I tried vegetarianism when I was 18. Living in a meat-heavy Filipino household, it lasted three months. The wonderful savoury smells of beef stewing in rich sauce... mmmm!!

Now, I straddle a middle line. I'm what you might call "bivegetarian": sometimes I eat meat. Although I love animals, don't wear fur, and try to only consume creatures raised in humane conditions, there are some who feel I don't try hard enough.

I blame Santa Claus. The Tooth Fairy. Cinderella. Because of these fables, some people believe that overnight, a magical being will come and take their problems away. Their wishes will be granted without any effort on their part.

These people mistakenly believe that, during the strike, if they dump their mess in someone else's alley, it will magically disappear from their lives. Fact is, there is no Fairy Godmother. Instead, there are pissed off victims who have to deal with this selfishness: the smell, the rats, and other vermin.

I am a sucker for cute animals. Like the masses, I am "rah, rah, rah" in the fight against seal hunting - despite being a leather wearer. So I was excited that a new National Geographic movie was opening. Arctic Tale follows the early lives of a polar bear, Nanu, and a walrus, Seela. This film is being marketed towards kids, yet can freak them out as well.

Queen Latifah provides the narration. Her voice is very spirited and comical in the beginning, which unfortunately was a distraction. When the animals kill, most of the gory violence has been taken out. Instead of the fatal strikes, all I could see was the aftermass - the carcass. But Arctic Tale is not recommended for very young children. A couple of them had to leave my theatre, as the loudness and tense build-ups made them apprehensive.

Luckily for kid-free me, I got to enjoy the two main reasons why I'm a sucker for National Geographic films: the amazing shots, and the emotional link to the animals. How do National Geographic filmmakers get those shots anyways?

Remember when you were a kid, and a teacher asked you to write about what you wanted to be when you grew up? The first time I wrote about it, I picked "Astronaut". How many of you did, too?

I am now a volunteer writer. I obviously changed my mind. Big time.

Imagine my excitement finding out about a free event, where I can have breakfast with Canada's first female astronaut!

Here's one of those Harlequin romances that happened in Vancouver: there was a girl who was pretty shy, but one day she came upon a stranger sweeping broken glass in front of his house. They talked, and each discovered the other already had a partner. But their conversation was so fantastic, they thought about each other afterwards. While talking they had exchanged business cards. After a few friendly emails, they stopped communicating due to busy schedules and relationships. After a year of not speaking, the girl, now single, contacted him. Turns out, he had become single as well. They have now been dating for almost two years.

That girl is me. If this doesn't inspire you to start talking to strangers, how about this: Vancouver now has a simple tool to instigate speaking with your neighbour. The OK Button, created by Steve, is an easy way to show people that you are friendly, and they are welcome to talk to you. Simple, hey? Apparently, Vancouver needs this sort of tool.

On Saturday, July 7, I know a lot of weddings will be taking place. There's a superstition that 07 07 07 is a lucky day. For the rest of us singletons, our luck comes in the form of the Global Habitat Festival. While those wedding party suckers will be listening to some makeshift band crooning "Everlasting Love", Robson Square will be filled with music lovers enjoying local talent such as Damsel Fly, This Dance Dance Revolution Will Not Be Televised, and DJ NAFA.

However, it will be more than music going on at the Square.