Contributed by Jenn Perutka

I'm bruised, beaten, and drenched in my own and strangers sweat. This is all the result of the best concert I've attended all summer: Girl Talk. Promoting his new album Feed the Animals, Gregg Gillis brought his masterpiece mash ups to The Commodore last night and left the entire venue with dance fever.

Sweat can be sexy. It can be hot, turn you on, whirr your mind into a frenzy. But not when you're on your way to impress clients, or a first date. Which is one of the advantages Steven Luscher states in a list you could call "Electric Vehicle (EV) vs. Traditional Bicycle".

"Don't get me wrong," states Luscher, an admirer of EVs. "Nothing will ever replace the two-wheeled bicycle. But for people who are aging, have a physical disability, are running a heavier errand, hate bad weather, or just need to get somewhere quicker, a power-assisted bicycle can definitely compliment cycling."

Luscher organizes the The Vancouver Electric Vehicle Meetup, which invites all EV users for a monthly ride called The Kilowatt Hour. The next event is Friday, October 12th. Luscher is also the owner of a Luyuan, a brand of electric bicycle.

"The way to a man's heart is through his stomach." So very true. Years ago I wanted to impress a guy, so I pulled out my cookbook from Spain, translated every second word with my Spanish-English dictionary, then proceeded to make meatballs and patatas bravas. Six hours, 20 meatballs, and a bucket of sweat and tears later, I presented his dinner.

His heart was mine.

But why such an exhausting effort? Because I didn't have a chef in my kitchen, showing me how it was done. Now, we all do. With makemysupper.com, back then I would have had the dinner done with plenty of time to spare, no sweat. Not that Vancouver-based creator Peter Hrynkow really needs his website. "I'm not much of a cook myself," he admits, "but everybody else in my family loves to cook: my aunt, my Mom, my fiance. So I'm surrounded by people who are an inspiration to me and the site."

At least Hrynkow knows web development. Makemysupper.com has piqued international interest from chefs and media. How has he managed to pull viewers from more established video sites, like Youtube?

I donate to the SPCA at least once a year. Occasionally I'll send money to other organizations, too. But I never get a cool prize. Of course, that's not the point -- the point is to save the animals. However, local rock band Arctic wants to reward critter philanthropists with an exclusive master CD of their second EP, Today Brought Me Here. As a bonus to the highest bidder, they are even generous enough to frame it, include a personal note from lead singer Marcus Martin, and throw in a cool polar bear-shaped Northwest Territories license plate!

If you want to preview this sweet prize, listen to the songs from Today Brought Me Here. Lead singer Marcus Martin's inspiration for the auction has a lot to do with where he's from.

Oh, you poor students. Waking up at an ungodly hour after a weekend of drinking, only to line up at Broadway and Commercial to board a bus. A packed, sardine can of a bus. Then doing it again at the end of the day, with a bag full of homework and term paper goodness.

Drew Snider, media relations guy for Translink, wants to help you avoid a stand-up, stinky armpit situation.

"Most people going to UBC head to Broadway Station, then transfer to the 99 B-Line. Often, the 99 B-Line leaves Broadway with a full standing load, leading to 'passups' at stations along the route. Here are some alternatives:

1. Take #9 UBC instead. It runs every 12-17 minutes through the morning and afternoon rush hours and take 45 minutes or less to go from Broadway Station to the UBC Loop. By comparison, the #99 B-Line takes just over half an hour.


2. During midday, take #9 Alma and transfer to #99 B-Line or #17 UBC at 10th and Alma.


3. Get off at Nanaimo Station and take the #25 UBC. This trip takes 30-40 minutes.


4. Get off at Joyce-Collingwood Station and take the #41 UBC. These buses leave every 4-6 minutes and take 30-40 minutes (including a scenic run along SW Marine Drive).


5. Continue to Granville Station and transfer to the #4 UBC, #7 UBC and #17 UBC on Richards or walk to Seymour and Hastings, the terminus of the #44 UBC.


6. Get off at Burrard Station and transfer to the #44 UBC.


7. Take Millennium Line 'outbound' (towards VCC-Clark), get off at Brentwood Town Centre Station and transfer to the #25 UBC. This trip takes about one hour and fifteen minutes.


8. At VCC-Clark Station, take the #84 UBC. Service is once every 8 minutes in the peak AM period and takes about 30 minutes.

This scintillating photo is a still from Spider Lilies, the latest offering from director Zero Chou. Although there are many reasons to hone in on Chou's filmography, it was her first name that caught my eye. Zero.

During high school, I noticed that students from China or Japan tended to adopt Western names, and sometimes strange ones at that. I recall, on graduation day, names like Pinky Chan, Sweety Cho, August Lai. (Of course, I'm sure the MC had a field day with my name.)

After snickering about her name in the press release, I explored Chou further. Turns out, she's caught the international film industry's eye, and won some prestigious awards.