Archive for ‘December, 2009‘

Above & Beyond, I’m sorry. You know I like you a lot, and we’ve had some really great times – but please vacate the thrown.

On Saturday, December 19th, trance veterans Nic Chagall and DJ Bossi (better known together as Cosmic Gate) filled the Red Room to capacity for what was easily my favourite show of the year. The night was an unrelenting joyride, featuring many of the best tracks of 2009 – and of course, a generous helping of Cosmic Gate classics as well.

Looking for more photos? Find the high-resolution versions on Flickr, or tag yourself on Facebook.

Between Grand Cayman, Roatán, Belize, and Cozumel, Cozumel easily my favourite (and by far the most beautiful). White-sand beaches, connected by dusty highways, cover most of the island’s circumference. While tourist buses exist, most visitors wander on their own by scooters, jeeps, or retro Beetles.

A word of warning to Jeep riders: don’t step on the plastic cover over the back tires. It will bend and you will fall. (Maybe even sack yourself. It was touch and go for a bit.)

Speaking of warnings, like most places in Mexico – steer clear of the food. Every time I visit Cozumel, I get food poisoning, and it always happens at the exact same spot (with this awful sign). Sure, you might have an iron stomach, and yes, it tastes great, but chances are, you’ll end up reeling in bed for a week and it’s just not worth it.

That said, if you do end up at that restaurant, go get yourself a full-body massage by the ocean. From now on, I demand every massage be done by water. Amazing.

Last night, hands were shaken and drinks were had by hundreds of Vancouverites who packed the room for the year-end Meetup of Meetups (#yvrmeetups).

Hosted at Ceili’s Irish Pub and Restaurant, the event brought out professionals from many walks of life, featuring the communities of the Third Tuesday Meetup, the Vancouver Blogger’s Meetup, the Vancouver Construction Meetup, the Real Estate Technology Meetup, the Vancouver Sales Performance Meetup, the Young Professionals Meetup, the Vancouver Entrepreneur Meetup, and the Vancouver Small Business Meetup.

Looking for more photos? Check out the high-resolution versions on Flickr or keep the conversation going with the photos on Facebook.

Besides a nasty cut from earlier that morning (kids, when snorkling, watch out for tall coral and shallow water), Belize was fairly uneventful. While Grand Cayman and Roatán proved safe, Belize had a reputation I wasn’t willing to test on my own. So, to pass the time, I turned my eye from the locals to the tourists. Pretty benign stuff.

Following Grand Cayman, was the less commercialized (and more photogenic) Isla Roatan. Outside the tourist complex, the dusty streets were lined by tired buildings, housing equally humble stores. Many of the locals were eager to chat, but like the two girls pictured above, most of them were in for the dollar.

Tonight, Bernadette Giet of Wealthy Wilma fame and John Chow, blogger extraordinare, filled the room for the Vancouver Financial Services Marketing Meetup. Both experts gushed wisdom without restraint, sending pens scribbling throughout the night. (John in particular gave away every online marketing secret in the book; great – now I have to switch jobs.)

Were you there? Don’t forget to leave a comment and hit the Flickr set for the rest of the photos!