Out & About #869 | New Year's Eve Feat. Hotpot

One of my biggest goals was to finish the remainder of my Vancouver content, though I quickly realized the limitations of both my Premiere knowledge and index finger strength (for nonstop clicking). At the same time, it was impossible to resist some form of interaction with the outside world before the end of the year.

​I proposed hotpot, a cuisine format I rarely dabble in, for supper, then partaking in countdown festivities at Celebration Square. The sleepy polar bear welcomed the idea, though noted that family matters may impact its execution.

Surely enough, their household's sluggish departure from London delayed our plans. Reminding the sleepy polar bear that we would need to undertake four stops in addition to washing, preparing, and cleanup procedures, the amount of allocated time was insufficient to proceed with the original agenda. Doing what I do best - if I must say so myself - I called for an urgent meeting, contemplating possible solutions within the constraints and outsourcing assistance as needed.

We opted to maximize our team efforts: while the sleepy polar bear undertook the grand mission of procuring salmon, I would complete my own round of errands before venturing southeast to P.A.T. for beef and pork shabu shabu. Another member of the party would assume pickup duties for Haemul Pajeon and Kimchi Jeon from Myungdong Kalguksu; the arrival of the pancakes were scheduled to coincide with the hotpot start time, such that sogginess would be kept at minimum.

The setup process was a joint effort by the sleepy polar bear and yours truly, who had brought and donned her own for the task. Other attendees did not extend a helping hand by default and, even when asked, there was an unashamedly brazen one that simply declared, "I just came to eat!" before turning back to voice seemingly dreadful concerns of "having too much vacation" left over. That's one member that won't be invited again. House gatherings are team efforts, not maid-making opportunities.

While we commenced on washing the greens, mixing the broth, and roughly chopping half of a lavishly priced salmon fillet, the others were asked to assist with transferring ingredients to paper plates. Only one arose from the couch, first absentmindedly cutting the paper plate instead of cutting the packaging of the fish balls.

Eventually, at 7:09 PM, the food came together. We were, more or less, on schedule.

I had brought along an exclusive makgeolli purchase for sharing. Kim's Soon Makgeolli (864) had actually been the reason for jeon acquisition. Albeit lighter and less chalky than the Jinro edition, I nonetheless suffered the same slow, crippling headache as my Albion hike on the following day. Korean liquor has not been proving to sit well with my body lately.

The party ceased consumption around the 8:15 PM mark, as per my expectations. Between 8:30 - 9:00 PM, the sleepy polar bear and I engaged in cleanup measures. Some brought bowls and plates to the sink; some twiddled their thumbs and yakked away.

We then set out for Celebration Square. In review of road closures, the old Empire Studios parking lot was selected. For the first time in seven years, I'd be embracing the new year locally.

The plan was to arrive between 9:30 - 10:00 PM, skate until rink closure at 11 PM, then anticipate the arrival of fireworks. Reality assumed this format closely enough. Parking was ample at this time, so we pulled into one of many spots and trekked over to the rink. Along the way, we passed flashing police cruisers denoting the road closure and a few paramedic vehicles on standby.
Bringing one's own skates was the informed decision, for the rink was unthinkably packed. I had never seen such a chaotic sight before. The benches - the ones unoccupied - retained droplets from precipitation of the early evening hours, the skate rental queue was ridiculous, and the rink was positively bustling with visitors both equipped and not equipped with skates. Yes, you read that correctly: People of all ages were observed traversing perpendicular to the direction of travel without a shred of remorse, cutting off the path of skaters while donning standard footwear.​

After assembling the rest of the party, we laced up and took to the ice. Frankly, the experience was even less enjoyable than that of Chingacousy Park. With the incredulous volume of occupants and unpredictable incoming traffic, it was hardly an enjoyable activity anymore.

Towards the 10:30 PM mark, I found the sleepy polar bear wrapping up. My sudden utterance instilled panic, causing a backwards fall onto the wrist. Pained facial expressions ensued, followed by a tight grip over the left wrist. The group steadied the victim over to the bench. After a few more rounds, I too exited the rink. At that point, it was time to enlist in the medical advice of a medical professional on site.
The experience marked my first time visiting the medical tents at an event. It was also my first time providing personal details for someone other than myself for the completion of paperwork. St. John's volunteers failed to provide any concrete conclusions, as neither fractures nor nerve damage could be deduced from the immediate conditions. We proceeded with the rest of the evening with caution. Thankful I was to have surveyed the surroundings during our time of entry, for I was able to locate the required services with ease.

A recently befriended Jackson stan was invited to join our group celebration. Upon her arrival, I now had a bathroom buddy. She accompanied me as we meandered through the crowd towards the Civic Centre stalls (closed), to the southwest edge of the rink (portables), and then towards Confederation for an open eatery. Indoor plumbing was eventually found at Smoke's, much to my relief.

Our path back to Celebration Square had accumulated with visitors. Traversing across the square was nearly impossible, as many participants had resorted to standing amidst the crowd and not budging at all. As Bollywood tracks - an odd NYE choice, should you ask me - reverberated from the stage, I worked to locate the new location of the sleepy polar bear and crew from reference images. At long last, the group was found in the gently illuminated area between the food trucks and Duke of York Blvd. Despite reeking of cannabis, we had managed to preserve breathing space and hearing capabilities. Signal suffered a significant reduction, however.

​Conversations continued well past 11 PM. By this point, the grounds had grown chilly, although still far warmer than past years. After two rounds of Simon Says and charades, the time was announced to be 11:50 PM. We turned to face the civic centre, excitedly awaiting the display of fireworks.

Before we knew it, the ten-second countdown had started.
"Thank god they can't delay it with a speech." The sleepy polar bear muttered beside me before heaving a sigh of relief. ​I couldn't say I had ever felt the same type of impatience in this regard.

Happy New Year!!!