Saturday, February 07, 2004
downtown people
another day in victoria? sort of, but yesterday was better: the sun shone! the temperature rose above 8 degree, the sky was clear blue with only a few clouds hanging, it was perfect. winter couldn't be better than this in victoria: early february and some flowers have already bloom! the breeze was just right, the weather was just ideal, too good for me to miss it by staying inside. especially after months of gloomy skies and endless rains, as well as a week full of papers and exams.
so i went downtown. my first plan was to go with one of my friends as usual, but i thought walking around alone would be great, so i did. besides, it's been quite a while since the last time i spent a good time by myself there. what's funny is that i couldn't help but noticing that there are lots of different kinds of people i've encountered in several hours, so here i make a list of them:
1. the blonde bombshells. about 5 of them, took the same bus as me. wearing summer clothing inside their fancy coats. too much makeup parallel with their too much attitudes. was the loudest group on the bus, chatting about what they're going to do once they arrive at hillside mall. realized that they have killer looks and bodies, and they used them well to make hopeless guys falling head over heels.
2. the homeless. they've been around the city since god-knows-when, virtually to be found along adjacent blocks of douglas and yates street. the main characteristic is the smell: a mix of their body odour (for haven't taken shower for 10 years), their clothes (the same since the first time i saw them september last year) and alcohol. sneaked between alleys to smoke pots. dirty blankets, guitars, wood drums and rotten stuff animals (!) as their 'home furniture'.
3. the trashy punk wannabes. too big jumpers, extreme hairstyles and colours, excessive body piercing, big headphones curling on their necks, trashy clothes as well as manners. baggy pants with heavy chains and metal accessories. goth look-alike makeup for the girls, complete with fake leather jackets and boots. found as groups, or at least at twos, but never alone. concentrated heavily along the same places as the homeless.
4. the asians. we don't really blend up with the rest, do we? chinese, korean, japanese, you name it. mostly wear expensive and stylish clothes; scarf is necessary. coat with visual fur embroidery is necessary. digital cameras and polytonic ringtones from their latest cells are necessities. chat and speak using their mother languages almost all the time. found everywhere, and mostly in group of threes.
5. the black-coated women group. this one is not your everyday patrons of downtown. there were at least 10 of them, all wearing black coats and march along the sidewalk as if they're of big importance. mostly in their 30s, and was heading toward southwest. i absolutely have no clue of who - and what - they are.
6. the skateboarding guys. funky street style, and obviously the name speak for them. usually i found them in groups, but yesterday they were ones. sometimes they join the punk groups, but for the most part they were just skating around showing off their skating ability.
7. the grannies. couldn't miss this group. as victoria itself is a perfect place for retirement with its mild climate, salient scenes and old-style architecture, yesterday's too-good-to-be-true early-february weather naturally forced them to go outside enjoying life. their white hairs sparked as the sunshine beamed over, made them relish their cups of tea even more. but where were grandpas?
8. the coffee shop regulars. no need to explain, i'm one of them. what can be better than enjoying your cup of latte on a sunny february day?
9. the couples. i know valentine's coming next week, so can you at least be more patience, people? oh well, your decision. they came in all kinds of shapes and age imaginable. from the overweight to the skinny ones, asians to first nations, pre-teens to over-70s. mostly found along the harbour across the royal wax museum and the empress hotel. romantic indeed.
10. the others. (too many of them, i'm not gonna describe all one by one.)
another day in victoria? sort of, but yesterday was better: the sun shone! the temperature rose above 8 degree, the sky was clear blue with only a few clouds hanging, it was perfect. winter couldn't be better than this in victoria: early february and some flowers have already bloom! the breeze was just right, the weather was just ideal, too good for me to miss it by staying inside. especially after months of gloomy skies and endless rains, as well as a week full of papers and exams.
so i went downtown. my first plan was to go with one of my friends as usual, but i thought walking around alone would be great, so i did. besides, it's been quite a while since the last time i spent a good time by myself there. what's funny is that i couldn't help but noticing that there are lots of different kinds of people i've encountered in several hours, so here i make a list of them:
1. the blonde bombshells. about 5 of them, took the same bus as me. wearing summer clothing inside their fancy coats. too much makeup parallel with their too much attitudes. was the loudest group on the bus, chatting about what they're going to do once they arrive at hillside mall. realized that they have killer looks and bodies, and they used them well to make hopeless guys falling head over heels.
2. the homeless. they've been around the city since god-knows-when, virtually to be found along adjacent blocks of douglas and yates street. the main characteristic is the smell: a mix of their body odour (for haven't taken shower for 10 years), their clothes (the same since the first time i saw them september last year) and alcohol. sneaked between alleys to smoke pots. dirty blankets, guitars, wood drums and rotten stuff animals (!) as their 'home furniture'.
3. the trashy punk wannabes. too big jumpers, extreme hairstyles and colours, excessive body piercing, big headphones curling on their necks, trashy clothes as well as manners. baggy pants with heavy chains and metal accessories. goth look-alike makeup for the girls, complete with fake leather jackets and boots. found as groups, or at least at twos, but never alone. concentrated heavily along the same places as the homeless.
4. the asians. we don't really blend up with the rest, do we? chinese, korean, japanese, you name it. mostly wear expensive and stylish clothes; scarf is necessary. coat with visual fur embroidery is necessary. digital cameras and polytonic ringtones from their latest cells are necessities. chat and speak using their mother languages almost all the time. found everywhere, and mostly in group of threes.
5. the black-coated women group. this one is not your everyday patrons of downtown. there were at least 10 of them, all wearing black coats and march along the sidewalk as if they're of big importance. mostly in their 30s, and was heading toward southwest. i absolutely have no clue of who - and what - they are.
6. the skateboarding guys. funky street style, and obviously the name speak for them. usually i found them in groups, but yesterday they were ones. sometimes they join the punk groups, but for the most part they were just skating around showing off their skating ability.
7. the grannies. couldn't miss this group. as victoria itself is a perfect place for retirement with its mild climate, salient scenes and old-style architecture, yesterday's too-good-to-be-true early-february weather naturally forced them to go outside enjoying life. their white hairs sparked as the sunshine beamed over, made them relish their cups of tea even more. but where were grandpas?
8. the coffee shop regulars. no need to explain, i'm one of them. what can be better than enjoying your cup of latte on a sunny february day?
9. the couples. i know valentine's coming next week, so can you at least be more patience, people? oh well, your decision. they came in all kinds of shapes and age imaginable. from the overweight to the skinny ones, asians to first nations, pre-teens to over-70s. mostly found along the harbour across the royal wax museum and the empress hotel. romantic indeed.
10. the others. (too many of them, i'm not gonna describe all one by one.)
