A Meteor's Flash and Boom in Metro Vancouver

Some residents were able to capture a shot of the meteor

Last night just after 9pm, I heard a muffled boom and some minor vibrations.

I knew it wasn't an earthquake but it was very unusual.

Lots of other people on social media thought so too.

People reported seeing a bright flash

Turns out it was a "fireball" meteor about the size of a soccer ball that flew into Earth's atmosphere, causing a bright flash in the sky, followed by two booms in quick succession.

The fireball was seen as far west at Comox, British Columbia, as far east as Merritt, and as far south as Seattle, Washington.

Johanna Wagstaffe, a CBC meteorologist and science reporter said local seismographs showed a spike at around 9.10pm, and that the sonic boom is "classic evidence" of a meteor travelling through the atmosphere.

She noted meteors don't often appear in western North America. "But it's always a big deal when we can visually experience something falling from space."

Wagstaffe explained a sonic boom occurs when an object travels through the upper levels of the atmosphere so fast -- from between 20 to 70 kilometres per second -- that it compresses the air ahead of it and heats up. In this case, the meteor was traveling 33 kilometres per second, or around 119,000 km/h.

A seismograph registered the boom at 9.10pm

The American Meteor Society also confirmed the meteor sighting, and described it as a fireball, as the duration of the flash was too short to be human-made debris, and that it was a natural fireball made of stone, metal, or a combination of both.

It is believed the meteor landed tens of kilometres north of Coquitlam in a heavily forested area, so the chances of finding the fragments are extremely slim. Maybe one day years from now a hiker will discover the fragments? You heard it here first.

The Stressful Life of Professional Musicians

Mao performed flawlessly on three hours' sleep

It's a tough life being a professional musician who travels around the world performing. Not only do you have to learn lots of pieces by memory, but also play them flawlessly despite jetlag and not enough sleep.

That was the case of Mao Fujita, 27, who was in Vancouver this past weekend.

He was supposed to fly direct from San Diego and arrive Saturday at 9pm to perform the next day at 3pm at the Vancouver Playhouse.

However, he texted the organiser of the Vancouver Recital Society, to say his flight was delayed until midnight.

Then he phoned a few minutes later to say he would have to cancel the concert because his flight was cancelled!

She told him to tell Air Canada he had a contractual obligation to perform the next day and he had to get on the flight.

He managed to get the last seat on the plane Sunday morning at 6am -- but that meant leaving his wife behind to get the next flight to Vancouver.

Mao arrived at 11.30am and went straight to the venue to practice despite having only three hours' sleep.

A few hours later he performed in front of an almost sold-out show, playing works by Beethoven, Wagner, Mendelssohn, Brahms and Berg.

I sat in the fourth row on the left side to watch Mao's fingers dance on the keys, and during intermission, the couple on my left switched seats with another. 

The new couple told me they had been sitting on the other side where they could see the expression on the pianist's face. They observed that it was as if he was in a trance, or another world as he played.

Needless to say many in the audience jumped up to give him a standing ovation and Mao treated us to an encore by Rachmaninoff, How Fair This Spot, Op. 21, No. 7 that he himself transcribed for the piano.

After the concert, Mao's wife Haruki arrived and the concert sponsors treated them to dinner and he was so excited to eat! He hadn't eaten pretty much all day!

The Chinese dinner included poached geoduck, stir-fried beef with eggplant, choy sum with braised tofu, spare ribs, Chiu Chow braised duck, soup with tofu, mustard greens and more geoduck, and dessert of taro with sago.

With a filled stomach, Mao and his wife went back to the airport to catch their next flight to Seattle where he performed last night, and then took the next flight to New York. He plays Carnegie Hall tomorrow!

Mao performs 70-75 concerts per year on top of his studies, which he will complete this year. 

We sure hope he makes time in his busy schedule to come back to Vancouver again soon!

Think Twice about Traveling to the US, Eby Says

Trump threatening 25 percent tariffs on Canadian goods Feb 1

With Donald Trump busy with a flurry of activity since he was sworn in, the Premier of British Columbia is terrified about the US President's threat of 25 percent tariffs that may come as early as February 1.

If it does go ahead, it could be disastrous not only for BC, but the whole of Canada economically and provincial and federal leaders are all scrambling to figure out a response that would get Trump to back down.

Premier David Eby is calling on British Columbians to think twice about going across the border for holidays.

Eby says people should rethink travel to the US

"We should really be thinking carefully about spending our money in that country," he said. "We will not spend money in a country that wants to do economic harm to Canadians."

Last weekend a relative did an overnight trip to Seattle, Washington, and said there was hardly any waits at the border -- probably the weak Canadian dollar has made people think twice about going to the US, not necessarily the impending Trump administration.

Others have suggested Canadian consumers should stop shopping at places like Walmart, Costco, and Amazon and buy local instead.

Meanwhile provincial and federal officials haven't diversified economies enough to do business with other countries -- the US is too tempting a market to resist with 10 times the population and its proximity to Canada.

But if Trump is going to continue punishing Canada on things like illegal immigration and fentanyl coming into the US, Canada will be forced to do business elsewhere, and being caught flat-footed isn't exactly a good position to be in.

Seattle Sights

An iconic element of Seattle's skyline

During my one-day trip to Seattle I didn't really see the sights, but a good place to start is the Space Needle. In that vicinity are various places to check out that are all walking distance from each other.

There's the Space Needle itself where visitors can go up the 605 ft (184.4m) tall tower and have a 360-degree view of the city below. It was built for the 1962 World's Fair, where the theme was "The Age of Space".

International Fountain with its space theme

And the Chihuly Garden and Glass, where people can get a taste of glass artist Dale Chihuly's work rain or shine. His creations are fantastical, colourful and awe-inspiring, such large pieces that are suspended from the ceiling or placed in unconventional places. 

The International Fountain is also a remnant from the 1962 World's Fair. The metal dome is meant to convey the feeling of a lunar landscape. The fountain has 274 water jets and the water it spouts out has been treated and recycled. While we visited on an overcast day, one can only imagine it's the perfect place for kids to beat the heat.

Next to the fountain is a work called Neototems by Seattle artist Gloria Bornstein. It features two whales showing off their dorsal fins in bronze. 

Neototems by Glora Bornstein

We were mesmerised by the Frank Gehry-designed Museum of Pop Culture with its wavy walls and various colours. The museum captures the essence of pop culture, from music like grunge and hip hop, to science fiction and fantasy. 

Convenient Ride with a Dose of Attitude

Convenient but a mean bus driver didn't make it a fun ride

Yesterday I made a one-day trip to Seattle to see a friend from Hong Kong visiting her brother.

To get there economically without driving, I took the bus down. When I was a kid, we took the Greyhound bus, but these days it's called Flixbus and my experience on it was mixed.

While the bus departure time was 9.15am from Pacific Central Station, the fine print warned passengers to board 15 minutes beforehand, which meant getting on the bus at 9am. So I made sure I arrived early, at 8.45am to be precise.

The Flixbus driver wore black and a newsboy cap and was in a sour mood. He didn't have to be like that. Instead he barked orders at people, particularly those with suitcases because they had to be placed in different compartments according to where they were getting off. 

Flixbus tickets are priced according to demand, and you can buy the seat next to you to ensure a more personal space. However, this particular bus did not have a phone charger nor wifi; yesterday morning the electricity was down in our house and so my phone battery was already at under 70 percent.

The bus driver pulled out of the parking lot at 9.15am, when some people started banging on the door. It was a family that had just arrived with suitcases in tow but the driver refused to stop and shouted at them repeatedly to stand back from the bus. English was not their first language. He was not in the mood to stop and open the doors as well as the cargo compartments to include them on the bus and drove away, muttering they were late.

Then he had the gall to put on his nice voice over the microphone to welcome passengers on the bus and gave some strict house rules: Sit in your assigned seat, no wifi today, no smoking or vaping in the bus, wear headphones if you are using your phone.

In 50 minutes we arrived at the border crossing at Blaine. It took him a while to get the customs officers ready for us. A short Asian woman rushed to the front to get off the bus. But when she stood in line waiting to be processed she saw no fruits allowed in and took out two apples from her bag. And then she read no nuts either and pulled out a box of nuts that was wrapped in a plastic bag. What else was she carrying?

Everyone else who had suitcases had to drag them out from the bus and bring them into the customs area. As people were getting back on the bus, one young woman realised she had left her passport behind. The entire family was ordered off the bus and to bring their suitcases in again to be questioned. The bus driver was less than pleased and expressed this loudly. Another woman passenger tried to console him by saying it was not his fault, but that wasn't the answer he was looking for.

When the family finally got back on the bus, the bus driver said we were six minutes behind schedule. Six minutes! And in fact by the time we arrived at my stop at the University of Washington, we were perhaps one or two minutes behind schedule. I was so relieved to get off the bus.

He again barked at people who were waiting there to get on...

My return trip experience was completely different. Thinking I had to be there 15 minutes ahead of time again, I made sure I returned to the same stop early. But a woman sitting on the steps told me the bus was one hour behind schedule with no explanation. So I rushed to the nearest Starbucks to get a sandwich (my dinner).

Each time a bus arrived we went over to check if it was ours or not. They were driven by women and they were nice to passengers. One even retrieved a lost phone and the young man was so grateful. 

Finally our bus arrived at 8.23pm, and a cheerful driver came out. He didn't explain why they were late, but was easy going and relaxed. When we got on board, he also laid out the house rules, and I was pleased to find a phone charger though the wifi didn't work either. 

There wasn't too much traffic on the highway and we made good time to Bellingham and then to the border. This time we were only at customs for half an hour and that helped us get back to Vancouver by 11.36pm, just a few minutes shy of the original schedule. 

So I finished the trip with a good experience, but I can't shake the demeanor of the first driver. Why did he have to be so rude? I understand driving from Vancouver to Portland in one day is stressful, but we are all anxious too. I wondered what happened to that family that missed the ride in the morning... and what would have happened if we had a different driver...

Klondike Prospectors Paved the Way for Tourists

There isn't normally this much snow on the mountains now

Our ship the Ruby Princess arrived in Skagway, Alaska this morning, but the captain announced at 7am that the ship could not dock -- the water was too shallow and added other ships would not budge either! There are at least three other cruise ships along the same route as us.

As a result, our ship had to stop away from the dock and set up tenders (small shuttle boats) to shore. This plan was scrambled very quickly and kudos to the staff for making it happen relatively fast.

Even the tour operators in Skagway were shocked to see the cruise ship floating around in the water -- our tour guide Paul said in the 18 years he was a tour guide here he had never seen it like that before... but apparently there is a 17-feet difference in the water levels here...

Pitchfork Falls on the left, next to a pipeline

As a result, our tour at 10.15am started a bit late because the previous tour at 8.30am was delayed by this change in logistics.

Nevertheless, Paul was fun and accommodating -- he can drive a bus of 21 tourists, drive and tell us about the history of the gold rush in Alaska in the 1890s! He even uses a drum stick to point to various areas on the map above him!

As we drove along the Klondike Highway, we had stunning views of the mountains that still had snow on them. Paul said usually at this time of year -- June -- just the caps of the mountains would have snow on them. But because this year was particularly cold, the snow was still around. Perhaps it's a good thing considering there isn't much snow in general on the mountains?

He explained in 1896 gold was discovered, but word didn't get out until a year later. People from all over went from Seattle, Vancouver and Victoria by ship to Alaska -- in some boats it was literally standing room only -- and it was an arduous trek with lots of provisions on their backs.

Stunning views and gorgeous weather to boot!

Horses were badly treated, overwhelmed by the weight of the stuff they had to carry and over treacherous terrain that some 3,000 of them died... is it any wonder one of the roads was nicknamed Dead Horse Trail?

Paul also reminded us in the Victorian era, these prospectors didn't have Gore-tex or North Face jackets -- they had wool and it was very heavy and would get wet easily. The women wore dresses. It's amazing they even survived.

But by the time these prospectors made it to Alaska and survived the frigid winters, there was hardly any gold left in 1898 and either called it quits or stayed anyway. 

Paul gave some shocking statistics:

- 100,000 went to Seattle, Vancouver and Victoria in the hopes of getting to Alaska;

- 40,000 made it to Alaska

- 20,000 looked for gold

- 4,000 found gold

- 1,000 found enough gold to live on. One was John W Nordstrom, a Swedish immigrant who used the money he made from gold and set up a shoe store.

The highways we went on to see the magnificent sights were because of the gold rush, and now who benefits? Us tourists.

In 1972 the first ship brought some 200 tourists. Today it's 15,000 a year.

The season lasts from late April to October. On the last day of the cruise season, some of the locals will get together on the dock to give a send off to the last batch of tourists -- they moon them!

Apparently this is an annual tradition!

And one year, a group of tourists on a cruise ship mooned the locals back!

Remembering Tony Bennett

Tony Bennett put his heart and soul into every song he sang

This morning I woke up to the sad news that crooner Tony Bennett had passed away at the age of 96.

I have a quick Tony Bennett story:

In the early 80s when I was a kid, my family and I were in a hotel elevator in Seattle when the door opened and the famous crooner dressed in a tuxedo walked in.

We were stunned for a moment until my dad (a massive fan) asked if he could shake Tony Bennett's hand.

They did and soon after he walked out of the lift.

Frank Sinatra said Bennett was "the best singer in the business."

The two stars will be reunited.

Thank you for your voice, passion and conviction.

Asian Supermarket Chain Goes South

T&T is opening its first store near Seattle next summer

People in Bellevue, Washington State who like to eat Asian food are excited to hear that T&T Supermarket will be opening its first American outlet next summer. 

The Vancouver-based supermarket was started by Taiwanese businesswoman Cindy Lee in 1993 -- 30 years ago -- and it's the largest Asian supermarket chain in Canada with locations in British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec and Ontario.

Now it's opening its first store near Seattle.

Lots of fresh produce at good prices at T&T

"It feels like a big step because it's a new country," said Lee's daughter Tina, who is the CEO. She added they have noticed a significant number of shoppers from the US at their Richmond stores, particularly during American long weekends.

What's not to like about T&T? It stocks fresh vegetables and fruits at lower prices compared to other supermarkets, and has every kind of Asian chips, candies, drinks and other snacks you can think of, as well as fresh meats and seafood, cooked food, household items and even skincare products.

Experts say bringing T&T across the border near Seattle is a good strategic move to see if it can expand even further.

"They are moving into a new market. However, Seattle is fairly low risk for them, the cultures are fairly similar to Vancouver and the demographic makeup is fairly similar," said Jarrett Vaughan, adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia's Sauder School of Business.

CEO Lee, daughter of the founder

"What they've done really well is they've understood their customers extremely well," he said. "They know who their target customer is and they've been able to cater to them really well."

The company is also setting up a regional office in the greater Los Angeles area, home to the biggest port in the United States, as CEO Lee says there are plans to open more stores south of the border.

Ever wondered what T&T stands for? Tina and Tiffany, Cindy Lee's two daughters, and the initials of two early investors.