AmplifiedLIFE

We just spent the day exploring Lifou, Loyalty Island, New Caledonia, in the Pacific archipelago. The Loyalty Islands are a territory of France. There are approximately 20,000 inhabitants living on almost 2,000 square kilometres (770 sq mi). After a day of snorkelling and cave exploration, it’s time to hop on one of the Celebrity Solstice’s tender boats to take us back to the ship. (It’s too shallow for the ship to come all the way to the dock, so in these cases, tender boats - which are often lifeboats - are used.) Enjoy the ride over the azure blue waters.

My outdoor, circular-mirrored mobile art piece, gently twists in the breeze. At certain times of the day, these little reflective surfaces project playful patterns on my 1939-built wooden floor.

We begin in the glass elevators, an artistic statement in themselves - silently gliding up and down as our Equinox ship sways to and fro - glass bottomed as well as glass on all sides for the perfect view as you go up and down. We ascend the grand central stairs and make our way past the - always lively - Martini bar. We round the corner and join our friends at the bar with the glowing table, ready for another night of fun.

De-icing dee plane! Buzzing around like flies, spewing out firehose-volume, lime green gushing globs of goo all over the wings of each and every airplane that wants to fly on this chilly day. These Ottawa Airport de-icing operators move their machines with a certain elegance, almost ballet-like. Notice that the trucks themselves are maneuvering driverless. That is because the person up in the cherry picker doing the de-icing, also controls the truck itself. Steering, wheel, brakes and accelerator - translates to a joystick and a couple of dials. Here are some excerpts from an Air Canada article called, Out in the cold: De-icing is a critical part of winter flying Everyone who travels in the winter, especially in Canada, is by now familiar with the captain’s message from the flight deck explaining that before takeoff, the aircraft must make a stop at the de-icing bay. But why is de-icing so important, and how is it done? “No snow, ice or frost can adhere to the wings of an aircraft because it disrupts the aerodynamic flow over the wing. Air must smoothly flow over the wing to produce lift, which makes de-icing a key component of winter flying,“ explained Air Canada Captain Douglas Morris. “The most critical aspect is to remove all the contamination before flight. It is exceptionally important that we get all the frost, snow and ice off the aircraft before the aircraft starts to take off,“ said Geoff Nicholas, Air Canada’s De-ice Coach. “These are purpose-built de-icing trucks. They allow us to de-ice and drive at the same time. They also allow us to be much more efficient with our application of fluids on the aircraft,“ Nicholas said. Air Canada’s crews are able to control the blended concentration used, based on weather, allowing for optimization so they aren’t using more glycol than needed. In many airports, the deicing area is cleaned after every few aircraft using a truck-based vacuum, allowing for a good portion of the de-icing fluid to be recycled at an on-site facility to be reused. This helps reduce the environmental footprint of the operation. There are two different types of fluid used on aircraft: Type 1 and Type 4. “The passengers will see two different types of fluid that we use. The first one is Type 1, it’s the pink (sometimes orange) fluid. It is a heated fluid and we use that to remove all the ice and snow from the aircraft. The second fluid that you will see is green in colour. It’s more of a sealer. It provides a barrier between the aircraft surfaces and any ongoing precipitation like snow or freezing rain,“ he said. Crews handle every type of aircraft, from the smallest turboprops to the largest Boeing 700 series. So the next time you're seated in an aircraft at the de-icing bay, give the crew a wave because they are a vital part of safe flying in winter.

From a distance, the art displayed on this San Diego hotel lobby wall, looks fairly normal. But as you approach, you realize this clever artist made their statement by using different coloured flip flops - of all things!

A brief time lapse of Canadian winter snow giving way to early spring sunshine warmth. What took much of the afternoon, distilled down to ten seconds.

On a foggy, rainy evening at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, the hustle and bustle of loading final baggage into an Air Canada jet, gate retraction, backwards tow away from the gate area, and a final preflight check by the pilots before they taxi away.

Judging by the chit chat and the fact that there’s three of them trying to figure something out … perhaps take the next flight instead?

I spotted this T-shirt as I was getting ready to exit a commuter flight to Toronto. I quickly reached into my bag, grabbed my camera and got the shot. Confidence really IS a choice. Here’s an excerpt from an article by Coach Blaise, EdD: To some extent we all understand that confidence is a helpful approach to success. Confident folk show up ready to take on the days challenges. Confident athletes show up ready to compete. They fully believe in their abilities. They know that they will give their opponent a run for their money. Myth: Confidence is for the few Some believe that confidence is reserved for only a small group of people. They believe that confidence is something a person is born with, like a personality trait. There are traits like charisma and being outgoing that are at times thought of as confidence. But those traits do not equal confidence. We have seen stories and known of people who have a quiet confidence who would not fit the description of a highly social person. Essentially confidence is not limited to extroverts or those who can walk into a room and command attention, but for introverts and those who fly under the radar of mass attention. Confidence is not a trait. A person is not born confident. Confidence is a mindset. Myth: You have to be winning to be confident Others believe that in order to be confident you have to have won; that you have to have a winning record to be confident or that you have to have some sort of proof to be confident. Confidence is not just given to a person. Just because you have won does not mean you are automatically confident. Winning helps. Knowing that you have the skill to win in competition, beat out opponents, and you have what it takes to reach your goals does build confidence. But winning is not necessary to be confident. You can be an underdog and be confident. You can be a back up quarterback or be on the second string and still be confident. Confidence is a mindset. When I first learned that confidence could be a choice, I did not believe it. If confidence was a choice then I would be confident, why wouldn’t I choose to be confident all the time. Why aren’t all people automatically confident if we can just chose it? I did not buy into the idea that a person could actively choose to be confident. However, if you break it down you can begin to see how a person, athlete, or coach can choose confidence. Confidence is the unshakable belief in your ability. The belief in yourself is a thought process. Our minds can choose what thoughts to repeat, what thoughts to listen to, and what thoughts to interrupt. The constant self-talk statement of doubt or unworthiness certainly is not going to help a person be confident when the pressure is up. In fact, not only will it lead to a decrease in personal confidence but it also leads to poor performance. The athlete who is constantly questioning their ability will completely shut down after a mistake. But a confident athlete can choose their thoughts to be “I’m ready,” “I’ve trained for this,” and “No one will out work me.” An athlete who tells themselves confident statements is going to be better prepared for competition and bounce back more quickly if they make mistake. The more confident thoughts an athlete has, the stronger his or her belief becomes in their ability to preform. As this belief is continuously reinforced by confident thinking, the athlete builds and maintains a sense of confidence. by Coach Blaise, EdD

We were very early for our flight from San Francisco to Toronto, so instead of exiting the AirTrain at our designated stop, we decided to cruise around for a while, terminal-to-terminal, on a very typical, overcast rainy San Francisco morning. The SFO AirTrain is a 24-hour automated people mover to transfer between terminals. The stops are all only minutes apart. It was opened in 2003 at a cost of US $430 million. There are a total of 38 cars coupled in trains of up to three cars. The tracks cover a total of 6.4 miles (10.3 km). The train is free of charge. It is funded by a $20 "airport fee" charged by car rental companies. So if you are ever really early for a flight - like we were - why not AirTrain around for a while?

I had the perfect window seat to capture footage of our thunderous takeoff into the cold November air, here at the Ottawa International airport. I was aboard a De Havilland Canada DHC-8, commonly known as the Dash 8, introduced in 1984.

We’re on the Flora footbridge over Ottawa’s Rideau Canal. Underneath us, along with a few kayakers, is a mechanical harvester machine - of sorts. It’s hard to miss this bright orange paddle wheeler on the water. It's doing a big favour for boaters - removing aquatic vegetation from the navigation channel. This giant weed eater is owned and operated by Parks Canada. It scoops up aquatic vegetation using a movable front conveyor belt cutter/scoop. The vegetation is rolled and stored on a second conveyor at the back of the machine for disposal onto dry land. Nutrients, warm water and recently, zebra mussels, all serve the promote the growth of aquatic vegetation. While okay in many areas (the vegetation helps maintain a healthy fish population) - too much in the navigation channel is not a good thing. This mechanical machine removed the vegetation in this area in an environmentally sensitive manner.

I set up my time-lapse camera in the balcony of the Hyatt Regency Denver at the Colorado Convention Center. Once the doors opened, I was able to capture much of the early crowd settling in, however, I was working on the show that they were all there to see! So before all the bums were in the seats, I had to stop the camera and get back into my position on stage about 15 minutes to show time. With these type of time-lapses, I find it fun to pick a particular person, and just watch how they move and behave over time. It’s fascinating!

Hail, the irregularly shaped lumps of ice that tumble out of the sky during thunderstorms, comes in all types - from soft and fuzzy to hard like a rock. It certainly is a puzzling precipitation type - yet rare enough in these Canadian parts that it always causes fascination and delight. And you know how it’s made, right? Even though outdoor temperatures might be high right outside your door, tens of thousands of feet above, temperatures are typically freezing, thus setting up the potential for hail.

Out on my daily walk, I crossed over the Rideau canal using our new Flora footbridge, and I immediately spotted what I was soon to learn, was a 1929 Dodge - being driven by the grandson of the original owner. (Forgive me but in my haste I did not get any names). The original owner bought the car for about $1,900 in 1929. He eventually passed the car along to his son, who lovingly restored it, and it is now being cruised around the canal by his grandson, the current heir to this vintage gem. And not only was our meeting synchronistic, but to my further good fortune, instead of having to scramble quickly and get whatever shot I could before the light turned green and the car disappeared, it turns out that vehicles had to wait an extra few minutes for event barricades to be taken down. This gave me time to get some shots - and to ask the driver a few questions. It was a perfect September afternoon, here in Old Ottawa South by the gorgeous Colonel By Drive. The sky was as blue as the lovely paint on this classic machine. Finally lucky bonus: He’s putting it away for the winter, tomorrow! I wouldn’t have seen it again for at least six months.

My 1939 bungalow has been described as “an oasis in the middle of the city”, and I like the sound of that. I believe it is especially true of my back yard. And the centrepiece of my back yard is … my pond. And here it is. Plus a short peek at my, seen-all-kinds-of-weather, also 1939 - garage.

A friend offered her lakeside getaway to me to rest my weary traveller’s head. In the morning, I woke to a little note beside the coffeemaker, indicating that it was ready-to-go at the push of a button and that it would be best enjoyed upstairs and outside. I did as instructed. I made my coffee, climbed the spiral staircase to the main floor, pulled back the curtains, slid the glass doors open and stepped outside. Here is the view I had that pyjama-pants morning in a most beautiful part of the world.

Is there anything that beats an ice cold beer being pulled out of an ice cold cooler on a hot San Diego day? I don’t think so!

This shot was taken on Lac St Pierre, in Val des Monts, Quebec, Canada on a beautiful fall afternoon on September 9, 2021

Almost every morning my friend Drew lets his dogs run free on Del Mar beach while he sips his fresh coffee and appreciates his life. A verse from the French novelist Honore de Balzac: "This coffee plunges into the stomach...the mind is aroused, and ideas pour forth like the battalions of the Grand Army on the field of battle...Memories charge at full gallop...the light cavalry of comparisons deploys itself magnificently; the artillery of logic hurry in with their train of ammunition; flashes of wit pop up like sharp-shooters." Coffee makes us feel so good because it’s able to tap into virtually every reward system our brain has evolved. Hidden within that hot elixir is a chemical that takes over your brain by mimicking the actions of cocaine and marijuana. So go ahead. Have another cup. :)

Looks like a gang of Casey Neistat wannabes, making their way along Queen Street in Toronto’s downtown ‘Garden District’. Oh well - at least - unlike a Harley motorcycle gang, these guys are quiet!

If you live in Ottawa, Canada, there's a good chance you've seen this car. I spotted it in the parking lot of the Billings Bridge Shopping Plaza. This decked-out Honda is decorated in a plethora of hood ornaments and is equipped with spinning hubcaps, a rear spoiler, and subwoofers. At night, the car can be seen from a mile away with its red, yellow and green LED lights. It looks like Back the Future's Delorean time machine. Except, a little more eccentric. The car is an attention grabber and whether it makes you smile or cringe, there's no denying its uniqueness. But perhaps, more unique than the car, is the driver himself. His name is LBG Ismael. He's a mechanic, father, and a proud Canadian. He’s also, the Ottawa "Car Guy". Ismael came to Canada in 2007 after escaping war-torn Congo. Here in Canada, Ismael said he is thankful for his new life, his Canadian rights and, of course, his one-of-a-kind car. Ismael bought the car for $100 — a "garbage car," he calls it — which he began repairing and customizing soon after. Why go through all that effort to repair and customize a $100 car? His answer was simple: "To make people happy." - From a CBC article by Arash Randjbar

This is Gardnerville, Nevada on a brisk February morning. We are right on the border of Nevada and California, with the natural landscape, rolling foothills, and mountains in the distance. The peace and calm of the desert, yet with the excitement of adventure just outside our front door, approaching with the rising sun. Nevada Sunrise - by Danika The mountains are new each morning clothed with white a dust of powered sugar a confectioner's design resting, waiting in the cool of the sunrise hidden behind the fog mist and mystery obscuring the heights I never tire of looking west into the mountains

This fireplace is tall enough to stand in. Generations of lovers have fallen asleep sitting before it in one of the old rocking chairs - perhaps with a glass of wine or warm cider in hand. The stone inscription above the hearth reads, “Take from this hearth its warmth; from this room its charm; from this inn its amity. Return them not—but return.” This is one of the two, 36-ft tall, gigantic granite fireplaces in the lobby of Asheville, North Carolina’s famous Grove Park Inn. Built in 1913, it continues to be one of America’s most celebrated resorts. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this spectacular holiday destination has hosted countless luminaries over the years, including U.S. Presidents like Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Dwight D. Eisenhower.

This shot was taken on Lac St Pierre, in Val des Monts, Quebec, Canada on a beautiful fall afternoon on September 9, 2021