Canucks Alumni 'Goalies Rock' Autograph Event @ River Rock Casino

So, surprise, surprise, I went.  It was a pretty fun event, I have to say.  They held the autograph signing in the lobby of the River Rock Casino Hotel.  Got there only to find out that Richard Brodeur wasn't able to make it to the signing. There were people there, mainly guys, with their hockey binders and wearing old canucks jerseys with the skate logos.  It was pretty awesome to see.  I went over to guest services and asked them who exactly was going to be signing.  As you can see from the poster, it only has two names.  I knew that Dave Babych and Greg Adams were also supposed to be there.  However, I found out that there were going to be three waves of player signings.  The first was at 2pm.  As people lined up, I waited til it died down a bit and then went in for picture with all of the players since I had nothing for them to sign.  I had only brought my Kirk McLean Rookie Card with me and the only person signing that was going to be McLean.

The first wave of players were Dean Malkoc (not a Canuck, ex-Bruins player who is a Vancouverite), Harold Snepts and Ken Lockett.  As I stood in front of them for the group shot I asked "I'm not blocking anyone am I?"  They all laughed.  Good times!

Once they were done signing, the went over to the bar in the back for some food.  The second wave of players were to show up soon so I waited around for a bit and then stood in line again.  The players were Glen Hanlon, Gary Nyland ( not a Canuck, ex-Leafs/Islanders player), Barry Bromley and Dave Babych.  I had met Dave before at the Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer last year.  All these guys were pretty awesome to meet.

There was a bit of a wait for the last group of players to arrive.  I was standing in line close to the end cause I wanted pics again.  While I was waiting in line, a young man and his young son lined up behind me.  He had a hockey binder with him and we started talking.  Told me that his son had found a box of his old hockey cards at his mom's house and put them into a binder.  Now they belong to his sons and his son has been adding to it.  We went through the book together.  He had some nice cards. A couple more guys lined up behind us and they had a black and white photo of McLean in action.  I asked where they had gotten them.  They hesitated before telling me that they got it from Subway.  I said I only wanted to know cause I saw a few other people with them earlier getting them signed.  We all laughed about it.  I had no idea that Subway was giving out pictures for the event.  They said that they had heard about from Team 1040.  Lucky them!

The guy in the back of the line wanted to get his jersey signed by Dave Babych.  I told him that he already had his signing session.  The young son had also mentioned to his father that he wanted to get Harold Snepts to sign his card and get Babych to sign his jersey.  It was his luck cause first Harold Snepts came out from the bar and we watched as he headed into the washroom.  I told the kid to go stand outside the bathroom and wait for him and get him to sign his card.  But not to follow him into the bathroom.  We all watched him go and then he dissapeared around the corner. Until I saw his hands from the corner.  He was just waiting on the inside of the passage way to the bathroom.  He did manage to get the card signed though as we all watched Snepts sign his card happily.  Mission was a success! lol.

Then we spotted Dave Babych in a black jacket standing in the lobby talking with Joey Kenward, Canucks TV Reporter, who was there covering the event.  I told the guy in the back who was wanting Babych's signature that he could get him to sign it while he was still here.  He did go over and he got his jersey signed.  The kid also went over for his signature at the same time a few others from the line did.  We all laughed as we watched Babych get swarmed at once.  He was nice and accommodating though and signed everyone's stuff before he left the building.

Once that was done, the last wave of players showed up at 4:20pm.  It was supposed to start at 4pm.  Better late than never, I guess!  I had noticed before that the name plates on the table were Greg Adams, Kirk McLean and Orland Kurtenbach but only Adams and McLean were there.

As I got close to the table, the canucks volunteer who had been taking all these pics for me saw me.  I asked if she could get a pic of me with them players again.  So, once I was close enough to Adams, I talked to him.  He remembered me from the Pro-Am Scotia Bank Alzheimer's Tournament I volunteered for last year.  Adams was also there and we had talked then but never got a pic with him cause he left early.  So, I asked if I could get a pic with him.  He was very accomodating.

Then I moved on to the last player.  I watched as the person a couple places ahead of me put on a Kirk McLean goalie mask and took a picture with McLean.  So it kinda looked like a "Kesler bomb".  It was pretty funny.  I was up next and I had taken out the card for him to sign.  Also asked for a pic and he agreed.

We were trying not to bust out laughing when the pic was taken cause of all the paparazzi that all of the sudden appeared.  There was a professional photographer there who took pics of me with all the guys all day.  When he showed up, I told Kirk, "This guy likes taking pics of me.  He's been doing it all day.  Get ready to smile."  I have no idea where those pics are going to end up. lol.  There must have been three or four cameras on us at this time anyways, including mine.  We all had a great time though.

My signed Kirk McLean Rookie Card.

Love talking to the Canuck Alumnis.  No egos or attitudes to put up.  Just a lot of fun. If you ever get a chance to meet them, I totally recommend it.  I told Adams I'm gonna get him to sign his card at this year's Pro-Am Scotia Bank tournament.  He said he would. See ya then, Greg Adams! :)

Canucks in the Playoffs

BMO Vancouver Marathon 2013

I've been wanting to forever volunteer at the BMO Vancouver Marathon but for one reason or another, have not done it, that is until this past weekend.  My friend, Debbie, wanted to get back into volunteering and wanted to start with a marathon and asked if I would join her.  I told her I would love to.  So, this past weekend we volunteered on Saturday for Package Pick-Up and then again on Sunday, raceday handing out medals to those who finished the course in the Half and Full Marathons.

I met up with Debbie on Saturday in the lobby of Canada Place.  Together we found our volunteer check-in booth only to find out they had no shirts for us to wear.  We were told to head down to hall to Exhibit Hall C where our Team Lead would meet up with us in the hall before we went in.  Sure enough she did.  Once we got in, Debbie asked her about the shirts.  The TL replied that they were 'stolen'.  This wasn't good.  So, we were taken behind the blue curtain of the registration and package-pickup lineups to the 'sweat shop' was.  I'm kidding.  It was where the packages were being assembled.

Turns out, because we didn't have our proper t-shirts to wear, they couldn't put some of us out in the front lines to deal with the runners so they decided to have us assemble the packages instead.  We filled them with Deep Relief Gel packets, brochures for walks and other medical advice from the sponsors.  There were many of us back there so it went rather quickly and the supplies also started to dwindle fairly quickly.  The room was almost empty of supplies by the time our shift was almost over.

After Debbie and I took our break, we came back to find out that a shipment of shirts had made their way to the room we were in.  Unfortunately, they were gone again when we got there.  Our TL hunted down two shirts - one in medium size and the other in XL.  I took the medium sized shirt.  Debbie opted to get a shirt on race day in a smaller size.  We stayed and finished our shift from 11-2pm and then we left.  We were given the blue bag as a souvenir since there were tons of those left.

The next morning Debbie and I met up at the Tim Hortons on Burrard by the train station.  We walked over to the Renaissance Hotel for volunteer check-in. Once we checked in, Debbie was able to get a shirt in a smaller size to wear.  We were wrist-banded with the words "Finish Line" on our left hand and a letter "V" was permanent markered on the back of our right hand to get us through security to the medal area.

These were the medals being handed out for the day.

The energy in the streets was amazing.  Music, dancing, runners from the morning 8 K run and those coming in from the Half were all around.  I saw one runner trying her hand out dancing with the dancers to the song "Feel This Moment" by Pitbull and Christina Aguilera.  We wandered over to the medals and joined the process already in motion.  Basically, we armed ourselves with medals.  Ladies Full Marathon medals on our right hand and Men's Marathon runners on the left hand. As Debbie demonstrates in this pic.

distributed to the runners as the crossed the finish line. There were a lot of us at the finish lines armed with the medals and there weren't a lot of runners coming in at that time.  One or two would trickle across the line and there was a lot of waiting around for a group to run in.  Once the flow started coming, it was busy and a lot more fun.

At one point, there was a man who had just finished running the Full marathon and he was coming towards me for a medal.  As he slowed down, his daughter, who must have been around five or six years old, shot out and gave her dad a big hug.  I looked at her and asked her if she would like to put the medal around her dad's neck.  She nodded so I handed it to her and she put it around his neck with the biggest smile.  Totally made my day.

Handing out medals was fun and our group cheered and congratulated the runners as they came in.  It's amazing to see that it's not just the skinny, athletic types who are running the full and half marathons.  It's people of all shapes and sizes and for many it was an emotional journey.  Some collapsed at the end, others just cried when they saw John Stanton, founder of the Running Room.  He was also there handing out medals to the runners.  I've been wanting to do a marathon run for a while now.  If I do, I'll join the Running Room clinics.  I'm just hoping that my asthma doesn't hold me back. 

After all this, Debbie and I ate our lunch in the city and then parted ways.  It was a great way to spend a weekend with a dear friend.  It was also amazing to be a part of something so special in the city.  Congrats to all those who ran.  Maybe I'll be out there running in next year's marathon.

I'll have my BMO Marathon Certificate next week.  Another one to add to my growing collection.

National Volunteer Appreciation Week - Vancouver Whitecaps FC

National Volunteer Appreciation Week was celebrated at the game on Saturday for our Whitecaps FC Volunteers.  To show our appreciation for them as an organization, they were given cupcakes and a Whitecaps Scarf as a thank you gift.  There were plenty to go around and there were many shocked and happy volunteers as a result.

It was also the first day of Trivia Challenge.  I have made up at least eight trivia challenges in which volunteers will have an option of taking part in randomly throughout the season.  Correct answers go into a draw at the end of the night for three Whitecaps swag prizes.  The first trivia challenge was a Whitecaps Word Jumble.  Twenty Whitecaps soccer related words that needed unscrambling.  It was interesting to see the level of skill of our volunteers.  Some found it easy while others found it "challenging".  But it was fun to see everyone huddled around their tables with their teams trying to figure the words out.  You could tell they were having fun. 

 

The three lucky winners were extremely happy at the end of the night and I received really great feedback from the Team Leads about the trivia challenge from their own teams. As far as the soccer game went, the Whitecaps FC went on to draw Dallas FC 2-2.  Overall, it was a fun night.  Looking forward to surprising our volunteers with more trivias and giveaways throughout the year.

Times of India International Film Awards (TOIFA) 2013

The awards were last night and they were wonderful.  It was everything I had hoped the actors would bring.

I didn't stalk the actors at the airport like most people cause I hate crowds and didn't want to stand for hours just hoping to get a glimpse of someone famous.  I instead waited until the day of the awards to stalk them.  Well, not really stalk.  Earlier in the week, Abishek Bachchan and Aish Rai Bachchan showed up with Shiamak Davar, the choreographer of the actors and of TOIFA.  Once they landed, they took a tour of BC Place and got aquianted with it.  After, they headed off to the Pan Pacific Hotel at Canada Place, where all the actors were staying, to relax and get ready for rehearsals the next day.

The trio of Aishwarya, Abishek and Shiamak Davar took pics all throughout the tour.  They were the first bollywood actors to arrive on the scene.  You can see the stage in the background.

As actors trickled in during the week, they would sign autographs and take pictures with people.  My cousin's daughter got a  picture with Ranbir Kapoor who actually took the phone from her and took the pic of them himself.  Nice guy.

So, when Saturday, April 13th rolled around, I headed over to the Pan Pacific hotel to see if I could catch a glimpse of someone.  I was there for maybe 30 mins and saw two famous stars.  The first was Prabhu Deva.  He's considered the "Indian Michael Jackson Dancer".   He came out and shook hands with everyone, gave autographs and said hello.  I managed to get a pic of him.

I also saw Boman Irani.  He didn't come out towards us but he walked from the hotel to inside of an awaiting car that transported him to BC Place.  I have a pic of him walking over to the car and another of him sitting in the car with the window rolled down waving at us but it's still on my phone.  After that spotting, I decided to head to BC Place and get ready for the night.  My shift began at 4:30 and I was to work the Guest Services Desk inside the bowl on the floor level.  Apparently, the fact that I can speak in hindi, urdu and know some punjabi along with being trained at Guest Services earlier, had something to do with me getting that sweet job and I got to sit down. :)

The awards were supposed to begin at 8:00pm but instead ran on "Indian time" and started at 8:30pm.  I made friends with a TOIFA people who needed assistance in various things. I sat with ticketmaster and we worked together in solving all sorts of issues that arose.  I actually had a couple of young girls, dressed to the nine, come up to me and ask me where the entrance to the red carpet was because they wanted to walk out with the stars.  They held up their tickets at me and showed me the "VIP" on it when I gave them a puzzled look.  I explained to them that the VIP didn't entitle them to the red carpet walk but that wasn't what they wanted to hear.  So I wished them luck!  The ticketmaster people and I had a good laugh over that one!

The stage looked beautiful.  It had Vancouver components in the design with the Cherry Blossom trees and Stanley Park totem poles.

The night started off with the opening video for TOIFA which my friend had a hand in directing.  It turned out amazing. Way to go, Baljit Sangra. :)

Anuksha Sharma and Ranbir Kapoor, along with Boman Irani hosted the event.  They were amazing as always.  Lots of energy and lots of laughs. There were many performances from Priyanka, Katrina Kaif and Aishwarya Bachchan.

At one point of the night when I went on break to the second level to grab something to eat, I was walking back to the ramps to head back down to my station, when I saw Abieshek Bachchan walk by me and into the tunnel I was just watching the show from.  He had four Genesis Security guards and four TOIFA security with him.  He was to go into the tunnel and dance down the stairs and onto an indian truck called a "lorry" which took him around the stadium and towards the stage.  Here he is standing at the edge of the tunnel waiting for his segment to start.

Although that was pretty cool, the main reason I wanted to work TOIFA was to watch my bollywood favourite, Shah Rukh Khan.  He was the second to last performer and danced to a medley of his hit songs over the years and he absolutely killed it.  He had the stadium screaming at the top of their lungs and showered him with Indian love.  It was absolutely amazing.

This is him when he first showed up to the song Badshah.  Picture is from Style Me India.  The video is of the fans going crazy when he was introduced by Anuksha and Ranbir.  The response was deafening.

BC Preimier, Christy Clark and Finance Minister, Mike DeJong were also there.  They were on stage and each got to be a part of the ceremonies.  Bowman Irani and Mike did a little skit where Mike ended up dancing and saying a line from a Salman Khan movie in butchered hindi.  Mike also made the mistake of calling the award a "TOFI" instead of "TOIFA" when he presented it to the winner.  Of course, the winner made fun of that in hindi.

The Best Actress went to Priyanka Chopra who took her ill dad up on stage with her.

The Best Actor male went to Ranbir Kapoor who told kept repeating over and over again for two minutes only one thing. "I love you! I love you! I love you!".  After Ranbir sat down, Boman came on stage and chuckles comedically  "We love you too, Ranbir."

All in all, it was a great night for everyone.  I was happy cause I got to watch all my bollywood actors perform.  I even ran into old friends who were on the floor.  King Khan brought the house down and everyone went home happy.  Thank you TOIFA for coming to Vancouver. You made 38,000 people happy last night.  Till the next indian awards!!

Whitecaps Win Home Opener vs Toronto FC

The Supporters were out in full force.  The picture you see above, is courtesy of the Curva Collective supporters.  It was very impressive.

Whitecaps played Toronto FC  on their home opener for the second time and just like tradition, they beat them to a win of 1-0.  The only goal came from Gershon Koffie in the second half.

After the first five minutes of play, an injury occured to Captain, Jay DeMerit.  He suffered a ruptured achillies tendon. After undergoing a successful surgery, he tweeted from his hospital bed.

 

Our fearless Captain will be out for the remainder of the season healing.  He's also getting married this summer to Ashleigh McIvor.  Get well, Jay!

I didn't work for Whitecaps this shift.  For the month of March I will be working as a Host in Section 242.  I get to watch match again just like my Swangard days when I ushered the Grand Stand.

When I start my shifts with the Whitecaps in April, I will be in a new position this year.  I am the Volunteer Development and Recognition Coordinator.   So, I have actually been busy coming up with new and exciting ideas to keep the volunteer crew excited and engaged for this season.  I'm so ready for this challenge.

Anyways, there's a game on later today.  So, I better get some sleep.  Its 4:30am right now and I need to get up early and head down to BC Place for my shift at 2pm.  Whitecaps vs Columbus Crew!  This should be an easy game for our 'Caps!

Canucks to Wear Millionaire Kit on March 16th!

Since Ryan Kesler's been sidelined again with a fractured foot, he's found some spare time on his hands to model the Vancouver Millionaires Kit the team will be wearing on March 16th!

Here are some pics of the team also in the kits at a recent photo shoot.