Game 3 in LA

So, since the game is away today, I have to find a nice big TV to watch my Canucks. We headed towards Main St., with the intention of going either to Copper Tank Grill or The Cascade Room. Since CTG was where the Canucks went down whimpering to the Kings by a score of 8-3, we eliminated that as an option as we drove. Headed instead to The Cascade Room where we were one of the last ones to get seated before the lineup started. We ordered a bottle of the Kettle Valley’s Brakeman’s Select. Delish…so the next thing we needed to decide on was the food.

We chose the Mushroom Pizza because of our mutual love for the fungus. The pie came and we were both surprised at the presentation. Spinach was an ingredient of the dish, and after having been to so many other restaurants (Italian Kitchen, Cascades, Coast, etc) that serve flat bread and/or pizza with a sprinkling of whole spinach, arugula, watercress leaves, that was what we were expecting.

If you look closely at the photo, you can see that the spinach was washed, dried and then thinly sliced into match stick sized strips. This definitely stood out in terms of originality. The downside was the oiliness of the pizza, now, we both know pizza isn’t exactly a healthy dish, but it seems like the drizzle of olive oil went a bit too far, or perhaps, it was done twice. It made the pie feel a lot richer than its simple ingredients would have on its own. As the evening wore on, and as the pizza cooled, we both found that the texture improved. Almost as if the oil had solidified, to make the crust crisper…goodness knows what the solidifying oil was doing to our arteries.
So, halfway through the second period and further nourishment was need to soothe the pain of the Canucks dim outlook.

We moved on to the Charcuterie plate. It’s three locally sourced selections served with cornichons, grainy mustard, pickled baby onions & crostini. The night we were there, we got to sample the Speck Ham. It was delicious with a great smokey flavour. According to Ingredients Gourmet, Speck Ham is a lightly smoked raw ham from Northern Italy. Seasoned for 22 weeks, Speck ham has an intense dry-cured flavor, slices like prosciutto but cooks like bacon and is cut from the hind quarters of a special breed of Italian hogs. Next on the plate was the Venison Salami. We’d had bison and boar sausage from Granville Island before, so we knew that despite the name, it wouldn’t be too gamey. And sure enough, it wasn’t gamey at all, it was the spiciest of the three though, so perhaps that covered it up!? The last item on the platter was the Calabrese. As soon as I popped a sliver into my mouth, it reminded me of the ocean. My first thought was that there was some anchovy used to cure it. My friend’s first thought? It tastes like how fish food smells. Whoa, there’s an imagination…I know this probably turns most people off, but the combination, along with some of the cornichons really work.
Although the game ended with a Canucks loss, the meal did help to alleviate some of the sadness.

Art Shopping

After lunching at Tropika, I went shopping for an art piece for over my couhc. It's been a long search, almost a year in my apartment and still no art! I saw lots of potential options, putting some on them here to see if they spark off something that makes me want to take them home. I did most of the shopping down on Granville, so Bombay and Urban Barn are where these can be found.


Worked up quite a thirst shopping, with the sun continuing to poke its head out. Headed over to Moxie's on Burrard, and had a few martinis and a few glasses of red vino. YUMMY...all shopping should end up with a few drinks. If you do it before, then you're in danger of buying something you might regret later.

Satisfying another craving Sunday

One of the things I’ve been craving is Hainanese Chicken Rice. I’ve been wanting it ever since I gave up meat for Lent, but the desire kicked into overdrive when I saw Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservation in Singapore, home of the Hainanese Chicken Rice. Headed into Richmond’s Aberdeen Mall for Tropika. Not only do they have the rice I’m craving, they have the Roti Canai that haven’t been duplicated anywhere else.
The plan was to get two HCRs and a serving of Roti. That plan fell apart when I decided to try out another appetizer, the Shredded Dry Pork in Sticky Rice Rolls – decorated with a chilli pepper on the menu, so it should be spicy. So the executive decision was made to order half a Hainanese Chicken, and one bowl of coconut rice, the roti and the Sticky Rice Rolls.
The rolls came first and the presentation was pretty cool, little green bundles of joy. I didn’t know what I was expecting, but the description made me think of Chi Fan (minus the Chinese donut and prevserved vegetables). When I peeled the leaf back, I noticed that it was more a ball as opposed to a roll. The dish was piping hot, so I cut the ball open and tried it slowly. It was a little disappointing. The pork was mostly meat floss, and a little bit of actual pork. There was no kick to it, so it really didn’t deserved the “chilli” adornment on the menu. To be fair, they should have called it Steamed Meat Floss Rice Ball.

Then the roti came and they were heavenly. Nice and flaky with tons of pockets to soak up the accompanying sauce. Good thing my friend isn’t a sauce freak (he prefers the traditional sweetness of the roti unfettered) because I used it all on my portion of the roti, with barely a drop to spare.

Last to arrive was the Hainanese chicken. A beautiful plate of meat and bones…a much better balance than if you just ordered the lunch special. You could smell the coconut as the rice landed on the table, but the flavour wasn’t quite there when you actually ate it. The accompanying sauces were pretty meagre, and I actually prefer the green onion and ginger concoction that they serve in traditional Chinese places.

All in all, the meal was not exceptional, but it is exactly as you would expect, minus the rice roll ball. I would still head back to Tropika next time I craved HCR, but will plan on trying some other suggestions that I’ve seen, such as Café D’lite.

Shanghai Village Saturday

Game 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs between Canucks and Kings. Before heading over to a friend’s place to watch the game, sustenance was required. We headed up to Shanghai Village for dinner and was pleasantly surprised by the food. I’d never been here before, so I made my friend do the ordering. I occupied my time playing with his son…I’m trying to get him better at “matching” and he’s already pretty good.

We ordered an appetizer of Century egg with Duck egg. Neither of us had any idea of what it would actually be like, but it seemed interesting and when you like both items, combining them can only be a good thing. The egg dish was amazing…century egg hardboiled “in the shell” with the Duck egg. It actually made the century egg a little “jello” like. We knew we ordered right thing when we heard the table next to us ask…”what is that?” In the search of yummy food, you feel like a great explorer when you’ve discovered a dish that other people find interesting.

My contribution to the ordering was the Beef with Crepes. I love playing with my food, and I try to do it whenever I get a chance. It was really good...served with a bit of finely slice cucumber and green onions, there was a LOT of beef for the 8 crepes that accompanied the dish. Between the boy who hates veggies and the bigger boy who hates green onions, I had a lot of filler to use to make my crepes.

We also ordered the Veggie and Pork with New Year Cake…otherwise known as the world’s most ergonomically correct noodle, right, engineers?? It's the only noodle that you can eat one at a time. I tried the new year cake without any condiments first, and it was a little bland. After getting the traditional hot sauce to go with it though…well, now we’re talking. It was soothing and my idea of comfort food.

A welcome surprise was the Little Dragon Buns (Siu Loong Bau) gratis. There were 6...is it wrong that I'm wondering how I can score 4 without the boys noticing? Hmm...wish me luck...Everything was super yummy. It was the last thing that landed at our table, steaming hot. I’m always a sucker for dumplings, and these did not disappoint. Although the first one I tried to pick up broke and the soup within leaked out, the second one I tried was amazing. The soup was tasty and the skin wasn’t too doughy.
Headed home after to watch the game, where we were leading 2-0. I made the mistake of stepping out for a ciggie only to return to a 2-2 game. Alas, the Canucks never made up the difference, giving up an OT goal to let the Kings tie the series at 1-1.
Only consolation…a gigantic pocky stick, French Rabbit vino and dessert…

My 1000 Tweet

How do you measure 1,000 tweets?

• Started Tweeting: February 1, 2009
  
• I’m so embarrassed that my very first tweet was about TV.
  
• My 12th tweet or my first meaningful tweet.
  
• Number of employers I interviewed with before I got the job: 1
  
• Number of interviews I had with this employer with before I got the job: 4
  
• Number of places I’ve lived in: 3 and now finally in my own
  
• Number of TIMES I looked at my place before making an offer: 2
  
• Number of PLACES I looked at my place before making an offer: 2
  
• Number of days from offer to the move-in date: 21
  
• Concerts I’ve been to: 5 (Beyonce, Janet Jackson, Lady Gaga, BEP, and NKOTB, don’t ask.)
  
• Number of trips: 4 Toronto, Tofino, Malahat and Toronto.

Things I’ve learned from Twitter: in less than 140 characters

1. You can’t follow everyone who follows you, but you will try.
   
2. Find people to follow on the public timeline. It’s like trying out a new author.
   
3. Spread the joy. Respond to and retweet people when they say something interesting.
   
4. Random Tweets from strangers can be more entertaining than Updates of FB "friends".
   
5. Twitter makes you think succinctly. Sometimes, 140 characters is all you need. Sometimes.

Other memorable things

• February 2009 – Started blogging in earnest – lot of recipes and doggy pictures…
  
• March 2009 – Started my current job – and loved it. Welcomed with flowers and a liquid lunch.
  
• April 2009 - Buying my own diamond ring – a Tiffany one, no less, and doggies in TO!!
  
• May 2009 – Canucks fall to Blackhawks in Post-Season in 6 games (yes, a true Canuck fan) and the new Star Trek movie (yes, a true Trekkie).
  
• June 2009 - Buying my own home!!
  
• July 2009 – Despite trying to be environmentally friendly, I broke down and gave Impark a big chunk of change.
  
• August 2009 – Family vacation, first time in 6+ years…
  
• September 2009 – Played host to Rob, spa-ah-ed at the renowned Relais and Chateaux rated Aerie. Divine!
  
• October 2009 – Bid a long overdue goodbye to a negative person and welcomed a few old friends back. Start of the Canucks 2009-2010 season!
  
• November 2009 – More friends from TO drop by, and more old friends back in the fray...
  
• December 2009 – Doggie heaven!
  
• January 2010 – PS3 hooked up – a whole new world opens…Street Fighter, BluRay movies…
  
• February 2010 – Olympics 2010 and Team Canada Mens and Womens Hockey Gold!
  
• March 2010 – Olympic hangover but cured by hitting the gym…5:30 baby…
  
• April 2010 – Canucks Post Season starts…1,000th tweet! Plus a slow and cautious foray in to food blogging...

I wonder how I will look back on the next 1,000? I know I can’t wait for the journey to continue! Why don't you follow me and find out?

Playoff Thursday!

So another yummy dinner was required to before we headed to another awesome event at GM Place…Game One of the Stanley Cup Playoffs! Cravings were super random, from Hainenese Chicken Rice to BBQ Duck to Pho.
As we were heading downtown, I was getting a little antsy, and he suggested Clubhouse Sushi. I had never been before but had heard about it. Not good things, not bad things…just that it was there. We walked in around 5:30 and the place only had one other customer. It was Bif Naked and some friends. I’m not a fan, so I didn’t recognize her.
After we were seated and given menus, I looked and was surprised by some of the items on there. The deep fried sushi, the cream cheese sushi…and the Ooh Avocado. Actually, that one disgusted me. The menu has a lot of pictures so it took some time to settle down and decide on food.
The server came by two seconds after dropping off the drink menu and asked what we wanted. When we said that we needed a few moments to decided, she flitted off and returned, this time asking us if we were ready to order food.
Now, if the restaurant was rammed and we looked like some other couple that was eating there, I’d sort of (no, not even then) understand. However, it was either us, or Bif Naked. So, we ordered, but I felt so pressured…as if I was in a Future Shop taking too long to walk past a new 3D television, only to be accosted by commission salesmen.

The first to arrive was the Sashimi Special, as well as the Toro Special. Now, it would have been nice had she told us that there was already toro in the sashimi special, because we probably would have ordered another of the daily special sashimi. It was good toro, but we didn’t really need 8 slices (4 in the special and 4 in the platter). Another weird thing on the sashimi platter was the presence of smoked salmon.

Why couldn’t they have just given us 4 pieces of instead? We also ordered their Scallop, Avocado and Tobiko roll, asking them to make it without the avocado…which they did. The scallop in both the sashimi and the roll was amazingly fresh and sweet. I didn’t think I’d miss the avocado, but with all the whiteness of the rice and scallop plus the scantiness of the tobiko made the roll, although tasty, quite unattractive. I didn't bother taking a picture.

We also got the Grilled Salmon Belly. That was really good too. They served it with lemon, which I was used too, but they didn't serve it with the grated daikon, which I really liked. It worked as a perfect medium to soak up soy sauce, which you can then dip the salmon pieces in. The onion-like things on the lower right hand corner is my failed attempt to use the sliced daikon from the sashimi platter as a substitute soy sauce holder.

Overall, the food is really good, but I think the owner is more interested in being a friend to the patrons rather than to be their server. Oh, and on a side note, their wasabi is hot, and they have low-sodium soy if you ask.

Worth Retweeting...

And God forbid he tries to get help from you! @JokesTweet: Needing someone is like needing a parachute. If he isn't there the first time you need him, chances are you won't be needing him again.
Double Down from KFC anyone? Also known as a Triple Bypass. @JokesTweet: If we are what we eat, then I'm easy, fast, and cheap.
It shoudl be "Even Fewer men..." @JokesTweet: Few women admit their age. Few men act it!

Sunday with the BEP!

Tonight is the Black Eyed Peas concert! The opening acts are LMFAO and Ludacris. With a 7.30 start, we figured our 6 o'clock reservation at Charlie's Place would give us plenty of time to get to GM Place. BTW - they are offering 1,000 points on OpenTable at certain times. When we walked in, we noticed two things…not very busy and it smelled like a florist. Although they only had a few bouquets strewn about the restaurant, the scent was delightful! The waiter specifically told us the drink menus were in the food menus, but they weren’t…maybe he's new? Anyhow, drinks were ordered; I got the Cocktail 1265 (their address) and my friend got the Champer’s Thyme, despite initial hesitation about foliage in his bevvy. Guess who got the girly drink in the girly glass? Both were delicious…mine actually tasted like a sidecar for some reason. For food, we didn’t want something too heavy since we were planning on dancing the night away at GM Place. We settled on the Short Rib pizza (how could you go wrong) and the Mushroom Pappardelle. The pizza was perfect! Thin crust, with caramelized onions, mozza and a subtle kick of horseradish cream. According to my friend, the cream was so good he forgot to pick out the green onions (more foliage that he doesn’t enjoy). We devoured two slices each before I even remembered to take the photo. Unfortunately, the success was the pizza was faded by the failure of the pasta. Pappardelle is supposed to be a large and broad version of fettuccine. After the first few bites, we noticed that our noodles were not broad at all. They were all curled up, almost like rotini! I think the fresh pasta wasn’t hung to dry properly, and ended up curling on itself. So needless to say, the flat broad noodles were cooked properly, but the clumpy ones seemed semi-raw and too doughy. The sauce was amazing though, a good assortment of mushrooms and truffle that hits you the way only truffle oil can – bang on the nose. Halfway through the meal, I could feel myself sobering up, so I ordered another cocktail, the Pineapple Express. I love Van Gogh vodka and can have it anytime…with anything. This was delicious…the combination of the grilled pineapple, chilis and sugar sure sounded weird, but it came together!

Hockey Saturday

Woke up this morning feeling a little sluggish…so couldn’t motivate myself to get a workout in. But, I did take advantage of the gym’s sauna. Stayed in there for about an hour (20 minutes on and then 5 minutes off) and got so relaxed. I think I could have fallen asleep, if I wasn’t twittering!
Went to Moxie's for a drink and dinner before the game. See review at Urban Spoon.
We walked over to GM Place afterwards and arrived just after the first goal. As we waited to sit down, we saw the second goal. Alas, this was not turning out to be the game my Flames fan wanted to see. Both teams put in a good effort to the season ender, and the Canucks came out on top with a 7-3 win. For some strange reason, I was craving dessert…in the form of ice cream. Stopped off at the Liquor Barn (what a weird place to buy booze) and then heading to Earls for a huge ice cream sundae, served in a candy snap basket, drizzled with chocolate sauce. Whoa – I don’t do this often, but boy, was this heavenly. I think there is a correlation here… desserts help me sleep better…slept right through the night until the next morning…and probably woke up with a smile on my face too.

Fined on Friday (but not me!)

Busy weekend ahead, so stayed in today to rest up. Instead of heading out for drinks, I had a friend over to have a few and to watch a movie. Considering we hadn’t chatted for a while, it was irrelevant what the movie was. If it was a pure movie night, I think I would have sat him down for my Austin Powers Trilogy…
Now, the reputation that my building has for towing is mixed. The second time I went to view the place with my parents, we got almost got towed. Remember?
However, friends have come over recently and parked in the 30-minute zone with no reprimand…sometimes for an hour or two! So it wasn’t entirely my friend’s fault to have parked there around 9. But when he left at 1ish, his car was gone. Headed to Mundies Towing on Kingsway. We were guessing what the price of the tow would be, and he was guessing $80. Turns out…$122. Now all this could have been avoided had he parked in the gated parking lot with a parking pass…hmmm…yes, parking pass. Then he could have parked for 48 hours without being towed. Oh well, now we know!

Twitter versus überTwitter

So, Twitter finally launched their app for Blackberry last night. I downloaded it this morning from Blackberry App World to test it out. Here is my rambling brain trying to make my choice between Twitter and überTwitter, using the old “Pros and Cons” debate.

Pros: The display is really good, with loads of useful icons at the top. You get your usual Home icon, along with the @ and Direct Message icons. You also have access to your Profile here, as well as your Lists. Icons are also available to help you easily Find people as well as to do a Search, and to view Popular Topics.
Ever since I upgraded my überTwitter a few weeks ago, I’ve been noticing “adtweets”…they look like tweets but are actually text ads, and that’s in addition to the image-based ads they usually run. These seem to be fairly sparodic though. This is noticeably (and gratefully) missing from the Twitter app.
One other thing I like is the ability to see your DMs as part of your overall message timeline. It’s something überTwitter doesn’t offer, so I didn’t miss it, until Twitter gave it to me.
Cons: I’ve read comments on other forums where users complain about not being able to retweet or to edit their retweets. This is a major disappointment of the Twitter app, because one of the things people use this program for is to pass along useful information, often throwing in their own two cents. I know I’ve become quite skilled at editing other people’s tweets…to accommodate the 140 limit.
Twitlonger is something that is part of überTwitter, and though I have yet to try it, the forums are full of people saying that Twitter doesn’t’ support this on the app.
Another feature that I liked about überTwitter is the über bar, where you can put your dearest and funniest tweeters on their own tab, and see all their tweets all at once, with minimal scrolling. überTwitter does have a list function in their menu (it’s just not all pretty and iconic as it is on Twitter).
The verdict is still out for me, so I’m using both this weekend to see if I fall in tweet-love with the new (and slightly sleeker) app or will I kick old trusty (but a bit more comfy) überTwitter to the curb.
Try it for yourself, download it here.
This is not meant to be a comprehensive list of pros and cons (just the ones that I've noticed. Feel free to add comments and let me know if I'e overlooked something giganormous about either app.

Eating Away my Thursday - Part II

Arrived a few minutes late for dinner, but we pretty much knew what we wanted. It’s hotpot – fresh live prawns are part of the sadistic tradition, as is a plate of fatty beef, with a side of veggies. We stuck to our usual soup (century egg and cilantro) but we did introduce some new items this time around.

Instead of the usual 1lb of prawns that we usually get, which works out to about 10 pieces, we decided to order 1.5lb, thereby netting us 14 gigantic prawns. We had 8 stir-fried…as only a well-seasoned wok from a Chinese restaurant can – complete with the boiling oil and chilies - um...okay, LOTS of chilies. The other six…we were eating raw! Heads were still on, and they were skewered. The last time I had a live prawn was a Kamei, but this was infinitely better. We ate two before I remembered to take a photo!

The other new addition this time were deep-fried fresh oysters…man…oh man…freshest oyster, flash deep-fried to a crisp…it was amazing. I’m drooling as am I typing. The sad thing, is…we only had one gigantic oyster each, and we ate them so fast I forgot to take a pic!

So, then onto the beef and veggies, accompanied with a lot of conversation.

I’ve known this friend for 15+ years, and between my friend from lunch today (19 years), that’s a lot of experience talking. They know me so well that it’s scary…and wonderful. Their insight and objectivity have always been invaluable.

Eating Away my Thursday

Unfortunately, last night’s food elation was followed by insomnia at 3am...my body's payback for my earlier indulgences, I suppose. Got out of bed and decided to catch up on my TNG fetish...killed two episodes and headed to the gym.

Probably a good idea to have an extended workout anyways…I just got back from lunch with BFF today at Jean George’s Market at the Shangri-La, and then having dinner with other BFF at Landmark Hot Pot. Shall I be a foodie and take photos while I’m there? At least, with hot pot, the food won’t get cold while I’m taking pictures. Okay, I limited it to just a few shots…won’t want her to be annoyed at me. 

The picture above shows real sugar cubes...love how they look so rugged. Don't love how they are so unprotected...really could have used a lid. And below was my sweet and happy ending - Chocolate Pudding with Softly Whipped Cream and Crystallized Violets. Alas, the softly whipped cream was a little too heavy...probably as a result of being plated and refrigerated from this morning. The violets were awesome though...little purple bursts of sugary sweetness. God - I need a nap before dinner.

Worth Retweeting...

Even if you don't want to know your heart or give up your illusions. @DeepakChopra: Insight enables you to know your own heart and clarity enables you to accept without illusions.
Sort of like skydiving too. @LolaSoFarGone: #fallinginlove is like falling off a cliff, the free fall feels good but the landing is hard.

Wing Wednesday

Finally got to enjoy Earl's Wing Wednesday after an excruciatingly long absence during Lent. Not physically absent from Earls but I’m pretty sure I have exhausted all non-meat options from them. Followed that with an order of the Sicilian Pizza and my inner carnivore was pretty satisfied. And yes, I’m the Mayor of Earl’s Bridge Park now – woooo! Skipped dessert at the restaurant and opted for a sweet treat at home, along with a slightly spiked Coke Zero.
Also got great news from my accountant regarding my taxes. For the first time in a long time, I don’t owe the government a chunk of money, but rather, they owe me a hefty return.

Favicon

One of the tough decisions I had to make when deciding between Wordpress and Blogger is the nifty favicon that Wordpress gives you by default. Who doesn't looking at their own 16x16 pixilated image?
I found an article from CrazyLeaf Design's blog which seems to teach you how to update your blogger template to include a favicon. However, after several attempts and refreshes, I'm still not sure if it worked! Occasionally, I see my pixelated self, other times, I see the bright orange B...weird.

Trashy non-expose

Nothing new here folks, except for the weird mention of a tampon. Gross.
See Tiger's Women in Vanity Fair - preview

Tuckered out Tuesday

Well, I think I definitely overdid it yesterday when I worked out. Super sore today, it hurts to laugh, cough, and even to do the downward dog. Woke up without the aid of my alarm clock this morning, which means I woke up late. Not crazy late, just about 10 minutes later than usual. Decided to cut my treadmill portion to only 12 minutes…did some more plants and vsits, until I was about to die.
Off to work with not much to do today – just making revisions on some memos and editing. Also got caught up on the emails that came in on Monday, since most people were not off.
Home right after work for a quick visit with a friend where about an hour was spent debating the quality of Coke Zero versus Diet Coke. Rushed to get ready afterwards, to head out to the Canucks game at GM Place.

Since I didn’t get to munch on my hot dog with fried onions on Sunday, the goal was to make up for that today! Grabbed a glass of wine (or two) and settled in to watch the game. The Avalanche started the scoring off with a goal from Tucker, followed by a goal by Daniel to tie it up. The joy didn’t last long, since the Avalanche came back and scored less than a minute later. A goal by Mason Raymond again ties it up, but darn Stastny scored with less than 6 minutes left in the third. Two minutes later, Daniel scores to make it 3-3. I hate OT and I hate Shootouts. My winning average took a hit tonight…73.33%...I’m blaming the pink jersey. Maybe we’ll have a little bonfire to “celebrate”.

Manic Monday

Yay – I love uber long weekends. Woke up later than normal, close to 10am and dragged my butt to the gym. Planned for a super long workout, cardio, weights, abs and maybe some balancing poses. Worked out for about an hour and settled in for a long day of rest and relaxation. Fully intended to update blog but found myself totally unmotivated. Instead, I did laundry – lots more clothes to wash now that I’m working out daily.
Made myself a healthy dinner of baby bok choy with beansprouts, as well as homemade meatballs. I know, it is a weird combination, but it works for me! Counting down the days to my next weird health kick…low-carb diet, not no-carb, but definitely lower. Better finish that baguette I brought, will go well with the cambozola and stilton that I got on Saturday.

Strolling Sunday

Yay – welcome back meat! Things with legs! I’m craving BBQ duck, Chicken Wings, Beef Short Rib, and so so much more. Will start off with Phnom Penh chicken wings to ease into my meat eating day. Also got the beef brisket noodles which were delicious too! The wings were perfect, as they always are - super crispy on the outside, and juicy and moist on the inside. the Lemon Pepper dipping sauce is amazing...essentially RealLemon that you can get at any grocery store, with a very generous dose of very finely ground black pepper. BTW - if you make this concoction at home, you should dip your next Church's Fried Chicken into it. It's a whole new East meets West thing. The beef brisket noodle soup was disappointing. I always get it and always hope that it would actually come "spicy" as indicated on the menu. I asked for extra spicy this time when ordering...but she just said taht she will bring me hot sauce. Meats were tender, noodles were good as usual, but just not spicy!
Next time, going to have more people join…because I was craving the Chicken in Clay Pot rice as well as the Butter Beef.

Walked around Robson and English Bay in search of dessert…satisfied a cupcake craving…just a mini one is all I need. Were it a warmer day, I could have gone for the Marble Slab ice creamery next door.
Headed over to Glowbal for a quick bevy before the Canucks game tonight. Well, one drink turned into two…man, those olives, the Goose…addictive. Headed over to GM place before we got completely smashed. It really sucks that you can’t smoke in GM Place anymore…Despite all my complaining before, I could have lived with the 6 metres rule. So full from my yummy lunch that I didn’t even get my usual Hot Dog with Fried Onions! So buzzed from the Glowbal martinis that I barely finished two wines at the game!
The game was awesome…right up to the last minute. We were up 3-1 when the Canucks decided to stop playing. How can you let someone score their first NHL goal ever against you with less than a minute left? Defense people, and even before the announcer finished recapping the goal, the Wilds scored AGAIN! Can’t believe we had to go into OT…only good thing? Henrik got a point, and now leads Ovechkin by four points.
As a side note, my average is now 11 wins out of 14 games…

Sunny Saturday

Went a little stir crazy staying home yesterday (even with a visitor) staring at the same walls.
Headed out nice and early – usual liquor store and ciggie run, as well as the requisite grocery run. Didn’t really know what I was craving, but I shocked myself by not purchasing meat! Since Lent ends in two days, you’d think I’d stockpile that stuff up!
As I was on my way home, I got a message from a friend who’s in town from Toronto. Since she’s attending a wedding, I didn’t really expect to see much of her. It was nice to get caught up again over a martini and prawn tacos from Earls.
Sort of a lame evening just chilling at home. Excited beyond worlds for lunch tomorrow. Still haven’t decided between Café Pacifica or Phnom Penh….yes, I know…the choices couldn’t be more diverse.

Good Friday

It’s the start to the long weekend and I decided to kick it off with a workout. Despite my best intentions to get out of bed at 530 and drag myself to the gym, I found myself staying in bed for an extra hour just to enjoy the warmth. Just so hard to get out of a cozy bed when you don’t have to go to work. Eventually, I did work out and afterwards, I took a nice long hot shower, a luxury usually reserved only for Saturdays and Sundays. I fully planned on falling back into bed afterwards, but once your heart starts pumping, it’s pretty hard to just turn it off. So, I started cleaning instead. Swiffer, dusting, and laundry, oh my. What a good way to celebrate the Good Friday! Especially having Beard Papa after all of it was done…yummy whipped cream.
Dinner was a lowkey affair with a Organic Brown Rice and Veggie Soup from the Stock Market from Granville Island delivered by a friend earlier in the week. Threw in a few shrimp and it was a meal. Also munched on popcorn and a few potato rings. And dessert...hedgehog gelato from Mario's Gelato.
Had a friend over afterwards for Austin Powers movie night. Fuelled with red wine and Grey Goose…Oh behave!

LOL :) (Trey Songz....yum)

Don't worry, the annoying text disappears after 30 seconds or so...great song, I can live with it.
Fave lines?
Go to my page and follow and if you got a body like a coke bottle.
Shorty just text me, says she want to sex me ~ LOL smiley face, LOL smiley face
Shorty sent a twitpic saying come and get this ~ LOL smiley face, LOL smiley face

Trey Songz ft. Soulja Boy & Gucci Mane- LOL Smiley Face :) ...
- Watch more Music Videos at Vodpod.

Neighbours Know My Name...LOL :)

Words to remember:
While I be bangin on yo body, they be bangin on our wall
While they dreamin, you be screamin now they bangin on our door
Sometimes she call me trey, sometimes she say tremaine
When it's all said and done but the neighbors know my name
Sometimes she call me trigga cause I make her body bust
They might think my name is "oh sh", I make her cuss

Trey Songz - Neighbors Know My Name [Official Video]
- Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

Thursday that's like a Friday

Worked a full day knowing that it was going to be a four-day weekend. It’s April so it’s time for my new flower of the month! Went out for dinner to CopperTank Grill on Main Street for dinner and to catch the Canucks game. Well, let’s just say dinner was great and the game was not. 8-3 to the LA Kings. Sigh. Had the regular nachos with extra jalapenos and also the Ahi Tuna sliders. I love it when places have those. The last place I had those was at Voya, and they were awesome. The ones at CopperTank weren’t as good, but boy, their wasabi was off the hook! Definitely gave a (much-needed) kick to the slightly overdone tuna “patty” themselves. Home after the horrific game to drown my sorrows with a Coke Zero…and maybe just a little dessert.

Why Working Out is Good For You.

So it's been just over a month since the Olympics have left Vancouver. During the games, I switched up my hours to work 6-2 (instead of my usual 8-4) to compensate for the nonsensical closure of both the Georgia and Dunsmuir Viaducts. So, I had a month of getting up at 5am to haul my sleepy butt to the office. You have to remember that I was actually attending Olympic events in the evening too, so sleep was a long lost relative that month.
Well, I still wake up at 5am now, post-Olympics, but I hit the gym before going to work. My eyes might not be wide open, but my legs are coordinated enough to work the elliptical, most days...
That's why it was wonderful to see this article in the Globe and Mail this morning: I run to drink. In the article, marathoners fess up to smoking and drinking even while training. So even if I can't run a marathon, I can at least share some of their habits!

Why I have to go to the Canucks game this Sunday.

So, I've done a tally of the games that I have been to this 2009.10 Canucks season, and have come up with a surprising theory. The Canucks win 77% of the time when I am in attendance. I think this translates (in my ill-fated logic) into this: the more games I go to, the more they will win. I know it's not an exact science, but the numbers speak for themselves! 10 wins out of 13...that's pretty convincing, isn't it?

Date	Against	W or L
Tue, Nov 10, 09	Dallas	W
Sun, Nov 22, 09	Chicago	L
Thu, Nov 26, 09	Los Angeles	W
Thu, Dec 10, 09	Atlanta	W
Mon, Dec 14, 09	Los Angeles	W
Fri, Dec 22, 06	Nashville	W
Thu, Jan 07, 10	Phoenix	W
Mon, Jan 11, 10	Nashville	L
Thu, Jan 21, 10	Dallas	W
Mon, Jan 25, 10	Buffalo	W
Wed, Jan 27, 10	St. Louis	W
Sun, Mar 14, 10	Calgary	W
Tue, Mar 16, 10	NY Islanders	L
	Wins	77%

And so, since the Canucks are away for the next two games (Thursday and Friday), I must go to their next game at home on Sunday against Minnesota!