Ashley Chow dot Com

All I can say is, UK night (“Parasols Over the Pacific”) was spectacular. UK > Canada. I can’t exactly compare it to South Africa’s because South Africa’s was really good too, and I didn’t watch it live. But hands down, UK’s was much better than Canada’s. The only thing is that UK’s 20 minute mark really should’ve been their 25 minute (aka ending) mark. I’m sure many people, myself included, thought the amazing bursts of gold and whatnot was the end, but a quick check of the watch clearly stated there were 5 minutes left.

Last night was also the discovery of fireworks mode!! They really make the photos pop. Check them out.

First, a sunset photo from Kits Beach.

Before I discovered fireworks mode. Doesn’t it just look kinda… blah? But I’ve gotta say, the view this time was much better than on Canada night. I like the silhouettes of people.

Everything following this photo will have been taken using fireworks mode.

I believe this last photo here was @ the 20 minute mark. Awesome.

Well, that’s 3/4 Celebration of Light nights. China night, the final night, will be this Saturday. Looking forward to it!

Saturday was… interesting, to say the least. The plan WAS to go to see the South Africa fireworks (“Tapestry of Colour”), but that took a turn for the worse (or better?) when the rain and thunder and lightning started happening. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

The day was looking pretty good actually, nice and sunny, maybe a few clouds here and there. No one would’ve expected a thunderstorm. The weather forecast mentioned no such thing. But sooner or later, the sun disappears and the clouds turn grey.

Nevertheless, my friends and I made it to Kits Beach and ate dinner @ the Watermark Restaurant. Check out the food.

Fried Calamari

Seafood Chowder

Classic Caesar Salad w/ Chicken Breast

Herb Chicken Breast

Delish. Soon after we left the restaurant was when it started raining. Then the thunder and lightning started. Yet we still walked along the beach in search of a spot not too gross, but after maybe half an hour of sitting and standing around, having rain blown in our faces and seeing large strikes of lightning and claps of thunder, we decided it wouldn’t be worth it to wait another two hours for a 25-minute show. And despite the fact I’ve heard that the fireworks were so worth waiting in the rain for and that the lightning made it that much better, we went on to have an absolutely awesome night. Plus, South Africa’s Tapestry of Colour show is viewable online, so I was able to watch it in the comfort of my own chair sitting right at home, and you can view it too!

This is Global BC’s video feed showing raw footage of both Canada and South Africa’s shows: http://bit.ly/woWte

Also, check out this time lapse video of Saturday, July 25: http://bit.ly/e2vgJ Take note of 0:50. Seeing that was my favourite part of the day.

Next up will be the UK’s fireworks show tomorrow (July 29)! It should be a steaming hot day tomorrow. That’s summer for you.

On impulse, I decided to hit the beach and watch some fireworks this past Wednesday. Some friends and I wound up at Kitsilano Beach, much emptier than English Bay although not as good of a view, but I prefer less crowds over a better view any day of the week.

The Celebration of Light is an annual fireworks show, basically, and is free to watch from beaches and parks. This year, there are 4 teams in the competition: Canada (July 22), South Africa (July 25), UK (July 29), and China (Aug 1). The shows start @ 10pm on the night of and last about 25 minutes long (at least Canada’s did).

This Wednesday was Canada night, and Canada’s fireworks display had the theme of The Wizard of Oz. Music can barely be heard on Kits Beach (will bring a radio tomorrow) but the fireworks were still a sight. And the ending was awesome, complete with loud blasts and colourful poofs of sparks and light.

I don’t have very spectacular photos of the fireworks. Just photos.