On Feb 12, the Olympic torch relay passed along our office building. This was Day 1 of the Olympics and we are all pretty excited in the office. Some staffs’ family and friends came, too. We wore red and whatever Canada gear we owned. At around noon, we all headed down to the street to line up and secure a good viewing spot. The Coke truck passed by and they handed out cans of Coke Zero. Then the security cars passed by, followed by the security people who were on foot. We then saw the flame approaching and we started cheering and clapping. Everyone snapped away hoping for that perfect picture. The torch was carried by a lady whom I didn’t recognize. She was pretty pumped, as were we. But as quickly as she came, she was gone.
It was then time for some lunch (Navarik brought in sandwiches and salads for lunch) and the Navarik Wii Olympics. There were two “events” - ski slalom and ski jump. The top finishers were awarded gold, silver, and bronze medals. It was a very festive atmosphere in Navarik and it was a great way to start off the Olympics.
Figure skating practice session, Day 2
Yvette and I attended the practice session for the pairs and men on Feb 13. It started at 7am (we arrived at 8am) with the pairs going first. I haven’t been following figure skating that closely in recent years so I who was who but it was easy to tell who the really good ones were. The Chinese pairs were impressive!
The men started their practice at around 10am. Patrick Chan is the Canadian champion (I knew who he was) and it was exciting to watch him skate. He’s very good. There was one Japanese dude (don’t know his name) who was really good and Lysacek from USA was really good too. The audience got kicked out at 1pm which was good because we were pretty hungry. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the practice sessions but it was a lot of fun and you get to watch the skaters for much longer than during actual competitions. Thumbs up for that!
Hockey game Sweden vs Germany, Day 6
I was so excited for this! Navarik rented two suites for the staff to watch the game. The celebration started off at 1pm in the office when we had hors d’oeuvres and drinks. Some ex-staff members were coming to watch the game and it was great to catch up with them. Everyone mingled. Some watched the men’s halfpipe competition in the boardroom. Some just sat and enjoyed their beer. At 3:15pm, we made our way to GM Place which is now named Canada Hockey Place. The sun was shining and it was a perfect day for a walk along the seawall.
Inside GM Place, the suites were sweet! Great vantage point. I made myself comfortable, got my camera ready, and waited for the game to start. Sweden is the stronger team but I thought Germany put up a good fight. It was 0-0 at the end of the first period. Mattias Ohlund scored a goal in the second period to put Sweden ahead 1-0. Then Eriksson scored in the third period to give Sweden a two-goal lead. The crowd was really into the game, which was pretty entertaining. I cheered for both teams which confused Remick, my coworker who was sitting next to me. Whoever had the puck, i cheered for. I was just in a cheering mood.
After the game, we went to the Irish House for a little bit of partying. It’s really a big tent and inside, an enormous amount of alcohol is consumed by revellers as they enjoy the live music and watch the Olympic coverage on numerous, huge TVs. Yeah, it was pretty fun.
At 10pm, my friend Yvette and I headed out but before going home, we made a detour to the Japadog hotdog stand on Burrard St. We shared an Okonomi and it was pretty yummy. We walked to the SkyTrain station, feeling like tourists in our own town. Downtown was alive and the energy was infectious. That was an awesome day!
Check out my Flickr site for more pics.
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