Siamese Sightings *UPDATED*

A fun side-effect of the 2010 Olympic games has been an increase of public art in the Vancouver streets.

Before raining cats and dogs, I made a bonus raindrop to add to the Olympics-inspired sights:


This cat and dog duo are non-identical Siamese twins. Behind them, some rings from the Games:

Would you like to play a game?

I placed the Siamese Raindrop in an undisclosed location, within walking distance of some public art. Here's a clue to its secret spot:

"These twins are lit by the flicker of regal planetary rocks circa 1050, and share a bird's eye view of Vancouver-before-Vancouver."

If you're near Vancouver, you're invited to find the Siamese Raindrop! Bonus: the first photographer of the Siamese Raindrop will receive a mini prize I crocheted. Your photos can be emailed or shared on the WooWork.com Facebook page.

If you're far from Vancouver, feel free to guess! I'll feature the first best guesser in the next blog update, along with the first best photo.

See? We crafty people can compete in games too!


UPDATE - Feb 24, 2010:

Before game's end, I received this email from Annette in Ontario:


I was awestruck by such an accurate guess, especially from out-of-town!

Here are Catalina and Alfredog at their previously-undisclosed location, enjoying their bird's eye view from a tree near Regal Hotel:


The clue's mention of "flicker" suggests my Flickr photo account, which includes a map to the Siamese Raindrop. "Planetary rocks" refers to the Planet Rock store across the street from the Regal Hotel. Along with those details, Annette's description was spot-on!

Congratulations, Annette! You win Gold in Guessing, so I'm sending you this mini raindrop I made:


And thank you for the great guesses from karen, Kate from England, and *birdee* from Singapore!

Here's a video of more public art on "Vancouver-before-Vancouver" street during the 2010 Olympic games:

By the way, when I was up in the tree, I noticed a familiar face:


Woomi returned safely from space!


Small world, eh?

Thanks for playing the Siamese Sightings game!


UPDATE - March 19, 2010:

Annette gave a tour of Wawa, Ontario to the Mini Raindrop! Here are her fun photos and descriptions:

Raindrop reads the plaque below the Wawa Goose (who is wearing a knitted scarf!)

Raindrop hangs with the Goomees

Raindrop over the Trans-Canada Highway

Doesn't the Mini Raindrop look happy in its new neighbourhood? Thanks, Annette!

A Regal Feast

Located in a rougher part of downtown Vancouver, the Regal Hotel is home to some of the city's low-income residents, many of whom stay at the hotel for months at a time.


My girlfriend's mom, Catalina, has worked at Regal since 1993, then as a cleaner and now as the hotel's manager. Since 2005, she has organized an annual holiday feast for the Regal residents, who all anticipate the serving of lechón - a roast suckling pig that is a popular dish in the Philippines.

Here is the whole roast pig, carried by a Regal resident standing next to Catalina:


Along with lechón, 2009's feast included turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, roast duck, pancit noodles, macaroni salad, mixed vegetables, multi-layer cakes and a trifle dessert.

The feast was held in the hotel's small hallway, where the food was handed out by Catalina, my girlfriend MJ, and Hector (a chef and former resident of Regal Hotel):


To celebrate Catalina's charitable soul, I crocheted this trophy of her and her famous roast pig dish:

We surprised her with the trophy during the feast, captured in this video:

It's fun to recognize someone who has never sought recognition for their kind deeds. Every holiday season, Catalina is purely happy to provide a regal feast to those who appreciate it the most.


With that spirit of generosity, I hope everyone's new year is full of charitable acts, both given and received. Happy 2010!