The 22nd annual Celebration of Light kicked off last Saturday at English Bay. This time year there was a change is sponsorship so it is now the Honda Celebration of Light. Vietnam gave the first performance this year, starting off with a bang! Lots of colour and I loved the huge huge fireworks that went so high in the sky.

Their soundtrack changed many times going from Vietnam music to Sweet Emotion by Aerosmith to  Magnificent Seven to One Direction's What Makes You Beautiful. I loved it! The timing of their fireworks with the music was spot on. 

Part I:
Oriental culture -  Country and the people of Vietnam 
Matsuri (Kitaro)  
The wings of the sun (Five strings)
   
Part II: Western culture -- Country and the people of Canada
Gladiator (soundtrack from Gladiator) 
Zoosters breakout (soundtrack from Madagascar) 
Four strong winds (Neil Young)  

Part III: Danang - Vancouver: Similarities
The Canadian dream (Sam Robert) 
Sweet emotion (Aerosmith)   

Part IV: Vietnam - Canada: A cooperation for development
What makes you beautiful (One direction) 
The Magnificent seven (Erich Kurzel)

I didn't have a tripod with me this year. I just got to English Bay five minutes before it started and I happened to have my camera with me. Haha. You can tell I was shaking! Most of the photos I took were with 2 sec exposure. I couldn't get any longer than that without going so very blurry. =)

















Next up will be Brazil on Wednesday, August 1st starting at 10pm. It should be another exciting show! See you there!

Mount Pleasant Victory Market runs in conjunction with Livable Lanways Night Markets and features local producers, growers and crafters. I wandered by on Saturday night to check it out. The market is not very big, it is in the laneway west of Main Street between 8th and Broadway.

I saw a lot of the vendors but the events probably didn't start until later. The sign said there was to be Salsa dancing and a fire show but I left before then. I saw Barefoot Farms, Olla Flowers, Patch, Victory Gardens, Zula Jewelry + Design, Mellifera Bees and more. Local DJs were also on the Beaumont Stage playing music for attendees.


















I bought this cute necklace from Zula Jewelry + Design. It is base on a cedar branch I think.






This is a pretty neat way to use space that is normally ignored in the city. If only all the laneways are as pretty at this! The next MPVM is on August 4th from 5:00pm -10:00pm. The 2nd Annual Smoking Sausage BBQ Cook-off will also be held that day. For only $3, attendees can sample sausages BBQ'ed by participating restaurants: Burgoo Bistro, Hyde Restaurant, The Cascade Room, The Rumpus Room, and Eight 1/2 Restaurant!

On the drive back from Mt Seymour, I head about this event Samsung was doing at Metrotown. Since I had some time to kill before watching the fireworks, I decided to check it out.


Just outside the Samsung store was a demo station featuring their newest phone the Galaxy SIII.


Samsung is a worldwide partner of the Olympic Games so to celebrate the start of the London 2012 Summer Olympics, they brought in 2010 Olympic Gold medal champion, Heather Moyse to take photos. People also got to hold the London Olympic torch.




While I waiting in line to take a photo with Moyse, a Samsung rep showed us all the cool features of the GSIII. I didn't need to be convinced that this phone is awesome. I already know!


My photo with the torch and Moyse. She even personalized and autographed it! =D The photo was taken with the Galaxy Note but the printer sucks! I wish I had gotten a photo with with my phone camera. Oh well.