Cory U of CUExperiments
I can be bribed with coffee...
CUExperiments is a collective of experimental projects I've personally designed & created. Each experiment is fabricated through the inspirations of everyday living.
-Cory U
Nov. 27th, 2012
Last day in Vancouver meant last day to catch up with Amani & show me around town. After a night out, we were off you wander parts of the city & some shops. If I ever get back to that vintage shop with the lightning kitty suit, I may just be tempted to buy it! The day ended with some burgers & goodbyes before heading off to train, to the airport, to home.
-Cory U
Nov. 26th, 2012
The last time I was in Vancouver was half a life-time ago (in my case anyways). I visited the Capilano Bridge then & couldn’t resist reliving the experience again. Not much had changed but I’m sure some trees got taller. I think I got a good crick in my neck from looking up so much.
Being slightly afraid of heights, I was surprised to find I was more worried about dropping my phone more than anything else crossing the bridge. If you’re walking it alone it’s actually best to take some extra selfies than ask someone else to take a photo for you. Think about it; You’re on a bridge, no one taking your camera is going to walk a distance away from you, so the poor stranger is taking a photo an arms length away anyways. Your own arm probably knows “your angles” better.
The coolest change that’s happened since I was last here? The story of a giant tree falling right across the bridge (still remaining, bottom right image). The bridge survived but removing it quickly would have caused a slingshot effect, so the tree had to slowly be hacked away at in chunks.
-Cory U
I realized I still have Vancouver posts clogging up my queue from my November trip! No matter how late I want to have record of them, so here it goes:
Nov. 26th, 2012
As Amani was a “responsible student” for the day, I had the day to wander & explore on my own terms. First up was grabbing some breakie & writing a few surprise postcards home. I couldn’t resist after finding these cheesy vintage 80s postcards collecting dust in a local convenience store!
Not too far away was Canada Place with its amazing views of the mountains. The mountains made me wish Toronto wasn’t such a flat city & had a more vibrant natural landscape like this one.
…This was the trip where selfies beat out any photo taken by a stranger instead (see dark image top left). It was a rather amusing day being a tourist in my own country.
-Cory U
I never thought I’d be scared of seagulls until Granville Island, Vancouver. Walking through The Public Market (similar-ish to St. Lawerance Market) for some coffee I laughed at the seagull warnings at the exit doors to the harbour. After stepping outside though, I wasn’t laughing anymore. The seagulls in Vancouver are scarily giant!
The next day I heard a story from a woman that witnessed one devouring a squirrel. The only thing I’ve ever seen a Toronto seagull eat is a McDonalds fry. I now understand why Amani could be so afraid of birds. I would be too if I lived near these squirrel eating monsters…
-Cory U
PS We never saw who the heck actually owned all those dogs, but they must be a pain to walk. They sure weren’t fond of our little pup that day.
If you know me, you’ll know I’ll always be a kid at heart. So when we ran into a giant kids shop on day one there was no doubt we’d be taking the kids entrance & exploring. From Canadian headwear to creepy puppets, there was a whole lot to play around with.
My favourite was definitely the canoeing moose/reindeer Hello Kitty. If I wasn’t just a Canadian traveling her own Country, I’d probably come home with a lot more Canadian tourist souvenirs. I was so tempted!
-Cory U
~Haven’t posted in about a week since I haven’t really been online. Been in a beautiful crochet coma & can’t wait to share… Back to stories of Vancouver for now.!~
Still at Granville Island, we stumbled across an open workshop where totems were being built. Unfortunately, being a Sunday, no one was carving that day but it was still a sight to see.
My Grandfather was a woodworker by hobby but on a much smaller scale than these. Loons, dollhouses, & clocks were more his forte. Seeing these larger carvings kind of brought me back to that though. I just can’t imagine working in so much detail with your hands out in the cold like this studio was. Pretty amazing.
-Cory U
PS We found another hidden art piece nearby. Can you spot Amani??
After dropping off my bags there was no time to waste on my Vancouver 3 day adventure. First stop was Amani’s favourite local area; Granville Island. Filled with cute little boutique shops & galleries, it was kind of the perfect place to hang out & catch up. Besides seeing the awesome broom shop & totems all around, there were also some fun art pieces hiding about. Amani’s cute little pup met her match when we spotted a dog way larger than any of us…
-Cory U
A month after Australia & two weeks ago now, I found myself in Vancouver for a few days. When you already have one of the flights booked, why no, right?
Not only did I start this year seeing Amani in LA, but I was also lucky enough to end this year visiting her once again. Entering the airport there was no doubt which country I was in; this was home, just on the other end of the coast where totem poles & wood carvings are everywhere!
-Cory U
PS The only thing that was a little off were their train warnings: don’t walk directly off the track, or you’ll be dancing for your life….
(PPS Ever since Australia I always tend to find warning signs of people to look like crazy dance moves. It’s hard not to now.)
Long story very short: Flying home from Australia, I got held in the Taiwan airport for 17 hours with nothing to do & no where I could go. Don’t ask.
These photos make everything look super cute… but it’s an airport, don’t be deceived. In those 17 hours, these were the cute things worth noticing: Lots of Hello Kitty, a swimming Pengu, & orchids in a very small “garden display” (it was a small square section walled with mirrors to look larger).
-Cory U
PS Pengu is a penguin. Why would he need a floating device to swim anyways??
Just a few more shots from the waves of Byron Bay. Surfing at the most easterly point of Australia wasn’t the easiest, but it sure was fun.
-Cory U
In the last month in Brisbane, I met a group of really awesome people. From all over the world, they were in Australia to improve their English while having a great excuse to see such a beautiful country. Every weekend they planned barbecues in the park & I was so lucky to be invited to join in. While some people would find it rather frustrating, it was a joy talking to people that were so eager to improve their English. The conversations were never boring.
It’s funny how no matter where you go, your closest friends always end up being fellow travelers. My offer will always stand to show any of my new found friends from all of my travels around my own little part of the world if they ever come to visit.
-Cory U
Just a few more postings of Australia, & my stories from this adventure are complete!
There was no other option for me to spend my last weekend than beside a beach & trying to surf yet again. Dom & I headed to Byron Bay for the day & did nothing but fight the wind & waves all day. I’ve never been so beaten up by a beach before that day. A month later & I still have a nice mark on my leg. Most surf tries, the board ended going one way while we got devoured in another. So worth it though!
This was another day where my amazing waterproof digital camera came to good use. Love that thing.
-Cory U
It’s only been a month since I’ve been back home in Canada & find myself waiting back in the same spot in Vancouver’s airport to go back home-home yet again. Crazy. Want to travel & never stop!
At the end of the weekend we were all exhausted. After two lessons the day before & up all night getting to know each other, a 9am surf lesson was brutal. By the end of the weekend, my whole body was sore. So when it came to my third surf lesson of the weekend, sometimes it was just more fun sitting on the board than trying to pull myself up.
Had a blast!
-Cory U
Still can’t believe how many times I actually got up on the board. I got so excited with the weekends’ success that a few weeks later Dom & I headed out for our own surf day. Can’t say it was as great a success as this was, but I don’t think you can have a bad surf day. It’s just too much fun! (So much fun, I didn’t realize my blue rashie was gradually riding up my body.)
-Cory U
