Last night my cousin finally took me to her favourite study spot that she had been raving about for the past while. Located right on West Broadway near UBC, Calhoun's is, in the words of my cousin, a student Mecca. They offer wireless internet and are open 24 hours. I liked it so much I felt the need to return this evening and share the place with a friend of mine.

The tables are usually packed (according to cousin's experience) and glowing with the light of many laptops, yet the space still felt large, partly due to the high ceiling. Further, the atmosphere is calm and it is surprisingly quiet in a room with so many people; each of the customers seem to have an unspoken agreement to sustain a level of quiet for an optimal study atmosphere.

The lighting is warm and they offer home-style comfort foods to match, like their delicious penne and cheese and warm drinks like their seasonal egg nog latte. The menu - which can be seen, and even ordered from online - is varied and incorporates delicious and interesting dishes like stuffed red and green peppers and salmon filo pie served with orange chow mein noodles. All in all, a cool place to study, if you can manage to find a table.

Calhoun's Bakery Cafe Ltd.
3035 West Broadway
Vancouver BC Canada
V6K 2G9
Tel: 604.731.7062

Okay, so I'm not the first to discover Vancouver's lights; even Canadian singer-songwriter Tom Cochrane made allusion to the pretty night time lights of our city. While it's no new discovery, I wanted to take the time to appreciate it in my way - with a camera.

I'd been wanting to take pictures from either the Burrard or the Granville street bridge, so tonight I set out with a friend and we walked up the Granville bridge armed with my tripod. It was fun to finally set out with my camera again. I have a minor obsession with long exposures so I had a ball, what with the traffic and the skyline.

For photographers just looking for some pretty shots, head out to the bridges at night. A word of reccomendation, however: I forgot to take into account the wind chill, so bring fingerless gloves and a good coat - you'll thank me later.

Last week I was spontaneously granted the welcome chance to attend the dress rehearsal for the most recent play performed at UBC's Frederic Wood Theatre: The Rez Sisters. I could not deny an opportunity for free entertainment - I can't help but feel that such occasions are becoming more scarce with time - and agreed to go.

Unsure of what to expect (it was, after all, just a dress rehearsal) I resolved to keep an open mind. Further, I was informed that the play was about the culture of First Nations Reservation life in the 80's, and was intrigued as to how the cast would deal with such an obviously delicate situation. I was literally nervous for the cast, especially (I admit) when I heard the first lines spoken in an attempted accent. Actually, in the end I was quite impressed with the acting, and the accents were well pulled off. By no means am I a theatre connoisseur, but speaking as simply the average audience member with an added critical eye, it was enjoyable, and not just enjoyable in a wow-that-was-so-crap-it-made-me-laugh way, which part of me has come to expect.

Truly, the actors had difficult emotional and solemn scenes that had major potential for screw-up, but I found myself quite silenced and emotional at parts. That's not to say that the play was void of humor: some of the moments were even quote-outside-the-theatre funny. They elegantly dealt with difficult roles and I would have gladly paid to see the play. As for the dress rehearsal, there were but two line errors, but they were easily forgotten by quick and artful recoveries on the part of the cast. All in all, a valuable theatre experience and a recommendation on my part.

The show only runs until the 24th, so get tickets quick if your interest has been aroused whatsoever.