Bridges That Unite

Accompanied by an Ismaili friend of mine, I ventured to the Roundhouse Community Centre in Vancouver's Yaletown district to take a look at the Bridges That Unite exhibit that was on display for a limited time only. After being greeted by an usher, volunteers led us through each stage of the exhibit and explained the work of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) and what Canada has to offer to the world at large. AKDN is a non-denominational organization that restores sites of cultural significance, provides educational opportunities for people in rural areas, and is involved in a host of other activities. I was not aware of their wide reaching activities, so this exhibit provided a valuable learning opportunity through the use of guides, multimedia, and physical artifacts.

*****

"Canada has succeeded in an area where the developing world has one of its greatest needs: How do you build pluralist civil society in the developing world? Look at Africa. Look at Asia. What is one of the characteristics? The inability of different groups of people to live together in peace in a constructive environment to build civil society." - Aga Khan

Italian and Greek Days

June 22, 2008 - A sunny Vancouver day meant the crowds were out in full force for a handful of open air festivals. After taking a quick stroll through the Sapperton Days Festival to warm up, I headed for the Italian Cultural Centre, with singers and dancers on stage, food stalls, and a hall full of people watching the Italy versus Spain Euro 2008 quarterfinal match. There was also a Lamborghini and Vespa on display, and a miniature racetrack where toddlers could drive around in red Ferrari coloured go-karts. Paralympic medal winner Donovan Tildesley was on hand raising awareness and signing autographs.


I did not eat at the Italian food stalls, holding out for some Greek instead. In conjunction with BC's 150th birthday anniversary celebrations, Greek Day was taking place in Kitsilano. A large portion of West Broadway was closed down to vehicular traffic, allowing throngs of people to walk about freely on the street. Arts and crafts, children's activities, live performances, appearances by politicians such as Premier Gordon Campbell, Mayor Sam Sullivan, and Attorney General Wally Oppal, all played second fiddle to the main event - the food and wine. I had pork souvlaki and loukoumades (Greek mini donuts) to satisfy my appetite, before heading home.


ARNABabe Note: Both the Italian and Greek female audiences have been underrepresented in the quest for the ARNABride. They share many important traits with Indians, from a strong sense of family and community to a love of food and culture.

Summerbeats 2008

First scheduled for Mother's Day and then rescheduled two more times, Summerbeats finally took place on June 22, 2008 at the Orpheum Theatre. The audience was full of energy and participated fully in the festivities, singing along and dancing on several occasions. With a balcony seat, our view was only partially obscured by the silhouettes of men with disproportionately large heads and women with disproportionately large noses who insisted on walking in and out of the concert hall throughout the night.


A packed roster featuring Atif Aslam, Kailesh Kher, Richa Sharma, and Amanat Ali allowed for around 45 minutes of stage time per performer. Since the show began half an hour late, headliner Atif Aslam's performance was cut short since he came on stage at the very end. My fan girls momentarily switched their allegiance to the singer, and chants of "Atif! Atif! Atif!" echoed throughout the hall. There was no grand finale that had the audience on its feet as was the case with all the other singers. Amanat Ali's youthful energy, Richa Sharma's professionalism, Kailesh Kher's soulful Sufi melodies, and Atif's Aslam's stylish renditions provided something for everyone.

EAT! Vancouver

May 23, 2008 - I had some time available in my busy schedule before heading off to watch the premiere of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It also happened to be the opening night of EAT! Vancouver - the Everything Food + Cooking Festival. I did not pass up a chance to savour some tasty delights underneath the giant dome, and picked up a few recipes to add to my extensive repertoire at the same time.


There were sculptures made of chocolate, a wine tasting area, and many nations had set up booths sponsored by their respective tourism departments. Several stalls of prominent Vancouver restaurants were selling appetizer sized dishes for a couple of dollars worth of money. Cash had to be converted into coupons first, and then these coupons could be redeemed for the food items. Luckily, many other restaurants and food manufacturers were offering free food samples that were eager to fill my empty stomach. From sushi, jam, and pizza to dog food, pudding, and popcorn, I tasted the gamut of available treats. Somewhere through the culinary journey I developed a rash, but since I had eaten such a variety of dishes I could not trace the source of my discontent with any accuracy.

At the Food Network Celebrity Stage, I watched a cooking demonstration by BC's most famous chef Rob Feenie. Once he was finished, I posed for a photograph with him. I asked him whether he had ever cooked turtle, a specialty of mine, but he replied that his son would be very upset with him if he even attempted to do such a thing. Having satisfied my inner gourmand, I exited the premises just in time to see Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan roll past me. It was another unexpected treat in a night full of them.

*****

My rotund friend to operator of Indian food stall: I like butter chicken.

Stall operator: I can see that.

*****

Me (after being banned from a VIP seminar on cheese): The cheese is so close, but so far.

Cheese server: Tell me about it.

The Madman

According to the Are You a Psychopath? Test, I am not one:

"You have many of the same qualities of a psychopath while also showing some delusional tendencies. This is deeply concerning, but there is a faint chance that with therapy and medication you could be a productive member of society. You're probably not a psychopath."

Four variables were tracked to determine my psychopathic makeup - empathy, delusionality, sociability, and lawfulness. I was higher than 13% of the other survey takers on the empathic scale, higher than 55% on delusional, higher than 20% on sociable, and higher than 36% on law-abiding.