I must say, fall in Vancouver is one of the nicest times of the year, until the rainfall starts and doesn’t end; check out these fun things to do on a nice fall day. Until the end of October, it can be super clear out to enjoy many outdoor activities. I’ll throw in a few indoor activities in case we have a rainy day here or there.
photo creds- Narcity
-Lower Mainland-
Redwood Park: South Surrey. This park in Surrey is over 5km of old-growth trees and picnic shelters; the main attraction to this park is the “fairy house Forrest,” where you can find over 60 little fairy houses scattered on the Forest floor, on the branches and fallen logs. There’s also a large treehouse and an adventure park for kids. I’ve walked through here a ton when I was a kid, and it’s a great activity to do on the weekend; you can also stop by downtown White Rock on your way.
Photo Creds- 604 Now
The Reach Gallery Museum– Downtown Abbotsford. The Reach Gallery in the heart of Downtown Abby is one of a kind; from beautifully curated pieces from local artists in bc, it’s a cool experience. There’s also a ton of cute little coffee shops and locally owned boutiques in that area. The city of Abbotsford has stepped up their game with tons of cute brunch spots and great boutiques, definitely worth the drive out.
Photo creds – @thereach Twitter
Scarecrow Stroll – Arts Nursery, Surrey. Arts Nursery in Surrey is usually a popular outdoor nursery where you can find all your gardening and landscape needs. But now, it has turned into a spooky, (socially distanced) stroll through their gardens. It started on Sept. 19 and ends on Halloween! You can also make a scarecrow at home by donation for $14! The scarecrow stroll is a great free activity if you want to take your kids or nieces and nephews!
photo creds- Family fun Canada
Historic Fort Langley– This is a great spot to go on the weekend; known for their tiny boutiques and great food options, Fort Langley is the cutest place to be in the fall. Check out the Fort to Fort trail for a bike ride or hike, or you can go to the historic fort museum, where you can see how Fur Traders lived and check out the various activities designed for Kids to be immersed in Canadian History. This time of the year will have many activities curated for the fall too!
photo creds- Tourism Langley
-Vancouver-
Whytecliff Park– West Vancouver, Horseshoe Bay. This park is a great way to spend a clear evening in Vancouver, drive over to the park and climb the enormous rock that looks at the ocean. It’s great for a first date, picnic, or to watch the sunset; This is something you want to do soon before the weather makes it harder to do so.
photo creds- Whytecliffpark.com
Oktoberfest @ Brewhall – BREWHALL, 97 E 2nd Ave, Vancouver. This German tradition makes its way to Vancouver this fall, with beer and German pretzels, in a socially distanced manner, what’s not to like! Oktoberfest isn’t a free attraction, but I thought I would add it in for fun, because who doesn’t like beer with the company of friends!
photo creds- Curiocity Group Inc
Deep Cove– North Vancouver. Spend the morning in Deep Cove, & don’t forget to grab a doughnut at Honeys! Deep Cove is known for Quarry Rock, which has a viewpoint overlooking the whole marina. A pro tip for deep cove, make sure you get there on the earlier side if you’re going on a weekend, there’s little to no parking available after 11 on a clear day. It’s rather quiet for the weekdays, so if you can get out for a few hours, I would go then.
photo creds- Deep Cove Kayak
Art Since 1970– Deer Lake Gallery, 6584 Deer Lake Avenue, Burnaby. Check out some great local artwork for free! This gallery exhibition ends on Oct. 3, so check it out while you still can! I’m a sucker for nice art, so I might have to go check it out for myself. As it says online, “What started a coalition of arts organizations has now become what we know as the Burnaby Arts Council (BAC). Since 1970, the BAC has sketched out the foundations of a presence for the arts in the city and filled it with colourful visual, literary, musical, and performing arts. As we look into the past, we will see a culmination of the efforts that brought us to where we are today.”
The one thing I can always rely on, my beautiful Spotify account. When the algorithm is perfect, and new songs are being recommended left, and right, that’s the best feeling. Where do I want to organize these songs based on how I’m feeling, different genres? Nah, let’s throw it all into one, and so is born “if my ADHD was a playlist.”
It just started at the beginning of quarantine, before that, I was listening to random playlists I found through the app, and I finally had enough. It’s time for me to create something I can refer back to for years and reminisce. I plan to have this playlist forever, so let’s see how long it can get; I hope I get to 30 hours by the end of the year.
Let’s get into my favourite songs from beginning to end, I’ll talk about what each song means to me and either how I found it, on a scale from one to ten on how much my friends would hate it, and so on. Let’s start with my first pick, “New Person, Same Old Mistakes” – Tame Impala. I’ve been listening to this song since currents came out in 2016; the whole album is a staple in any alternative radio station, including Evolution. The way Kevin Parker creates his music is just crazy; he’s always working with other people in the industry too. My favourite productions are also – Sundress -Asap Rocky, Guilty Conscious- 070 Shake and waves – Miguel.
image creds- Vulture
Let’s go into my next song pick: We Will Always Love You – Blood Orange & The Avalanches. This song has the amazing talent of Dev Hynes, who’s honestly a genius, from scoring films like Queen & Slim to the new HBO show directed by Luca Guadagnino (Call Me by Your Name) We Are Who We Are; He’s been killing it.
photo creds- Backyard Media Group
Continuing, TV Girl is one of my favourite bands; the bedroom pop style of music that they produce is so calming and versatile; Lovers Rock is their most well-known song and for a good reason. The band consists of Brad Petering, Jason Wyman & Wyatt Harmon. My favourite album has got to be their recent work, The Night in Question: French Exit Outtakes. My favourite songs on the album are, Sleeping with the Enemy, Valerie, and The Night in Question.
Photo creds- creative loafing
The next artist I’m going to talk about is James Blake; his songs are a staple on my playlist, his voice is so unique and soulful. The latest release is his rendition of Godspeed by Frank Ocean. It is the most captivating song he’s come out in a while. His album Assume Form, which came out in 2018, is always in my queue. My favourite songs from this album, Are You in Love, Lullaby for the insomniac and barefoot in the park.
photo creds- pitchfork
Lastly, My favourite artist of all time my baby Frank Ocean. I’ve been a fan of his since I heard thinking about you from a Vine in 2012. From Channel Orange to Blond, He’s been consistent as the most famous artist with barely releasing any music in the past five years. But I’ll go over what my favourite songs are from him. Starting with Channel orange, Pyramids was a standout for me; the transition around 3 minutes is the best thing to exist. A few other stands out songs are monks, pilot jones and Forrest Gump, but honestly, all the songs are amazing. Next, Blond, which is his second released album, and probably his most well-known for songs like Chanel and Nikes. My favourite songs are Nights, solo, Godspeed, and Siegfried. He’s been featured on albums from Tyler, the Creator, Odd Future and many other popular artists.
photo creds- GQ
Spotify has taken over the music streaming platform. With Apple Music being extremely confusing to find music, Spotify will create your playlists based on what you’ve been listening to and excel at finding new artists that you will enjoy for years to come. Spotify takes out the connection with other people unless you want to check into what your friends are listening to, which is also a great way to see if anyone is listening to their depression playlists! (please check in on your friends.)
photo creds- Wired
I recommend everyone to use Spotify, as it is the elite way to listen to music. Plus, it’s a major red flag when people use apple music; tell me one person uses it and isn’t toxic as a human, I’ll wait. Overall, it would be best to try out my playlist if you’re in the mood to listen to some great ass music; it has something for everyone.
Not a lot of people know this about me, but I’m a massive film nerd. I was supposed to go to Film School, but things didn’t work out, and I decided to pursue other dreams, but alas, my love of movies will never leave me. I’ve compiled my favorite films from IMDB and my Letterboxd account, and wow, I didn’t know I had it in me.
First, I’ll start on why I love movies so much; my attention span has never been good at committing to tv series, so no, I’ve not seen breaking bad, don’t come for me! I will say, I love Euphoria, but what 20 something doesn’t.
Movies are a perfect way for me to put my full attention into something; I love to get immersed in a storyline, from the cinematography to the colour schemes and costume choices, it’s just amazing. Different films remind me of parts of my life, so watching something can send me back in time to that moment and how I felt at the time. The first movie I feel nostalgic watching is Fantastic Mr. Fox; that movie just reminds me of going to the theatres with my family on a Sunday afternoon in the fall. I know many people worldwide love that movie; it feels like the token nostalgic movie for any movie buff.
So, let us get into my top 8 all-time favourite movies! (that no one asked for, but I’m still going to tell you.) Starting at 8 and I’ll make my way down to one, this was painfully hard, but if someone ever corners me and asks me specifically what my 8 favourite films are, I can answer with confidence!
Number eight: Gone Girl – David Fincher. This is the story of a seemingly perfect couple, Amy and Nick Dunne; they have everything, a beautiful house, high paying jobs, and a great family. But what people on the outside aren’t aware of is how hollow Amy feels with Nick, so on their fifth anniversary, she fakes her own murder, and from that point on, everyone blames her husband for her disappearance. A scene in this film stands out to me, her monologue of being the perfect Cool Girl.” “Hot and understanding. Cool Girls never get angry; they only smile in a chagrined, loving manner and let their men do whatever they want. Go ahead, shit on me, I don’t mind, I’m the Cool Girl. Men actually think this girl exists.” It really made me look at how I try to change myself around men; I think we have all tried to be the “cool girl” to some guy who could really care less. Overall, this film is a great look at the lifelong misogyny women have to face, with a little sprinkle of a sociopathic housewife.
photo credits – Indiewire
Number seven: Mulholland Drive – David Lynch. Explaining this film will most likely take everything out of me, but I love it. It’s a surrealist mystery film; beginning with the arrival of beautiful Naomi Watts coming to Los Angeles to start her acting career; she happens to have a famous aunt that lets her stay at her expensive apartment; once getting into her apartment, she is shocked to find an amnesiac woman who stumbled in before her aunt left. The two team up to track down her true identity. I explained the stripped-down version of the film, but all I have to say is go watch it and then read a few video essays, and it will make a lot more sense. Lynch’s direction style is confusing as hell, eerie, and familiar. My favorite scene that shows so much sadness, yet beauty is called “I’ve told every little star.” The director, played by Justin Theroux, is doing screen tests with a few actresses. He had to switch out the actresses to one pre-chosen by his producers. The main boss, known as the “cowboy,” threatened to blackball him from the film industry if he doesn’t comply. At first, Theroux refused to pick the girl the cowboy had chosen, then he soon realizes he had no choice but to pick her. And the signifier of his compliance is him stating, “this is the girl” to his producers.
photo credits Carlos Andrés M.
Number six: Do The Right Thing – Spike Lee this is an amazing film that also stars Lee as Mookie, a 20-something pizza delivery man trying to go through his day on one of the hottest days in the year; the racial tension is the main theme in this film, probably one of the first movies to really show the Black man’s experience in a comedy-drama way. Mookie’s work is the heart of his neighborhood, owned by Italian Americans Sal, Pino, and Vito. Pino, the eldest son to Sal, is extremely racist; he and Mookie constantly get into arguments. On the other hand, Pino, (the younger brother) is very kind to Mookie, and the two get along. The film goes through the day introducing distinctive residents in their neighborhood, a friendly drunk, who everyone calls “Da Mayor” because he is always in his suit and tie, “Radio Raheem” who constantly plays public enemy on his boombox, and Smiley, a mentally disabled young man who sells his own drawings of MLK and Malcolm X on the street. The neighborhood’s racial tension is brought to an all-time high when Mookie’s’ friend, “Buggin Out” asks Sal why there are no black people on his “wall of fame” (a wall of celebrities’ photos in his store.) Sal and Buggin get into an argument, ending with Buggin, Radio Raheem, and Smiley deciding to protest over the zero representation of black celebrities on their wall. Later on, the protest starts, the crowd gets larger as the heat is still unbearable, almost representing the rage felt within the Black and Latino community. With the horrific death of George Floyd and the BLM movement just a few months ago, I needed to rewatch this film, really to further educate myself on the Black Man’s experience in America. It was heartbreaking to witness the police brutality that ended up murdering Radio Raheem in the middle of the streets. I recommend everyone watches this; it is vital to educate ourselves on police brutality, racism, and discrimination.
photo credit- Roger Ebert
Number five: Mustang- Deniz Gamze Ergüven This is one of the first foreign films I discovered a few years ago, and it just stuck with me ever since. It is based on the director’s real-life experience of being a young orphan with her 6 other sisters in an extremely conservative Turkish village. At the start of the film, the director depicts the girls living a normal life, going to the beach, playing dress-up, running around outside with friends, all things I even did as a young girl. But when a shocking event occurs with one of the older daughters, this jolts the girls back into a controlling and traditional household ran by their Grandmother and Uncle. The film is presented through the middle’s sisters’ eyes, as she watches each of her sisters slowly get married off; some sisters are happy with their engagements, where others are visually unhappy. The more their grandmother tries to keep them as prisoners in their own homes, the more they start to rebel. Later, it’s brought to our attention that the Uncle’s been sexually abusing one of the sisters. When the grandmother finds out, she is married off, but on the day of her wedding, she is found dead by suicide. The film ends with the girls finally escaping to Istanbul to live with their kind female school teacher, who immediately takes them in. This film put me into each sister’s shoes, every moment I was hoping for their freedom; it was also a great example of female liberation opposite to the oppression they were facing throughout the film.
photo credit – The Atlantic
Number four: 20th Century Women – Mike Mills The story sets in 1970’s California with a single Mother and her teenage son, the Mother owns a rundown boarding house with two other tenants, each with a unique story. The first tenant is played by Greta Gerwig, a 24-year-old photographer with cervical cancer, and a single 40-year-old handyman. The two have a major impact on this boy’s upbringing, stating in the film that they are helping to raise him. Because he and his Mother have a hard time bonding, she feels him straying farther and farther away from her. The Mother goes to the tenants for advice on how to bond with him again. This film counteracts the typical parenting you would imagine happened in the seventies. Focusing on how to raise a feminist, being open about mental health and sexuality. The chemistry of the actors in this film is on point.
photo credit – Vox
Number three: Little Miss Sunshine – Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. This film is such a dynamic look at an extremely dysfunctional family, literally on the verge of explosion, trying to keep it together all for the youngest daughter Olive, to live her dream of competing in a beauty pageant. The film’s best part is the relationships between family members—Olive and her drug-addicted, yet lovable, Grandfather. Olive’s mother is trying to keep it together for everyone, and her brother, who has recently attempted to commit suicide. The themes in this film talk about beauty standards, depression, addiction and love. I can’t say anything bad about this movie; it’s so interesting watching everyone be on their own schedules while still trying to work together to support Olive.
photo credit – New York Times
Number two: Rear Window – Alfred Hitchcock I recently watched this film amid the lockdown, and I related to the photographer Jeff Jefferies. Stuck in his apartment. Jeff is recovering a broken leg from a photography accident; he decides to set up in front of his large window because of a major heatwave. His apartment looks onto an apartment building just across the courtyard. Since being naturally suspicious, he watches what each character is doing while keeping their windows open. Some are newlyweds, a nosey Cat lady, a dancer and who he finds the most interesting, a husband and wife who are constantly fighting. Overall this film creates so much suspense and anxiety for being shot in the same room. I flip-flopped my prediction for what happens at the end of the entire film; Hitchcock is a master at creating suspense and mystery, and this film really showed me that.
photo credit – Mental Floss
Number one: Before Sunrise – Richard Linklater Here we go yall! I don’t know if you guys actually stuck around to read all of this, but. This. Movie. The difference about this vs your typical romance film is all about the chemistry Celine and Jessie create together. It’s unbeatable; Linklater creates such an amazing connection that you can sense through the screen, you almost feel like you’re not supposed to be watching because of how intimate it is. The film starts with an old German couple fighting on a train cart; they are loud and obviously annoying the people around them; while Celine is sitting right across from them, she decides to move, catching Jessie’s attention. Jessie sparks the conversation to Celine, asking if she knew what they were saying. The two continued talking all along the train ride into Vienna. When they had arrived, Jessie got the courage to ask Celine if she would come to visit Vienna with him for just one night; although she was travelling to Paris, on a whim, she says yes. They spend the whole movie talking about everything from life and mortality, their relationships with their parents, and their embracement of life. You watch them naturally fall in love. I can’t recommend this movie enough; if I don’t find the love of my life on a train to Vienna, I don’t want it.
At the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, all of our usual meetings with therapists and mental health counsellors were on the verge of going online. This can be quite scary to people who are used to having a person to person contact, especially if being in the office was a safe space for you. Now we have seen a huge boost in more people seeking telehealth appointments for their mental health during the lockdown, including myself.
I’ve always been quite open about my mental health. I started to feel it deteriorating during the lockdown, starting with a recent death in my family, an overwhelming amount of anxiety about not knowing what to do in the future, and a major breakup; my friend reached out to me and sent me information for a counselling office that was doing online appointments.
It was sort of scary telling someone about my inner thoughts and sadness at the time, but slowly I built a bond with her; it also helped that outside of our meetings, we didn’t really know each other, so I could be more open about what was going through my brain. I had an appointment almost every week for 4 months straight, yes, I did run into some connection issues or my phone possibly dying during the sessions, but other than that, she had my full attention.
I want to share a few tips for finding a good therapist and counselling clinic online, because most of the time, it doesn’t always work out on the first person you meet, but don’t give up! First, I would say asking friends and family for recommendations is a great start. If you feel weird talking to your family about your mental health, reaching out through Instagram can help find a good match because people can anonymously answer your questions. Next, “shopping” online for someone you feel matches your needs is a great way to find the perfect therapist; https://www.ementalhealth.ca/ is a Canadian online platform with a thorough database that you can filter through to find mental health programs and counsellors that don’t have fees.
Another tip to finding a good therapist is considering the gender you want to work with. I chose to stick with female counsellors because I felt like I could connect on a better level. Also, I found having a therapist of the same ethnicity as I am to be way more helpful than I thought. They can connect to you on a level that can be hard to get with someone who hasn’t gone through the same experience.
An example of searching for a therapist based on ethnicity is the Black Therapist’s Fund located in Vancouver http://vancouverblacktherapyfund.com/. This fund was created during the pandemic because of the Black Lives Matter movement and the lack of black therapists’ representation within the mental health community.
Continuing on, take advantage of those complimentary consultations over Zoom or on the phone; they will usually ask you why you have come in today, what you have been feeling like recently and just getting to know more about you and a bit about themselves. Notice how the therapist makes you feel… calm? Or rushed? These are important gut feelings to determine if you will work well together for the future.
Women are being hit the hardest by the mental health effects of the pandemic, starting with how Canada’s economy is much harder for women jobs, creating a “she-cession.” The burden also comes from women working in the service industry, which got shut down at the pandemic height. And also, women having to take on more responsibility at home. Deloitte’s business consulting firm published their impact report that stated more than two-thirds of the jobs suffered throughout the pandemic were held by women; the report also states, “Women are the epicenter of the human impact of COVID-19.” The report explains that Canada will have an influx of mental health issues post-pandemic, with disproportionally affecting women. They suggest that the Government of Canada put more funding into mental health services.
I know Tok-tok and Instagram can be hard to get away from during the boring days of quarantine, but it’s a fact that social media can affect your mental health. Girls are at a much higher risk of harm and lower self-esteem from Instagram. The beauty standards have become unrealistic, with many people turning to plastic surgery and face tune to get their perfect appearance. CTV reported, “Girls, who generally have higher self-harm rates and are seeing more drastic increases in self-reported depression, appear to be at greater risk for negative mental health impacts.”
Influencers over the lockdown have been a big culprit of pushing the idea of “using this time to your advantage,” from starting a side hustle clothing business or only eating a clean, zero sugar all-vegan diet and working out every day. The pressure of feeling like you have to do “something” is a casualty of capitalism’s effects; you shouldn’t feel pressured to do anything; we are all going through the biggest pandemic in about 100 years. But as much as I can state that opinion, yeah, I struggled with the pressure of trying to be productive at the beginning of quarantine; I went through a workout phase, a painting phase, a sewing phase, and a short-lived reading phase. I finally accepted that I don’t need to do anything unless I am doing it for myself (with my therapist’s help.)
Lastly, I’m going to go over some free online resources if you want to explore options for counselling in BC:
Over quarantine, I’ve listened to an immense amount of music; my Spotify playlist, which I’ve named “if my ADHD was a playlist,” is over 14hrs long. And it was just created at the beginning of February, the inspiration behind my massive playlist happened to be when my favorite Canadian band Chiiild released their first EP – Synthetic Soul.”
It was one of the first songs to be added in there, with the song “Hands off me” being my favorite. Let me dive into everything you should know about the band Chiiild and “Synthetic Soul.”
This Montreal based experimental soul band came together in 2017 and has been quietly working away at their music ever since. Led by Ethiopian Canadian Yonatan Ayal on lead vocals and bass guitar and his partner Pierre-Luc Rioux on guitar. The two create a unique genre-bending style of music, taking bits and pieces from whatever inspires them. Chiiild has cited Pink Floyd, Tame Impala, Marvin Gaye and even Fleetwood Mac as their influences. Reading their interviews, I fall more and more in love with this band; in Wonderland Magazine, Yonatan explains his other inspirations to his songs, “Writing music is about creating a score for those everyday moments.”
The EP was created in a small and cozy cabin in Saint-Zenon, Quebec. You can see miles and miles of open space covered in the bright white snow; it’s crazy how isolated they made themselves to create something so beautiful. Chiiild filmed a mini documentary of them recording their music in the cabin; Yonatan explains, “To make something special, you need to be in an environment where you can miss as many times as you need to.” Yonatan shows so much passion in his music; you can tell his family has a lot to do with that, seeing as most of the cover art is his mother, father or himself as a baby.
Now I’m going to give you my thoughts for each track on Synthetic Soul!
Starting with “Count Me Out” is an amazing starting song on the EP, you can hear the mix of soulful drums and bass complimenting his higher-pitched voice. another layer to this song is the beautiful use of the violin; Yoni studied classical music before pursuing his career, as Complex Canada said it best, Chiiild is a mix of “orchestral embellishments, unrestrained guitar, and sun-kissed psychedelia.”
“Back to life” is the second track in this ep, featuring the light and airy vocals of Shungudzo, a songwriter, poet, and activist from Zimbabwe. Yoni and Shun really bonded over the lyrics in this song, connecting though both being Black in the music industry. A verse that really stood out to me is, “If there’s a god, I hope she’s black.” With the white washing in the music industry, it can be hard to find your place as an African artist. I believe “Back to Life” is an ode to black women everywhere.
“Hands Off Me” has got to be my favorite song on this ep. Starting with how beautiful the drums’ use coincides with the electric guitar, his almost “vibey” vocals and violin. Chiild is definitely the biggest up and coming artist to look out for in alternative R&B right now. His lyrics are so hard to recognize, but it works so well for what he’s trying to create.
“Darling” is the fourth track, and right off the bat, you can hear this funky bass guitar and Tambourine. I like how each song has a unique style they are trying to bring out, “darling,” being very psychedelic rock inspired. It also reminds me of some of Tame Impalas’ older music, specifically when they focused on psychedelic rock.
“Pirouette” may be their most popular song on their ep, being #1 most played on Spotify’s most popular tracks. Starting the song with this intriguing organ style piano or keyboards, they really hit it off. Suddenly it goes into bass guitar and Yonis unique and laid-back vocals. Pirouette checks every box for the perfect alternative R&B song.
“Sunday Morning” is the second to last song on the ep; this has a real standout alt-pop yet soulful melody. Once again, the lyrics are so hard to clearly hear, but it still works because his vocals mix with the song’s beats. I would put this in a playlist with artists like Kaytranda, Anderson paac, and SZA. I would love to see him work with any of those artists in the future.
“Easy on Yourself” is the final song in the EP; it starts with eerie beams of beats as he harmonizes. It is almost hard to explain how he even created the layered sounds and beats in this song, lots of hums, harmonizing and his high-pitched voice in between. Towards the end, you hear this rather familiar violin; they could have possibly sampled the instrumentals from the song “bittersweet symphony.” Overall, this is a great final piece in this EP; I was blown away with how well-crafted each song was.
I highly recommend you listen to Chiild if you like anything from Tame Impala, SZA, Choker or Frank Ocean. Definitely hop on this band now, and you will be one of their OG fans for the future. I am super excited to see who they will collab with and what else they will create in the future; a full album would be amazing, to say the least.
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