Samsung Bluetooth WEP200...

Yup, yup... another new toy for my Pearl :) This is one of (if not) THE smallest bluetooth headsets on the market today. I'm not usually one for gadgets 'n' such but I've had my handsfree plugged into the Pearl and I'm tired of having that wire dangling everywhere. Half the time it's being yanked on by accident and it's not a nice feeling on my ear. When I went to purchase the Pearl the salesman (also from Malaysia :D) tried to upsell to me. One of the things he brought out was the Samsung WEP200 bluetooth headset. I didn't buy it during that time because (like I said) I'm not one for gadgets... plus he said that if I decide to buy it within the next week he would give it to me for $75 as opposed to the retail price of $100. Nice pitch, huh? 2 weeks later I went back to pick it up... I still got the 'discount' price... no surprise there. Honestly, I was hoping that I would be able to listen to tunes (via the Pearl) but as of yet... I'm pretty sure I can't O.o ah well...

Regardless, I must say this is one fine piece of technology. It functions VERY well and picks up most sounds coming from the same room :p enough that the person on the other end can hear everyone's voices.. but not all the other ambient noise. The ear-piece is surprisingly comfortable and at 9grams the unit is feather-light! I'm still getting used to the timing and functionality... I ended up accidentally calling AK when I was trying to turn off the power :p Samsung came up with a combination charger/carrying case that comes with the headset. It's one of the most innovative / useful / functioning creations yet :)

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Details from Samsung's site:

Bluetooth Wireless Headset

Samsung's WEP200 Bluetooth headset is soft as a sigh, light as an undertone, slim as a murmur and as mobile as you are. The Samsung WEP200 bring Bluetooth to your ear as none other. Talk for hours with the ergonomically stylish design. Wear the Samsung WEP200 Bluetooth headset and keep communicating. It is compatible with Samsung and other non-Samsung Bluetooth enabled phones.

Features

* Up to 4 hours talk time
* Up to 70 hours standby time
* Weighs only 9 grams
* Bluetooth specification: Ver 2.0
* Voice Dialing
* Call rejecting
* Call waiting
* Volume up/down

Kit includes:

* Bluetooth Headset
* Charging Case
* Travel Adapter
* Headset Hooks (M&L)
* User Manual
* Quick Start Guide

vNES on Pearl...

That's right folks... I'm uber dorking out now that I have my Pearl :P Since I dumped so much money into this wonder of technology I've decided to do as much with it as I can. Jacq's convinced that I'm going to spoil it by dumping so much crap good stuff on it :D Who knows? She may be right ;) Either way, I'm still going to push it to its limits and see what it can do! heh. For the last week-and-a-bit I've been searching high-&-low for games to download... then I came across a forum that had a discussion on a Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) emulator for handhelds!!! I felt like I had struck gold.

I acquired, installed, activated and I fired it up. The list of games available was not extensive... there were quite a few but not all of them worked.

Here are some screenies that'll bring back some memories...

The problem with the emulator is actually not a problem with the emulator... I think it's more of a problem with the handheld itself. The Blackberry pearl has a 312 MHz Intel XScale cellular processor + 64 MB flash memory... amazing for a handheld, but still not enough to run the vNes at a decent speed. The application runs at around 12 fps (still playable) but probably too slow for most people. It took me over 10 minutes to complete the first level in Super Mario Bros. 2. Still fun to have ;)

White X-Mas...

Yesterday, AK and I went downtown just to do something... anything. It was already nippy by the time we left my house but it was still dry. In Pacific Center mall, surprisingly, it was not too busy. We were both expecting a little bit of a X-Mas rush but we soon found out why it was so quiet. On the north side of the mall where the food court is located they're renovating. There were NO fast food counters so we had to head outside to eat.

Hungry, we ate at Kitto Japanese restaurant just taking our time, catching up on stuff and complaining about work & life in general :p To our surprise when we got back out onto the street it was snowing! Up to this point I'm pretty sure we haven't had any snow. Maybe some ice rain, but not snow. Futureshop was a short half-block away so we walked over to see what new gadgets have been made available. When we came out it was snowing even harder. AK and I then decided to take a walk down Robson... it had been awhile so why not? We ended up going into Starbucks to grab some hot drinks :p Lucky me, I was dressed for the weather... Thick corduroy jacket with furry collar and scarf. AK had a singlet and light jacket :D I took a pic with the Pearl, but it pretty hard to see how nice it looked downtown with the snow coming down.

Later on we took a drive over the bridge into North Vancouver, there was snow up there too, but it wasn't too overwhelming. There was enough for AK to have some fun though lol. Finally we went back to Burnaby... we had planned to go watch Casino Royale but realized when we arrived that the theater was busy as hell... it was ridiculous. X met up with us too and we took a walk around the mall... wow... going to the mall was a bad idea. I ended up spending close to $200 O.o grrr. ~$100 on a wool zip-up from Guess and ~$80 on a new Samsung Bluetooth headset (which I'll write about next).

After the mall AK & I dropped by Bubble World for some BBT to go. On the way back to my house he decided to goof around in the snow... I was sms'ing Jacq, but I knew was was happening. We were sliding towards a sidewalk and there was no way that we were going to avoid it :p CRUNCH! Ah well, he was pretty choked cuz it wasn't his car lol, it was a rental... For the most part I don't have much of a reaction to those sorts of things (ask AK) if it's going to happen it's going to happen, as long as everyone is unharmed and we're not stranded then things are going ok. Anyway, he assessed the damage and it wasn't too bad. No bodywork will have to be done, just a new rim replacement. I surprised myself by not being an ass and rubbing it in :p I'll leave that for another day ;)

AK ended up crashing @ my place for the night just because the snow was really piling up. Before we went to sleep I took a couple of shots outside the front of the house... just to give you an idea of how much it had snowed during the course of the day. After I woke up I took some more shots... it looked like we had over a foot of snow overnight. AK spoke with his dad in North Vancouver, they only had about 3 inches... wth.


We checked the roads this evening and it looked like it was ok for him to make his way back home :p He apparently drove all the way home in 2nd gear :D Here's how NOT to clean snow off your car :p And YES I just stood around and watched while he dug the car out :) What? There was only one shovel... =]



I always say, "If it's going to be this cold, it might as well be cold for a reason". But when it comes down to it... snow is a byach!

Movie: Déjà Vu... (pre-screening)

I have the good fortune of working for a great company and having an awesome supervisor :) As it turns out, his wife works for the Vancouver Sun and frequently has access to pre-screenings of select movies. They had an extra pass and were kind enough to offer it to me, of course, I couldn't refuse! Even though I had to wake up for my early shift the following day :p

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Synopsis: Denzel Washington plays Doug, an ATF agent who has to figure out the series of events that led up to an explosion on a ferry in New Orleans. During his investigation he comes across strange clues some familiar, some not. Val Kilmer an agent from the FBI (I think) is appointed as head of a task force assigned to an assignment with unusual time constraints. Doug, recruited for his knack of spotting things out of the ordinary and superb attention to detail, must help them piece things together using the government's new technology. In a race against time he has to piece things together and... try to prevent it from happening (?) ;)

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I really don't know how I can review this movie without giving spoilers. What I can say is once again Denzel Washington pulls through with a stellar performance. The pace from the outset was steady and the humor was distributed in nice doses. Throughout the movie I found myself looking for small details trying to figure things out before the finale. After a certain point I managed to, but was still pleased with the ending and the movie as a whole. As the plot progressed I started to worry a little bit, it seemed like the movie was going off in a direction that in past has proved disastrous for other movies. Surprisingly, they managed to pull it off well. I can't say what direction they were heading in without giving away a key detail in the plot so I'll leave you with this. Go watch this movie in the theater if you get the chance... I'm considering a second screening ;)

** I may edit this review later on... I'm already lying in bed as I'm typing this out **

Blackberry Pearl...

OO... Guess who's got a new Blackberry Pearl?

Those who know me well also know that I could care less what model mobile phone I have as long as it's sturdy and reliable. For example, back in the 90s I kept my old Sony Ericsson for a good 5 years... I believe I brought it into the new millennium with me. :P OK, I'm not going to lie to you... it has to look somewhat appealing.

I picked up the Blackberry pearl for a number of reasons. My dad has been tossing around the idea of acquiring a Blackberry for awhile now. The only thing holding him back was... he "won't know how to use it". Let's put it this way... he's still using his old Star TAC from donkey years ago... and his PDA is a Palm V (backlit w/ monochrome screen). He might as well be using a stone tablet with a chisel :D shh... don't tell him I said that. More importantly, my Samsung A670 is dying. Remember the problem I was having with my laptop? Ya, it happened with my mobile phone too... wtf. The screen doesn't light up unless the flip is in a certain position...

The Pearl is a thing of beauty ;) RIM finally decided to streamline the Blackberry and move away from the hideous traditional BBerry. I never really gave BBerry a second thought until I saw the Pearl. Though I've always loved the functionality... the design never appealed to me... anyone who has ever seen one will surely agree with me. Granted, with screens up to 320x240 pixels displaying up to 65000 colors it's hard to resist, right? As nice as it is to have a screen that size, it also played a role in making the handheld very awkward to use as a phone.

Up 'till now the BBerry has been strictly business! With an integrated address book which allows you to choose what task to do next, email, sms, place a call... and the capability to synchronize with Domino, Exchange, GroupWise, what business can turn it down? The BBerry also includes a calendar, organizer, wireless internet, instant messaging, maps (yes, even GPS!), phone capabilities, the list goes on!

With the pearl also comes new technology. The interface is fundamentally the same, a desktop with intuitive icons. The innovation (and, I'm guessing, source of the name) is the Pearl-looking trackball that has replaced the scroll wheel. This new feature makes navigation a cinch allowing users to move in 4 directions.

My favorite features are:

Sleek design (all black with chrome side bevels). The Pearl has an all-black glossy finish and nifty two-tone keys where the number pad is.

MP3 support. I can store all my favorite songs and listen to them whenever/wherever I want to. It has choice between single playback, folder playback, queuing, repeating & shuffling. Essentially full MP3 player capabilities (with stereo sound).

Video playback. I can catch up on anime :p, movies, tv shows, music videos... etc, when I'm waiting for someone... the only downside of that is having to encode to the supported formats. There is a post Here if you're interested.

1.3 megapixel camera. Ok.. I lied... it's not what drew me to this product at all :p on the contrary I'm pretty upset that there are not video capturing capabilities. The camera does have a flash, 5x zoom and a self-portrait mirror.

Storage capacity only limited to the size of the microSD card. I applied for my free 1GB MicroSD card but couldn't stand the 2-3 week wait so I went to an OEM dealer and picked up a 2GB card for $115... as far as I know 4GB cards are also available. :D I love that I can use my Pearl as a removable drive, heh.

Trackball. Even on first use the trackball feels very natural. It responds well and REALLY makes navigation much easier than the scroll wheel. On occasion I'll find that the trackball will move as I'm clicking on the icon of choice. I'm sure it's more of a user-error factor though.

Suretype keyboard. The keyboard is still QWERTY layout but using suretype technology. Since I was never a regular Blackberry user in the past (with full keyboard) I found the transition from my old phone to the Pearl effortless. Even though the keys are small, so far, I've only 'fat-fingered' a couple of times. :P

Honestly, there isn't much I don't like about it... I'm sure I could go on (but I won't). The one thing I DO have to mention is something that alot of people don't know about... AND probably the coolest feature about the PEARL...

Since the Pearl uses EDGE technology it also means that it can be hooked up to your laptop (via USB cable) and used as a modem for internet connectivity!!! I haven't manged to achieve that myself but then again I haven't made a wholehearted attempt yet. I've gone as far as setting everything up on the PC-end and attempting a connection, but failed because the source that I was referring to didn't seem to have a valid number listed. What do I need a number for? Well, the Pearl essentially acts the same way a dialup modem works, BUT the rate of data-transfer is much higher than a traditional phoneline!

HOW COOL IS THAT? or am I really that much of a dork? t('.'t)

I still have to go back in and figure out whether they charge extra for using it as a modem... I'm on the $60 light dataplan right now.. but hopefully I can upgrade to the $90 dataplan and have my employer pick up the bill :p They have a corporate plan with the same provider.

The price I paid ($249 on a 3yr contract) I was expecting it to make me breakfast too :@

Encoding Videos for BlackBerry Pearl...

The Blackberry Pearl is a powerful toy. That being said, many people still think it's just that, a toy.

After purchasing the 2GB MicroSD card I now had to find stuff to fill it with. mp3s are the natural first choice. But with video playback capabilities I went straight for the gold! Now I can watch videos / anime where ever I go! If I'm just sitting somewhere waiting for someone, or waiting for my movie to start I can pick up my Pearl browse for a file and go nuts!

Unfortunately, the pearl only supports:

audio formats: MP3, MIDI, AMR-NB, AAC/AAC+/eAAC+
video formats: MPEG4 Part 2 Simple Profile, H.263

I spent a bit of time trying to encode my own videos, I'm no professional... but it's not like I have absolutely NO idea what I'm doing. After spending waaaay too much time and having about as much success as a blind person @ a shooting range I jumped on the net and found a post in this forum!

I tried followed the instructions and it worked like a charm, I now have video on my Pearl ;)

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Since this is a commandline application that takes a smackload of switches I took the liberty of writing up a simple batch file (compiled to exe) that you can double-click on... If you're interested here's what you need to do:

1) Download the Mencoder.
* look for the one labeled: MPlayer 1.0rc1 Windows

2) Extract the Mencoder to your HD.
* I recommend extracting it to the folder where you store your videos. Doing so will save you some hassle. The video to be converted must be in the same folder as the application.

3) Download my MMX Convert4Pearl application.

4) Extract Convert4Pearl into the same directory as the Mencoder.

5) Run Convert4Pearl :)

6) Copy converted videos onto Pearl.

Please read both Mencoder and Convert4pearl readme before use. Convert4pearl was written by me so I didn't have to type the commands and switches everytime. If you have any problems feel free to email me.

ENJOY!

It's Shitting Rain...

That's right, shitting not pissing! Yesterday the heavens decided to open up and dump down on Vancouver. In this city when it rains everyone forgets how to drive. Last month or the month before we had our first downpour in awhile. What happened that day? There were accidents on all the major routes AND all the bridges! What's up with that? Does the low pressure swell your brains?! Is it that much harder to drive when the roads are wet?

Yesterday was a disaster. I'm lucky because my shift starts at 5am which means that I'm on the road by around 4:30-4:45am == NO TRAFFIC. Regardless, I could tell that traffic was going to be retarded that day. On the way to work the roads were already beginning to flood... there were spots on the highway where water had pooled and made hydroplaning hazards.

Later in the day the winds picked up and the rain was going sideways... THEN there were power outages ALL OVER the city. Traffic lights were out everywhere so everyone had to use the 4-way stop procedure. You can imagine what the arterial routes looked like...

At one point the police were advising that people avoid taking HWY 1... one of the main routes for people commuting out of Vancouver back to their homes in the suburbs. I had to laugh... I thought to myself, "Those people with flying cars sure are lucky!"



By the end of the day it had rained 38.8mm, trees had fallen all over the place, today we have a warning informing us to boil our water... and this morning we also had a Tsunami watch as a result of the earthquake in Japan...

Uhm...

O_o If you are one of the few subscribers... sorry for the false posts. You might be getting a few more over the next little while. I've been going back to label my old posts :p Ciao for now.

Grand Honour Restaurant...

Last week my family went to The Grand Honor Restaurant. They mentioned how it's supposed to be a really expensive seafood restaurant and that they use REAL Shark's Fin... wooo. That being said, I was still a little skeptical. I was expecting it to be one of those pristine Chinese restaurants, you know the type... huge fish tanks, nice big bar, white table cloths with the plastic cloth underneath :D Anyway... from the outside, it looks like any typical restaurant... but... I suspected that it wasn't going to be too nice inside. What gave it away? The fact that I couldn't see inside the restaurant.

I didn't take any pictures of the inside of the restaurant, unfortunately, but you're not missing anything. Honestly, it looked like one of those ol'school Chinese cafes where everything costs $2 and they stir your drinks with their fingers. We were promptly seated, nothing special considering the restaurant was fairly deserted.

Everyone arrived slowly and after some small talk and catching up the first course arrived.

Course# 1 - Appetizers (Cold-cuts & stuff).


Right away I could tell that this wasn't an ordinary restaurant. Normally the appetizer plate is just simple cold-cuts (pork, beef and the like) but this one had Ungai (BBQ eel), stuffed tofu skins, rolled salmon sashimi (can't remember if they were smoked or not), Jellyfish AND cold-cuts. Everything was made just right.

Course #2 was Abalone in soup.


The abalone was frickin' huge... just like rubber :p but tasted nice. The soup was a little starchy for my taste but very flavorful... the vegetables, not too soft and not over-boiled. I'm a big fan of veggies and that hit the spot (for now).

Course #3 - Shark's Fin soup!


Here's where my skepticism kicked in. Most restaurants serve "shark's fin" soup :P You know what I mean. The kind that is made with clear noodles that they try to pass off as REAL SHARK'S FIN. That night, it was the REAL DEAL! Wooooooooo! On top of that, it was REAL Shark's Fin Soup with REAL Crab Meat too! Bonus :) Nice texture, but not so much flavor (typical) which kinda makes me wonder why everyone longs for it O.o Good thing they had lots of red vinegar on-hand.

Before I forget to mention it... the service up to this point was exceptional. Between each dish the waiters took our used plates and had new ones set for us.

Course #4 - BBQ Pigeon.


Now, I'm not a big fan of pigeon... maybe it's due to the fact that pigeons are carriers. And I don't mean the type that ferry notes from one place to another... I mean carriers of disease. LOL, yea, yea.. I know... these ones are bred for consumption, blah blah. So the truth is, pigeon is too gamy for me. The taste is too irony (blood) and I can't stand fighting against all the little bones. Ya, I'm lazy :p heh. Our family friend, who is a connoisseur of pigeon, said that it was some of the best pigeon she had tasted. You'll have to take her word for it.

Course #5 & #6 - Prawn thingies with Walnut & Bok Choi (spelling?) with Conch.


I don't remember much about the prawn thingies... they looked waaaaay too unhealthy at first glance, so I just ignored them for a bit. There were quite a few left-over by the end of the meal, not-to-say they weren't good. They were too rich / creamy. The veggies were Bok Choy (spelling?) with Conch... not too shabby! That dish disappeared pretty quick :)

Course #7 - Choice of Almond Soup with Black Sesame Ball or Mango Pudding.


Usually you don't get a choice of what you want. But since my mum knew some of the staff we got special treatment :D How great is it to have a hairdresser for a mom? :P I'm not a huge fan of Almond extract so I opted for the Mango pudding which came out of a nice heart-shaped mold. The pudding was mediocre, even with the condensed milk it wasn't that great. I also tried the Almond soup just for the hell of it... someone pushed theirs away so I picked it up... it tasted as typical almond extract tastes almost like almond milk... the sesame ball was nothing to write home about either.

Overall, the food was pretty good... flavorful and nicely presented, also helped along by the superb service. The atmosphere definitely didn't match the quality of the food / service... I still felt like I was in a little cafe in the Chinese ghetto. All-in-all... I'm still not sure if it was worth the $600 among the 8 of us... oh well, c'est la vie!

Crap.. I just realized something... there are only 7 courses in my list... O_O I'm soooo sure I'm missing something... there aren't enough veggie dishes either :( argh! I'll update if I figure it out :(

Oh My...

Saw III...

Synopsis: Jigsaw has disappeared.

With his new apprentice Amanda (Shawnee Smith), the puppet-master behind the cruel, intricate games that have terrified a community and baffled police has once again eluded capture and vanished. While city detectives scramble to locate him, Doctor Lynn Denlon (Bahar Soomekh) is unaware that she is about to become the latest pawn on his vicious chessboard.

One night, after finishing a shift at her hospital, Lynn is kidnapped and taken to an abandoned warehouse where she meets Jigsaw (Tobin Bell), bedridden and on the verge of death. She is told that she must keep the madman alive for as long as it takes Jeff (Angus Macfayden), another of his victims, to complete a game of his own. Racing against the ticking clock of Jigsaw's own heartbeat, Lynn and Jeff struggle to make it through each of their vicious tests, unaware that he has a much bigger plan for both of them...

This Halloween, from Twisted Pictures and Lionsgate comes the latest chapter in the psychologically intense and disturbing horror franchise. The film is directed by Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II), with story by franchise originators Leigh Whannell and James Wan (Saw, Saw II) and screenplay by Whannell.

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Wow! Not sure what to say about this one. If you're a Saw fan, then you're obviously going to see it. If you're not a Saw fan you should still see it :p unless, of course you're squeemish... In fact, that was part of the reason I was really itching to see this sequel. I heard that 3 people had fainted during a screening of the movie in UK :D That had to be the ultimate in free publicity for Lions Gate Films. IMO, this movie lived up to all the hype. It's been a long time since I've watched a movie that has settled my craving for on-screen graphic violence.

I'm not sure about everyone else, but part of the reason I attend horror flicks is to see how realistic the special effects team can make everything look, and to see new and creative ways that people can think of to snuff out the lives of others. Yea, I guess I'm wierd... I've got some crazy morbid fascination o.O BUT I also know the difference between fantasy and reality and I'm not about to go around trying those things on other people.

Saw III is under 2 hrs and and paced just right. There are nuances that observant people will pick up on right away, things that tie everything together in the end. The rest of us, well, missing those hints is just another excuse to watch the movie again :) Saw and Saw II both felt detached from one another. There wasn't much in terms of progression. Saw III fills in a lot of blanks and offers explanations. Some of my favorite parts were the flashbacks.

Go watch Saw III now!

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Incidentally, they ARE making a another sequel... I'm curious to see how they continue the legacy...

The Grudge 2...

Synopsis: Set within two years after the first film and between two countries. Karen's sister, Audrey, been affected by the supernatural curse, and trying to find the origin of it in order to find a way to free herself. But what has this quest got to do with the families who are living in Chicago, a photojournalist from Hong Kong,and the three schoolgirls from Tokyo's International High School?

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When I left the theater on this one I was impartial. I really couldn't go one way or the other. There were times in the movie when I was very impressed, and there were times when it just didn't make sense. One thing for sure is that they've REALLY 'Westernized' it. It doesn't have that 'Asian Horror Movie' feel to it.

I know it's due in-part to the fact that Asian and North American culture are sooo far apart from each other. The Asian culture is full of spirits, there are sightings all the time. I'm not saying that here in North America people don't believe in ghosts... I know they do. But the stories that you hear here and the ones from there are different, they have a different feel. Plus since Asia is so much smaller and densly populated than N.A. more people can say they've experienced, or know someone who has experienced, a haunting or sighting. Anyway enough of this tangent...

Not surprisingly most of the scares were pretty predictible. There was, however, one in particular that I loved :) (darkroom), not sure why I liked it so much :p but I did. Like the first Grudge there were multiple stories. Read below and you'll find that this is not a remake of JU-ON 2. The stories felt very detached from each other, the Chicago one in particular. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who felt a little disoriented... ah well. Oh yeah... the biggest piss-off was when they located Kayoko's Mother somewhere in the outskirts of Japan... SHE SPOKE ENGLISH :@ and she spoke it WELL. WTF?!

I can't really say I'd recommend it for viewing in the theatre, but it's definitely worth a rent :)

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Synopsis from Wikipedia:

The Grudge 2 is the 2006 sequel to the American horror film remake The Grudge. The Grudge 2 is the second film in Sony's The Grudge series and is directed by Takashi Shimizu (director of the original series) and written by Stephen Susco. The film is produced by Sam Raimi and stars Sarah Michelle Gellar, Amber Tamblyn, Arielle Kebbel and Edison Chen. As stated by Takashi Shimizu the film is not a remake of Ju-on: The Grudge 2 and does follow a different storyline.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning...

Synopsis: This prequel to all the other Texas Chainsaw movies takes place in Vietnam era Texas as a couple of brothers and their girlfriends take one last road trip before the boys head off to war. But then a run-in with a sinister sheriff turns nasty and the group is hustled off to meet the Hewitt family and young Leatherface, who’s just learning how to kill.

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Going into this movie (as any other horror movie) I wasn't expecting much. The only things I was hoping for were... some sort of history on Leatherface, new and interesting ways that people were going to get slaughtered :p + special effects, and hopefully a decent storyline some wit.

Oh yeah... the other thing I was praying for was a theatre full of considerate moviegoers, heh.

All-in-all I was pretty pleased with the movie. They tried to show Leatherface's origins but IMO failed miserably... he's born in a slaughterhouse... yee haw! apart from showing that, they didn't go any further into his background. A couple of my favorite scenes showed how Sheriff Hoyt lost his teeth and best of all, how Old Monty loses his legs :D There's not much more I can say about this movie, yes, it takes place before The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003), but, it doesn't really offer anything worth writing home about.

Definitely worth renting tho :)

As for the attending crowd... there was some retard and his girlfriend that insisted on carrying out their conversation through the whole movie. Lucky for me they were on the other side of AK. That meant that he was my buffer and all I could hear was a mild buzzing. I have to give him credit though. I was sure that he was going to snap and end up walking over there... :D I though about egging him on, but that's not nice :D

Me: Why didn't you get up and walk over / say anything?
AK: Cuz if I did I would have had to put my fist in his face!

New Random Header Feature! :)...

Over the last week I've been working on a new Header/Banner. I actually wanted to make it more fancy, but that would go against my 'motto' As Simple As Black & White. I'm still not satisfied with them, but... one thing that I AM happy with is the random banner hack!!! Don't know what I'm talking about? Hit F5 and you'll see ;)

It took awhile to figure it out (I was actually trying to just add code to the template, but apparently it won't work that way. After about 3 hours of trying, I decided to do a search and found this site: freeyasoul. His code is specific to his template, but I managed to figure out what I had to do and I'm fairly pleased with the end result :)

Below are the 5 headers that I've uploaded:

Messing With Blog...

Uhh... if you see stuff jacked up or out of place... Chances are, I'm screwing around with the template :)

Gotham Steakhouse & Cocktail Bar...

On Tuesday I went to Vancouver's premiere steakhouse Gotham Steakhouse & Cocktail Bar! Although it's my favorite steakhouse, I don't regularly attend, if you haven't figured out why already, you'll see why by the end of my post.

The occasion was a simple night out with my sister and a family friend. We arrived just after our reservation time, roughly 7:40pm. I dropped the ladies off and went to park the car.

Gotham is an upscale steakhouse located downtown on Seymour near Dunsmuir. Although it's billed as fine-dining I haven't heard of any cases whereby people have complained/been rejected for dressing down. In fact, the table that was next to us (seating roughly 10) were dressed down (jeans, hoodies, etc). Our party of 3 were dressed more formally :)

When I arrived I had to pass my credit card over to the host :P our guest was very insistant on flipping the bill.

One of the first things you'll notice attending Gotham is the service, it's impeccable... AND it begins even before you step through the doors. The valet approaches your car to open the doors and if you're not driving, he opens the doors for you (whether he's inside or outside). The hostess makes eye contact before you reach her and politely offers to take your coat... she was probably thinking I'm a nut because I was wearing my trench coat and I turned her down :p

I was led to our table where our waiter took over. As I sat down, he unfolded my napkin and placed it in my lap. We were presented with our menus (a simple 1 page menu) and the wine list (bound with a leather cover). As soon as he saw that I was settled in, our waiter asked if I would like a drink. I ordered my Guinness and was good to go.

The 3 of us chatted for awhile at the same time looking over our menus and discussing our options. During that time our waiter came back to ensure we understood everything on the menu. He was very knowledgable and explained everything / answered all our questions.

All of Gotham's beef is Grade A Alberta beef. It is aged up to 35 days. He also explained to us that since there is an issue with spinach right now none of the spinach dishes are available. He also pointed out that the first 3 steak in the Entrees (Porterhouse, Bone-in New York, New York) are all 23-24oz steaks, WOW! He even explained the cuts of the steak, the fact that they all still contain deposits of fat, and that the New York Strip still contains a strip of bone in it 'to add flavor'.

Our waiter took our orders and we continued our conversation.

I love the atmosphere at Gothams. The lighting is very dim, perfect for a nice romantic dinner. There is a main floor, a patio on the side (with fireplace) and a dining area upstairs. To get to the washroom you have to take a stroll to the back and then down a spiral staircse. Yes, as you can imagine, the washrooms are impressive! More importantly, they're clean ;)

Our appetizers came first:

Gotham Tossed salad for the ladies (single order). They even took the time to split the salad evenly on to separate plates.

Beef Tenderloin Carpaccio for myself...


Blackened Ahi Tuna cajun style & Roasted Prime Rib of Beef...


Steak and Lobster (Filet)... in the background you can see the sides I ordered as well. Fresh Asparagus & Spiced Sauteed Mushrooms...


The food was delicious, well worth the price paid... we took our time eating & chatting, our drinks were always topped up... when we stepped away from the table to go to relieve ourselves our waiter would come over, fold the napkin neatly and place it on the table! How's THAT for service? ;) By the time we were done everything (me finishing last as usual) we continued chatting... we were offered the dessert menu, but were all too stuffed to even look at it.

The only 1 mistake that our waiter made was a very small one. He brought me the bill w/o swiping my card first :p No biggie ;)

Here's the damage :P


Could have been worse, right? Hehe.

If you haven't gone there yet, you should... Gotham's is an experience you won't soon forget! I know I won't.. especially since it was Hallowe'en night and towards the end of the night a woman in a skimpy pink nurse's outfit came sauntering in to use the facilities! Our family friend said, "Wow... you can see her panties"! That's how short her skirt was... sorry guys, no pic! :D

Busted!...

One of my favorite commercials currently... (including alternates)... ENJOY! :D

Hallowe'en @ Work!...

Every year many companies encourage their staff to come dressed up on Hallowe'en. The participation for alot of places, however, is not all that high. Me being the new guy, I was curious, so I 'interviewed' a couple of collegues to see what the usual participation rate is. Our department (IT) apparently has had a 90% participation rate! There are about 50 employees... do the math, that's 45 people running around with costumes ;) This year we had Nacho Aiello! Distant relative of Nacho Libre :p

Continuing on, our company provided us with a catered Hallowe'en luncheon :) There was a choice of rotini, farfalle or fettucine and a choice between 2 sauces + lots of different toppings. They also provided garlic bread, a choice of salads and drinks (non-alcoholic).

We gathered in the recreation room to enjoy the food and socialize... heh, it's always a good time socializing with people @ work. You should hear some of the things that come out of their mouths :p That's another thing I love about my workplace :D everyone is pretty real. Yes, it is a corporate environment... but this company is homegrown :) AND at the top of their industry. They REALLY take care of their employees and encourage us to build a strong relationship with each other. Which, IMO, is probably a large factor in their success.

Here are a couple of groupshots :) there were more poeple dressed up, many of them camera shy...



Our theme, btw, was Superheroes!