barbapapa

One of my favorite childhood shows was an animation series called Barbapapa. Originally created as a series of books, Barbapapa was a shape changing fella who had a wife and seven children (also shape-changers) who would use their special powers to help people, rescue animals, and do other acts of kindness. I slowly began collecting Barbapapa stuff about ten years ago after I found an old book in Amsterdam. Now my shelf is lined with over twenty books, and yes I will admit I also have the keychain, soap dispenser, coin bank, salt + pepper shakers, tea pot...

good morning vietnam

It's Sunday here in Vietnam, and it still feels so surreal that we are here. I am still pretty jet lagged after the 23 hour flight, but it seems to be getting a little better today, despite the 80% humidy. We are staying in central downtown Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and things here are very very different than the slower pace back home. I am quickly mastering how to cross the street... well, more like run like the wind across massive intersections of crazy scooter armies... its like one big game of frogger here. Also have had my first authentic bowl of pho (beef noodel soup) here as well as had a crack at bargaining at the local market (I think I need more practice). I can't upload any pictures from where I'm staying, so it'll be text blogs while I'm here... although I think it will be hard to even capture what it feels like to be here in just pictures alone. Will update again soon!!!

collage: the bird stole her camera

I am writing this post ahead of time since I anticipate jet lag... its' going to be a very loooooong flight. Before we left, my dad gave me a lecture on traveling safe and to watch out for pick-pockets. Anyways, it reminded me of a collage I had done, so am posting it up!

collage: first class

We are leaving today for our trip to Vietnam. I am a little nervous since it will be quite a long flight... we are flying from Vancouver to Tokyo, and then from Tokyo to Ho Chi Minh (Saigon). Even though we are flying economy class (which they call "leisure class" now), I am hoping the ride will be a comfortable one... its going to be a long ride. Something tells me there won't be any lobster thermador served onboard though. Will have some posts on auto-pilot for the next two and a half weeks... but I'll try to post updates of our trip once in awhile from Vietnam!

painting outside the lines

I love the retro feel of paint-by-numbers. I was so excited to see that you can still purchase them from my local craft store. So I bought a bunch and decided to start painting. Well, since I love to bend the rules now and again, I decided to turn mine into a more abstract piece. Can't wait to start the next one!

collage: boy and beaver

As you may know, the beaver is Canada's national animal. On first impression, it might not seem like a very cool animal... not like a tiger, bear or mythical dragon. But what other animal can make a giant house in a river, all the while sporting a big toothy smile! And once you take into consideration that the beaver stands for industry and perseverance, it actualy makes perfect sense as a national animal. The odd thing is though, I have grown up in Canada all my life and have yet to see one in the wild. My last "sighting" ended up actually being a muskrat.

collage: yellow bird

My middle name is Quyên (pronounced kwee-en), which translates into a type of bird in Vietnamese. Some people say "Queen" or "Quinn", which is fine by me, since it still sounds nice. Apparently, this is one of the reasons my mom chose this middle name for me – since some Vietnamese names mispronounced phonetically can sound... er, not very flattering.