Remembering Olympic Vancouver: Local Photographer Jeremy Lim Brings Back Olympic Memories In Colours2010 (Look For Russian Trikolor!)
It is one of those simple, yet brilliant ideas that you just wish you thought of yourself -- take an Olympic city, crazy fans, endless energy, the world coming together and immortalize it all in amazing photography.
Jeremy Lim, Colours2010.com
Jeremy Lim, Vancouver photographer and freelancer, did just that. He is behind Colours2010 - Celebrating The World In Vancouver, a photo project that had Lim spending nights walking the streets of Vancouver during the Games in search of photography gold -- sincere emotions on the faces of people from 33 different countries cheering for their colours.
I love the distinct Canadian-ness of this project though. From the red Olympic mittens that Jeremy is wearing in his project cover photo, to the little Canadian flag sticking out from his backpack, to the very Canadian spelling of "colours," the Canadiana is oozing rampant here.
"I'll remember the people I met - the handshakes, the hugs," says Jeremy on his site. "The jubilation after every victory. The dance parties. The awkward costumes. The comoradery and all the surprises. And I was there, to capture every last minute of it."
I second every word of that as I look back at my own Olympic experience.
And, for a little Russian twist, here are photos of the Russian fans that Jeremy let me re-post on my blog ... See you in Sochi?
**All photo copyright belongs to Jeremy Lim.
“Canada Believes In Canucks” … and Russia Does Too!
Vancouver Canucks - Los Angeles Kings Playoff Game #2, April 17, 2010
‘Lost and Forgotten’ Peter Nalitch – Russia’s Eurovision 2010 Attempt At Avant-Garde
The times of Dima Bilan are over for the Russians at Eurovision. With a formula-perfect Eurovision hit and glamoured-up look, Bilan got Russia what it wanted all these years - he won the contest in 2008 and Eurovision was finally held in Russia a year later with a lot of fanfare and record everything, including the 42-million dollar budget.
Now, Russia seems to be back and experimenting with a music style that does not typically do well in Eurovision context.
Last year, Anastasia Prikhodko represented Russia with a folk/ballad rendition of "Mamo." She went up on the stage wearing a simple white dress to go with a braid, minimalist make-up and no shoes. Overfed with glitzed-up artists, many in Russia thought Prikhodko was odd. But this year, the "oddness" continues. Peter Nalitch, a guy who lives and breathes anti-glamour, was chosen to represent Russia at Eurovision 2010 with his song "Lost and Forgotten."
Peter Nalitch (photo by Flickr user marita.cavarubias)
Twenty-eight-year-old singer and songwriter Nalitch became famous thanks to YouTube. The video of his song "Guitar" went viral in 2007. A simple Gypsy inspired tune, Nalitch's decent vocals, cheesy backdrop and broken English lyrics made the video an international YouTube hit.
His career took off from there. Now, being a self-produced artist, Nalitch makes all of his music freely available online, tours across Russia and gets his share of audience. All that was nice and no one minded, until this March Nalitch bypassed the very business model that the Russian music industry rests upon. Without help from any mighty producers, he won the right to represent Russia at Europe's biggest show biz meet-up.
Sure, Nalitch made a statement, but will he place in Oslo? Experts say Nalitch does not stand a chance to break into the top 10, but did he open the door for Russia's music avant-garde trying to break through the glamour glass ceiling of autotuned artists? Well, the post-Eurovision billboard charts will show.
Meanwhile, here is Nalitch's Eurovision 2010 entry video and song lyrics.
Lost and Forgotten
Would you believe Lord of Mercy?
Would you be so good Lord?
I wanna love her now
And I wanna feel that now with all…
All of those kisses and sweet embraces
Here am I lost and forgotten
For this cruel cruel time
When I’m first time in love
Now that is why
Now that is why I sing Lord of Mercy
And I hope now that you hear me
What are you doing man?
I’m looking at her photos
What should I do with them?
Drop them to the fire
Oh yes yes I’m gonna burn them now
‘Cause I have to forget her now with all…
All of those kisses and sweet embraces
Here am I lost and forgotten
For this cruel cruel time
When I’m first time in love
Now that is why
Now that is why I sing Lord of Mercy
And I hope now that you hear me
Here am I lost and forgotten
For this cruel cruel time
First time in love
Now that is why
Now that is why I sing Lord of Mercy
And I hope now that you hear me
Oh bring her back to me
Russia’s “Citizen” Road Repairs: Get ‘Em Road Potholes Fixed!
When everything else fails, try the Internet. That seams to be the new mantra of drivers in Vladivostok, one of Russia’s most remote cities. Tired of the unresponsiveness of local officials to the dire need to repair roads in the center of Vladivostok, the drivers parked their cars and spilled their anger in an Internet forum. The online consensus was to use collective buying power and patch up the roads once and for all.
Russia’ RIANovosti reports that the drivers have each chipped in to buy some ashphalt and hire a road crew to assist in the road repairs. Hours of work, and the city of Vladivostok now has two newly repaired stretches of city road to be proud of.
I personally think this is a business model in disguise for fixing Russian infrastructure. First, it speeds things up. Considerably. Secondly, it only comes down to pennies when the entire city chips in. Except, I thought that was how the provincial tax worked. But, in any case, I do seriously think that owning a stretch of that road will do the trick for some of the reckless drivers out there who cruise around with no regard for public property. Watch for them to slow down before the stretch of the road that they personally helped to «sponsor».
Pre-Easter Orthodox Lent: My Personal Journey
So, it is Orthodox lent time. Well, technically the Great Lent started on February 15. But, I decided to do at least one week of this year's lent anyway. So, here I am eating no meat, fish, sea food or dairy products since this Monday. I have two more days to go, and I have to say -- surprisingly, I am feeling good.
I am not the most devout Orthodox Christian, so I have never really lented in my life. I tried two or three years ago, and the most I could go for was three weeks. But, I kind of liked the experience of having to resist...
In the modern world, we are not used to having to resist anything. Within reason, we can usually get whatever we feel like -- be it food, clothes, cars or vacations. So, the notion of refusing your wishes can be odd.
The Orthodox lent also gets you to go through the torture of resisting your temptations all by yourself, unassisted. That is also something that I don't get a lot of in my life living in a first world nation. I mean, if you want to quit smoking, you just stick a plastic patch on your arm, and Nicorette does the trick for you. If you want to stop eating, you go to Jennie Craig and she will feed you the food that will make your slim. Again, the helping hand is always there if you want it. But, how often do we get to face our temptations all on our own? Hm.. Kind of scary, eh?
It is an interesting experience that can be daunting, but it is also something that I think all of us could use more of. It definitely opens your eyes to what is under-valued and how addicted you are to certain things in your life.
Meanwhile, here is a photo resume of some of the items that I can and can't eat while I am lenting for a week. Looks like I am in for some serious "soul cleansing"...
CAN EAT
CAN'T EAT