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Woodside Square: Paused by dinosaur display outside mall, on the way to trying a different lunch spot after a short doctor's appointment. Hand-pulled noodles were genuinely superior to the usual, but even slight spiciness varies too far away from Cantonese cuisine preferences. Will have to revert from counter service formats, to restaurants with full service. (Woodside Square, Sandhurst Circle, Scarborough, Ontario) 20240425

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Service Canada Centre Scarborough Town Centre:  In-person visit, suggested after telephone call inquiry about not receiving letter about Canadian Dental Care qualifying for over-87 years of age in December 2023. One of multiple eldercare errands in the neighbourhood, the time required for the beneficiary to answer questions seems less than time it takes for the customer service to figure out the case on the computer. Helpful Service Canada agent explained she could handle everything except Canada Revenue Agency, and the public-facing websites are actually partitioned. (Service Canada Centre, Town Centre Court, Scarborough, Ontario) 20240417

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Theatre Passe Muraille: Panel @beyondWallsTPM hosted by @21sungelas with social entrepreneur @vanessalingyu and journalist @annhui on set of @SilkBathTO #WokingPhoenix. Discussed Chinese-Canadian "chop suey" cooking in its own legitimacy, now better in small town Canada than in the big cities. Common ties through food in lineages of Chinese heritage, even for those not brought up in Chinese restaurants. (Theatre Passe Muraille, Ryerson Avenue, Toronto, Ontario) 20240414

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Dim Sum King: Family congregating at the spring festival banquet of the Lowkong Society, before the 10 courses started. We may now have a reputation as a karaoke group, choosing songs that bridge boomer and millennial generations. if the full immediate family comes out, we may have to book more than one table of 10. (Dim Sum King Seafood Restaurant, Dundas Street West, Toronto, Ontario) 20230413

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Brookfield Place: Indoor atrium has real butterfly boxes that would offer refurge from poor weather and predators, but fake butterflies. Narrow entry slots invite lepidoptera, rather than round holes for birds. Sunny spring day illuminates display encouraging pollinator gardens during April as Earth Month. (Brookfield Place, Bay Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20240406

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Fortune Seafood Restaurant: Late afternoon lab visit followed by early evening dinner. Vancouver crab was on special, as was jumbo shrimp, neither for allergic me. Grouper-tofu casserole as usual, and water spinach, enough leftovers for tomorrow. Free soup borth to start, sweet soup to finish. (Fortune Seafood Restaurant, Midland Avenue, Scarborough, Ontario) 20240403

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YVR Vancouver International Airport: Started journey home before sunrise, passing by Reg Davidson (2016) The Blind Halibut Fisherman, beside a bentwood box where the Haida would store ceremonial gear. From City Centre Station, Skytrain on Canada Line was uneventful. Unusual alert on x-ray scan meant body patdown, second pass through scanners, and report taking down name and profession. (YVR Vancouver International Airport) 20240402

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Pendulum Gallery: Suspended from a glass ceiling, Alan Storey (1987) Broken Column is commonly mislabelled as a pendulum as it doesn't have a clock.  Aluminum metal duct of 3500 pounds has a slot on the north side, originally designed with a fan that would move warm air from the roof to ground level.  Electric motor drives the duct over a stationary plinth, "sympathetic with the alpha waves our brains produce when we're resting with our eyes closed", in a movement that is both relaxing and terrifying when seated in a chair by the nearby tables.  (Pendulum Gallery, West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC) 20240401

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Motoretta Gelato: Lazy Easter Monday, after Lebanese lunch including zataar, wandered down towards harbour waterfront. Gelato flavours of Earl Grey vanilla and mascarpone espresso; vegan dark chocolate. NTA now styles Vancouverite wearing shorts on optimism of sun, we Easterners are still bundled up for the temperature drop. (Motoretta Gelato, West Cordova Street, Vancouver, BC) 20240401

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Dunbar neighbourhood: Afternoon tea with family extended into homecooked meal, graciously early for body clocks still on Eastern Time.  Exchanged details and compared experiences on recent trips to Asia.  In-person time is so much more valuable than onine messaging.  (Dunbar neighbourhood, Vancouver, BC) 20240331

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Chinatown Storytelling Centre: A reproduction of the Yucho Chow Studio, a Chinese Canadian professional photographer serving marginalized communities from 1908 to 1949. This cultural history centre, opened in 2021, has a digital improvement enabling self-portraits to be sent as postcards. The tracing of family heritages are mostly centered on British Columbians, although we recognized the names of historians and writers from across Canada. (Chinatown Storytelling Centre, East Pender Street, Vancouver, BC) 20240331

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Simon K.Y. Lee Seniors Care Home: Arrived with pork siu mai and beef balls just as DY's mother was coming out for lunch, so the staff brought a portable table to the vestibule. Had to chop down the dim sum into smaller pieces, because regular meals are now pureed. We might have slowed down serving, she really gobbles down the food. (Simon K.Y. Lee Seniors Home, Carrall Street, Vancouver, BC) 20240331

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Gurkha Himalayan Kitchen: Local foodie with travel experience guided us to Nepalese restaurant for dinner. Food is available not spicy, we started with vegan momos with jhol sauce, and chicken momos fried. Big appetizers meant we took main course leftovers back to the apartment. (Gurkha Himalayan Kitchen, Davie Street, Vancouver, BC) 20240330

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Belkin Art Gallery: Hard to align foreground sculpture Elizabeth Zvonar (2006) Timing is Everything, with two mirrors facing each other with astrological birth charts of Voyager 1 and Voyager 2. In background, mounted on wall, Elizabeth Zvonar (2013) Face inkjet print. Part of the Aporia (Notes to a Medium) exhibition, including works that contend with systems of belief and perception. (Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery, Main Mall, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC) 20240330

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Wesbrook Village: Honoured to receive an inscribed (2022) translation of Zhuangzi at lunch with Richard John Lynn + Sonja Arntzen, both professors emerita now residing near UBC. After 19 years of retirement, academic leisure means research continues for only 6 hours per day. We exchanged life stories on how early university studies don't present linear career paths. (Neptune Chinese Kitchen, Westbrook Village, Vancouver, BC) 20240330

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David Lam Park: The Blossoms After Dark event drew a lot of people to a large park, with a relatively small number of features. We had dinner in Yaletown before sunset, and then followed crowds trampling the grass before finding the stairs to the upper level attractions. Relying on many espoused expert photographers is a losing game in difficult lighting conditions. (David Lam Park, Pacific Boulevard, Vancouver, BC) 20240329

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Simon K Y Lee Seniors Home: Visiting DY's mother has been a central purpose for this spring trip to Vancouver. We've been visiting daily in the afternoons. Elders don't necessarily get so much variety in their meals, so she's been enjoying the fresh fruit we bring. (Simon K Y Lee Seniors Home, Carrall Street, Vancouver, BC) 20240329