Stars were.
See below for pics.
Last night after racing and a debrief Oskar and I caught a taxi to go out to Italian. The taxi drivers are crazy here, but do tone it down for westerns, even so as we were pulling in front of the restaurant the driver slams on his brakes and we hear a huge crash.
Very scary considering their are no seatbelts in the back seats of the cabs. Anyway, it turns out the authorities were using what looked like an over sized bike rack to warn drivers of an uncovered manhole (no lights, cones, or lane merging devices being used). So Oskar and I ran out of the taxi, threw our 10 rambos at our driver, and headed to our table for a much needed glass of wine.
Apparently, I did a little research this morning. The first american death during the olympics, which was swept under the red rug, was of a female volunteer on her way home to her hotel at night and fell into an uncovered man hole. It turns out that the covers are a hot commodity and were being stolen for scrap metal to use in the construction going on in beijing and qingdao.
Around the Village...
Below are some pictures from around the athlete's village.
This is one of the many abstract sculptures on the outskirts of the athlete's village.
The red wall is where athletes can sign their name and leave a message.
The Tornado is the most popular boat to be showcased on the building sized posters around Qingdao.
This is the view of the harbor from Oskar's room on the 10th floor.
This is one of the many abstract sculptures on the outskirts of the athlete's village.
The red wall is where athletes can sign their name and leave a message.
The Tornado is the most popular boat to be showcased on the building sized posters around Qingdao.
This is the view of the harbor from Oskar's room on the 10th floor.
8.13.2008
The Olympic Village
Oskar gave me a tour yesterday of the Olympic Village and it's awesome.
The guys are staying at a 5-star hotel, but for free. All athletes have at their disposal; unlimited massages/reflexology, healthcare, food (dining hall and take-away cafe), gym, olympic sized pool and an army of volunteers. The newly built hotel offers the athletes sheek cafes/lounges, modern styled bedrooms with king size beds, views of the harbor, flatscreen tvs, wireless internet, and uber-fancy bathrooms. I'm really curious what these rooms with go for on a nightly basis once opened to the public.
The guys are staying at a 5-star hotel, but for free. All athletes have at their disposal; unlimited massages/reflexology, healthcare, food (dining hall and take-away cafe), gym, olympic sized pool and an army of volunteers. The newly built hotel offers the athletes sheek cafes/lounges, modern styled bedrooms with king size beds, views of the harbor, flatscreen tvs, wireless internet, and uber-fancy bathrooms. I'm really curious what these rooms with go for on a nightly basis once opened to the public.
8.12.2008
Jet-lagged in Qingdao
Landed safetly in Qingdao and am finally beginning to feel like myself again. The 12-hour time difference really left me feeling like i was standing on my head.
Oskar and I are staying at the Gloria Inn and are really happy with our accomodations. It is an Olympic approved hotel and because of that service and quality are up to a certain standard. I really appreciate the complimentary jasmine tea, fruit basket (that contains chinese peaches which are in season right now), hot water, and king size bed. After seeing the squat toliets at the Qingdao Airport, I must admit I was a little scared.
Oskar starts racing the 15th, with a practice race tomorrow.
To watch his races go to:
U.S viewing schedule: http://xrl.us/nbcsked
Canadian viewing schedule: http://xrl.us/canadiansked
Already the 49er's, laser, laser radials, windsurfers and finn's are half way through their regatta. The Canadian Finn sailor, Chris Cook, is having a great regatta and is currently in 4th place.
Oskar's family and I have tickets to watch the racing from the break wall, but the coverage on tv is alot better. Unless, you have a high powered telescope, it is really difficult to tell what's going on.
Our hotel tv has great coverage of the Beijing and Qingdao events. There is Qtv which is fully dedicated to the water events taking place locally. Also, in the malls the chinese have set up a seating area with large screen tv's, which have the added bonus of ac.
In terms of food... Oskar's playing it really safe so that he doesn't get sick pre-games. He's sticking to non-chinese restaurants that import most of their ingredients. I on the other hand can afford to be more risky. A great breakfast buffet is provided by Gloria Inn. This morning my favorites were the noodle soup in a chicken broth with scallions and tomatoes, steamed buns, and spinach/pork dumplings.
For lunch I've been hitting up the 6th floor restaurant that specializes in szchuen & chinese food. The portions are huge and the prices are low, however the food has been on the oily side (even when ordering vegetarian) so I may try something new today. I don't like eating vegetables for dinner and then leave the table feeling like i just had an unheathly meal. Eating western you'll pay the same prices as home, where as eating local you'll pay a third of the price.
Oskar and I are staying at the Gloria Inn and are really happy with our accomodations. It is an Olympic approved hotel and because of that service and quality are up to a certain standard. I really appreciate the complimentary jasmine tea, fruit basket (that contains chinese peaches which are in season right now), hot water, and king size bed. After seeing the squat toliets at the Qingdao Airport, I must admit I was a little scared.
Oskar starts racing the 15th, with a practice race tomorrow.
To watch his races go to:
U.S viewing schedule: http://xrl.us/nbcsked
Canadian viewing schedule: http://xrl.us/canadiansked
Already the 49er's, laser, laser radials, windsurfers and finn's are half way through their regatta. The Canadian Finn sailor, Chris Cook, is having a great regatta and is currently in 4th place.
Oskar's family and I have tickets to watch the racing from the break wall, but the coverage on tv is alot better. Unless, you have a high powered telescope, it is really difficult to tell what's going on.
Our hotel tv has great coverage of the Beijing and Qingdao events. There is Qtv which is fully dedicated to the water events taking place locally. Also, in the malls the chinese have set up a seating area with large screen tv's, which have the added bonus of ac.
In terms of food... Oskar's playing it really safe so that he doesn't get sick pre-games. He's sticking to non-chinese restaurants that import most of their ingredients. I on the other hand can afford to be more risky. A great breakfast buffet is provided by Gloria Inn. This morning my favorites were the noodle soup in a chicken broth with scallions and tomatoes, steamed buns, and spinach/pork dumplings.
For lunch I've been hitting up the 6th floor restaurant that specializes in szchuen & chinese food. The portions are huge and the prices are low, however the food has been on the oily side (even when ordering vegetarian) so I may try something new today. I don't like eating vegetables for dinner and then leave the table feeling like i just had an unheathly meal. Eating western you'll pay the same prices as home, where as eating local you'll pay a third of the price.
6.08.2008
Samui Regatta Dinner at Bo Phut Beach
We had a great dinner a couple nights ago held on Bo Phut beach for the Samui Regatta.
They had a deejay, tent filled with yummy thai food, free booze, fireworks, sparklers, and candle lanterns... This sounds alot like a wedding.
See pictures below of the festivities.
They had a deejay, tent filled with yummy thai food, free booze, fireworks, sparklers, and candle lanterns... This sounds alot like a wedding.
See pictures below of the festivities.
Day Trip around Koh Samui
Had a great 1/2 day trip around Koh Samui with the girlfriends & wives of the other sailors. We saw alot in 1/2 a day and I'm really glad that I got a chance to see outside of Chaweng.
The first photo is of several shrines setup next to a view point. I've seen 1 or 2 shrines that are usually set up outside of businesses, but I have never seen this many in one place. They were beautiful.
After stopping at the view point we headed to 2 waterfalls. They were weak. I don't know if it was their dry season or what, but it wasn't even worth the 10 min hike down to them to see.
Next was the Aquarium. The fish were nice to see and they had big sea turtles that you could feed lettuce to for 50 baht. My favorite part of the Aquarium wasn't actually the aquarium, it was the animals outside in the cages; Elephants, Tigers and Monkeys. Both the elephants and tigers had a baby that was a treat to see.
At this point we had really worked up an appetite and were ready for lunch. One of the woman suggested we eat at "The Cliff" which was advertised in one of the brochures we had. I was pleasantly surprised. The view was incredible (taken of the "elephant rock" below) and the food was quite good. They served complimentary bruschetta which was toasted perfectly and not too garlicky. I had a coconut shake and a seared tuna salad, both of which I really enjoyed.
Another great day in Koh Samui.
The first photo is of several shrines setup next to a view point. I've seen 1 or 2 shrines that are usually set up outside of businesses, but I have never seen this many in one place. They were beautiful.
After stopping at the view point we headed to 2 waterfalls. They were weak. I don't know if it was their dry season or what, but it wasn't even worth the 10 min hike down to them to see.
Next was the Aquarium. The fish were nice to see and they had big sea turtles that you could feed lettuce to for 50 baht. My favorite part of the Aquarium wasn't actually the aquarium, it was the animals outside in the cages; Elephants, Tigers and Monkeys. Both the elephants and tigers had a baby that was a treat to see.
At this point we had really worked up an appetite and were ready for lunch. One of the woman suggested we eat at "The Cliff" which was advertised in one of the brochures we had. I was pleasantly surprised. The view was incredible (taken of the "elephant rock" below) and the food was quite good. They served complimentary bruschetta which was toasted perfectly and not too garlicky. I had a coconut shake and a seared tuna salad, both of which I really enjoyed.
Another great day in Koh Samui.
6.03.2008
My Birthday Treat
Along with getting a Thai Oil Massage for my birthday, I treated myself to a mouth-watering lunch at Green Olive, my favorite restaurant thus far.
Green Olive is part of the Buri Rasa Hotel located in the Center of Chaweng Beach.
Below are the pics from my scrumptous lunch, Barbeque Chicken over Papaya Salad and a Coconut Shake.
Green Olive is part of the Buri Rasa Hotel located in the Center of Chaweng Beach.
Below are the pics from my scrumptous lunch, Barbeque Chicken over Papaya Salad and a Coconut Shake.
KOH SAMUI, THAILAND... Heaven on Earth
Thai Massages for 7 US Dollars, Beautiful Sand Beaches, Fresh Coconut Milk from the Shell, and Thai Dishes to die for makes me love Koh Samui.
I'm here for a regatta that my partner, Oskar, is taking part in. To see more about it you can go to www.samuiregatta.com
We are staying on Chaweng Beach, the most popular beach on Koh Samui. Tons of restaurants, top-notch accomodations, and cheap cheap shopping.
Below are some pics of the beach (view from Chaweng North Beach and South Beach) and of main street (Chaweng Beach Road)
I'm here for a regatta that my partner, Oskar, is taking part in. To see more about it you can go to www.samuiregatta.com
We are staying on Chaweng Beach, the most popular beach on Koh Samui. Tons of restaurants, top-notch accomodations, and cheap cheap shopping.
Below are some pics of the beach (view from Chaweng North Beach and South Beach) and of main street (Chaweng Beach Road)
4.08.2008
"Dreams" featured by Liquitex
Very exciting news... My illustration "Dreams" has been featured for the 2007 Liquitex Holiday Card mailed out to hundreds of their comrades to bring in the new year. Check out the images below!
4.02.2008
INFUSION: The Exploration of New Work By Emerging & Established Artists
This past weekend I participated in a group show that fused together the work of emerging and established artists.
The show opened to an impressive 350 visitors!
The event was hosted by Gallery JAC and Francesca Arcilesi Fine Art.
The show was a one-night only event that was held on March 29, 2008 at 814 Broadway, 4th Floor, between 11th & 12th Streets.
For more information you can visit www.galleryjac.com
The show opened to an impressive 350 visitors!
The event was hosted by Gallery JAC and Francesca Arcilesi Fine Art.
The show was a one-night only event that was held on March 29, 2008 at 814 Broadway, 4th Floor, between 11th & 12th Streets.
For more information you can visit www.galleryjac.com
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