Posts by: Ha-La

Yes…just like the Beatles song, this restaurant will take your taste buds under the sea! This little place is an awe-inspiring, intimate sushi restaurant in the heart of the Kitsilano neighbourhood in Vancouver. The Head Chef, Sada, hails from Japan and the freshness of his ingredients and his presentation skills are unparalleled. This little gem is our favourite sushi spot. With dishes like “iron show” sizzling tuna or wagyu beef, spot prawns, lobster, an excellent array of sashimi/nigiri, tempura, broths, or vegetarian options/rolls, and a wonderful sake/wine selection, the scintillating flavours are for everyone! We highly recommend calling ahead, and […]

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Last summer, August of 2009, I had the opportunity to visit Chemainus, BC, to see a friend in their annual summer musicals. I had never been to Chemainus before and didn’t know what to expect. However, after only about an hour after arriving I realized I had fallen in love with the place! It is located in between Duncan  and Nanaimo, and you can either take a ferry from Vancouver to Duke Point, or Vancouver/Tsawwassen to Schwartz  Bay and drive up from Victoria. Each summer, Chemainus has a Musical Theatre Festival in their beautiful, newly renovated downtown theatre. I saw “Oklahoma” […]

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I have had the opportunity to travel back and forth from Vancouver Island many times, but I mostly found myself in the heart of Victoria. There are many smaller towns which have absolutely charming attributes, and nooks and crannies waiting to be discovered. My parents took me to Tofino many times as a child, and as I venture back there as an adult, the outward appearance may have changed a little, but the spiritual heart of the town never escaped me. Tofino is an absolutely picturesque, healing and calming place. It is located on the tip of Vancouver Island, and […]

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After spending four years going to school at the University of Victoria, I would like to share with you a little bit of “city information” regarding the live music scene in Victoria. I’d like to talk mostly about classical, but also about jazz and pop. While I was attending UVic, I was pursuing a degree in Classical Voice Performance. Every Friday, the Phillip T. Young Recital hall hosts a “Friday noon-hour concert series” featuring younger and older Undergraduate or Masters students alike. The recital starts at twelve noon, and is by donation. Many instruments are featured like violin, cello, string […]

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After compiling a couple of articles concerning Victoria B.C. and things to do, museums, shopping and dining, I thought it would also be interesting and entertaining to address Victoria’s ghostly nature. Victoria is the second most haunted city in North America, New Orleans being the first. As I was on one of Victoria’s “Ghostly Walk” Tours (leaves from the tourism building across from Empress Hotel), I learned that Victoria’s Inner Harbour, back in the 18th, early 19th Century, was the site of a huge First Nations burial ground, along with long-drowned totem poles built for elders who had passed on. […]

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Upon glancing through “Victoria: Secrets of the City,” a funky,  well-written, succinct manual on modern-day Victoria, B.C., many memories came flooding back into my mind from my time in Victoria, from 2001 to 2005. I completed my Bachelor’s Degree in Music at UVic and I thoroughly enjoyed both the University itself, and Victoria as a city. My four years attending UVic ignited a life-long love affair with the city, and, even  after living “on the mainland” (Vancouver) for many years now, much of my heart still belongs to the island, and I’d like to share with you some of the […]

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As I was reading through the Spring 2010 issue of British Columbia Magazine, I found an article on my home-community, Kitsilano in Vancouver. This article was well written, and amusing to say the least, but it brought up a few points in my head about truths about this neighbourhood. I’d like to explore three select topics that every tourist will be invested in: Food, Shopping and Things to Do. The article shows a large colour picture of people lined up for the Naam restaurant, at 4th Ave. and Macdonald. While I have always really enjoyed the Naam, I would have […]

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This past December, 2009, I had the opportunity to sing Christmas Carols onboard the Vancouver Harbour Cruise Ship Lines. I performed with three other talented singers, and we formed a quartet, singing traditional Christmas Carols, along with an extremely energetic Sing-A-Long. Upon boarding the medium-size, brightly lit yacht, we sang “It Came Upon A Midnight Clear” at the entrance, and were received with extreme friendliness by the staff and by the patrons. Everyone seemed to enjoy the festive ambiance as they boarded the ship. We sang a few more sets for about an hour as the guests lounged, indulged in […]

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