Hello World...

Hello hello... time for me to make some use of the time I have outside of work... and maybe some time @ work too :p What have I been doing since the last time I was blogging? I guess I'll sum it up.

The wall in our front yard has collapsed so we have to replace that.

My sister has moved into the Strathcona area, and I'm very surprised at how nice her block is... among the projects.

We've recently had a death in the family. My aunt had a stroke and fell into a coma, she didn't recover and passed-on the following morning :(

Games I've played:
God of War II
Tomb Raider Anniversary
DiRT
Zelda: Twilight Princess
Rayman Raving Rabbids
Transformers: The Movie

Movies I've watched:
Epic Movie
Transformers (pre-screening)
The Good Shepherd
Hostel II
Pierrepoint: The Last Hangman
Sicko
28 Weeks Later
1408 (pre-screening)
Hannibal Rising
Bin Jip (3 Iron)
Devil's Playground
Jesus Camp
Lucky Number Sleven

TV Series
Dexter
Red Dwarf
Robot Chicken (s2)

Since I've been getting so lazy I'm also getting very restless... the summer has finally arrived, as late as it is, and I'm hoping to have enough motivation to go out and enjoy the sun. The other day I went with AK to a park in North Vancouver. It was perfect out... there was a nice breeze & the sun was shining bright, everywhere but the park that we were in :@ Anyway, we tossed a football around for about 2 hours, my arms hurt :/ Before that we ran around looking for a place to purchase a pair of baseball gloves. I found 2 that I had kickin' around in my house. Problem: they're from the 90s, hence, too small. Problem 2: AK is left-handed so he needs a left-handed glove... shite. Oh well, at least we got to enjoy the evening.

Hmm... what else has transpired? Oh... I attended a Company Golf Tournament on Friday! Haha... what a Gong Show! Drinking from noon... attempting to play 18 holes. Mmm, yes... much tomfoolery amok. We played at the course nearby, Mayfair Lakes. Just by looking at the name I'm sure you can deduce that it's a course with water... too much water :D One of my collegues is reported to have lost 8 balls in the drink :P Fortunately for me, my game didn't suck that bad! Well... maybe I'm lying, but this is my blog and I can make up whatever I want. Heh. Ok I sucked, but only after I left the tee... you see, when I go to the driving range I only ever hit off the tee, never from the matt. As a result, I can't hit a ball unless it's sitting on a tee, grrr. I even have footage of someone getting their golf cart hung up on one of the curbs, how great is that. She won't give me permission to post it :( Maybe if I get her drunk enough I can get her to sign an authorization :D

Singapore: Day 4...

Hi :) It's me, and I'm back from the dead again.. :p Ya, I've been getting lazy, very lazy, and very bored... and it's hard for me to write about the trip when Jacq's sleeping... she knows the names of all the locations that we went together, me on the other hand... not so much.

Day 4 of my trip was a long day on the road. It was the 16th and we first had to meet up with a friend's friend :D (and her brother). It was kinda weird because we hadn't met them before and didn't know what they looked like. We woke up on time, but we left the flat late and rushed out to Jurong East Interchange. We ran straight into the building and ordered some breakfast :) I had some udon while Jacq had Eggs with Toast & Tea. She also ordered some Bao to go...

I wish I had the mind to get up and take some footage, but I didn't and I'm kicking myself for it. When the bus came we headed over to the Tuas Second Links border crossing. The whole bus ended up having to wait for me while they checked my Passport n crap. I was supposed to fill out one of the white forms. No one told me until I got to the front of the line. Jacq was worried so she came back in to help me :P

After the customs crossing we got back on the bus and started over the crossing. The only thing separating Singapore and Malaysia is the Johor River (you don't know how much research it took to discover that :P thanks Jacq ;)). It looks more like a river, but I guess Singapore is plunked right in the middle of the sea. The drive over the link took roughly 5 minutes, I REALLY wish I caught it on film grr. Once we were on the other side we stopped in Gelang Patah where we were to meet with my childhood friend. It turns out he was still @ work by the time we had arrived there. We sat in a coffee shop where they were selling pirated media... They weren't being very discreet about it... After about an hour of sitting and chatting my buddy finally arrived and we were on our way! :D

I always love going on road trips, provided I am not the one who is driving. Road trips in places that I am not familiar with are the best. The sights are all new you have a feeling of not knowing anything around you, nothing tying you down. On both sides of the road you could see palm oil plantations... There were rows upon rows upon rows of palm trees... not such a common sight here in Canada. Occasionally you could see some housing developments... one thing that I noticed about M'sia is that they like to build terrace housing...

Our first stop was a rest stop somewhere before Kulai. It was a sort of glorified outhouse :p that what it seemed like to me anyways. At first I just stood around while everyone else went... then I had to go myself. The washroom was as ghetto as I thought it would be... the room was filthy, however, they did have running water...


Next was a foodcourt in the middle of nowhere. Again... we were eating :P it seems like everywhere you go in Malaysia there's a hawker stall or some foodcourt in the middle of nowhere. I don't get it, but they sure love their food! This one also had a small market on the side, but we didn't take the time to go check out what was there. Prolly some nick-knacks...



After driving down the highway for awhile, they pointed at a structure that was spanning the road... strange. Surprise, surprise... it was a foodcourt O.o spanning the highway to boot. I thought they were yanking my chain until we passed under and I saw the giant KFC neon...


Further down the road some residentials appeared from nowhere, really... there was nothing in one direction for at least 1 hr, and the other direction was the same. I don't understand... don't get me wrong... they were beautiful buildings, all new and stuff... but you have to travel soooo far just to get anywhere. I wonder how much they cost...


Eventually at the end of our 5-6 hr roadtrip we saw the signs of civilization and KL :D The Sunway Pyramid showed up! L dropped off his friends and we went on to his parents house :) It was nice to see them again!


Not long after were took a drive to L's sister's house. On the way there we drove past an 8 car accident :P At her house we got to meet L's nephew!! :D It looked like he had been born with a full head of hair! Very cute :)


Back at L's parents' house we wound down, got harassed by their JR Terrier and then got ready for bed...

Eats: Tojo's...

For my Father's birthday my sister and I decided to take the family to Tojo's Japanese restaurant. Some people say it's the best in Vancouver, some say it's the best in Canada, and some say it's the best in the World!!! There is only one Tojo's and this is it... :) I had heard many things about Tojo's but never had the opportunity to go.

Tojo's has just relocated to 1133 West Broadway. We were initially set for opening night but Dad forgot that he had classes that night so we had to re-reserve to the following night. Who knows, it could have been a blessing in disguise :) Opening nights are usually pretty packed, so the quality of the food sometimes drops a bit. Let me tell you now, Tojo's puts out top quality food with top quality ingredients... oh ya, before I forget... Tojo's other claim to fame is: He invented the California Roll ;)

We arrived at the restaurant and were promptly seated in our booth towards the back of the restaurant. I wish I had taken more pictures of the new restaurant, but, I really didn't want to disturb those who were already seated and having their dinner. As I anticipated 95% of the staff were Japanese... a nice change, and a good sign considering 90% of Japanese restaurants in Vancouver are owned by Chinese or Koreans. The service was great. The waiters took the time to go over the menu with us and before they took our orders she made sure to ask whether any of us have food allergies. My sister opted out of the Mayo for some of the dishes, they made sure it came with no mayo :)

We had a look at the menu and all decided on the Omakase, something that was recommended from the start. On the menu, they list $60, 80, 110, and up... we all opted for the $80 dinner. The prices are per person. $60 = 4 dishes, $80 = 5 dishes, $110 = 6 dishes...

First up, Tuna Tataki: Seared Tuna with Ponzu Sauce, delicious. The tuna was seared lightly and placed on a bed of shredded white radish, topped with Ginger, Daikon with spicy sauce, etc...


Japanese White Fish (Snapper) mixed greens with wasabi dressing.


Halibut Cheeks (Yuzu) served with Ginger Butter & Miso sauce, Oyster Mushroom, Spring Onions, Chives...


Salmon (Beef Teriyaki), Teriyaki sauce, Organic Shiitake, Daikon w/ Spicy Sauce...


Main platter: Lots of different rolls... I don't quite remember most of the names :p Umm.. I remember a Golden Roll... uh... there was one with Scallop, one with Dungenous Crab, Flying Fish Roe... some with Avocado, and this was the plate where my sister requested no Mayo :) Hers was served on her own plate, nice...


Coconut Icecream with Blueberries, Raspberries and Apple, Very very nice... refreshing...

Our Tojo experience was definitely a positive one. I HAVE to go back again under different circumstances (w/o the family) :p I'm sure it'll be a different experience. IMO, anyone who enjoys good food made with top ingredients with top quality service must come in and try the food at Tojo's. They are very accommodating and will prepare the food to your preferences... :) Remember... Only in VANCOUVER!

Gingerbread House...

This X-Mas my family and I got to try something we haven't done since we were kids :)

While I was out last-minute shopping with AK he showed me some pictures on his phone...

At first glance I said...

"wth... nice... you didn't make that, did you?"
"Sure I did..."
"Whatever, man... you? The Korean Hulk?"
"Ya"
"Mr. Destructive? Mr. I-have-no-patience-for-anything?"
"YES!"

Anyway, you get the point :P Apparently his parents went out and randomly purchased a gingerbread house making kit from Costco (or Price Club as AK calls it). AK also APPARENTLY put it together on his own in under 2 hrs... sure sure...

Sooooooo... since I refuse to be bettered than him in the random crafts department I HAD to go out and purchase one too!!! An hour before we were to have our X-mas dinner my sis and I headed out to the grocery store in hopes of finding a kit. I was praying pretty hard cuz the day before I was out with AK and I wasn't able to find one at a different store. We went to Superstore and I walked over to the bakery... the nice little Filipino lady told me there was one more on the table!!! Yee haw! I was still a little unsure of what I was going to find... it was, afterall, the last one. As I suspected the last one was cracked :( Not so cracked that it was obvious but still cracked non-the-less. *sigh* what to do? Beggars can't be choosers, right?

I picked it up, obviously... the last one. That night we had the crazy feast and we didn't have time to put it together... it had to be left for the night after.

After indulging for the second night in a row my cousins and myself broke out the gingerbread house kit :) It looked simple enough... everything was neatly packaged


It seemed that I was right about being paranoid for grabbing the last kit... there was 'earthquake' damage :(


I performed some maintenance :p... filled the cracks with the icing and put them back together :) Good as new! ok... not quite...


Next came erecting the main structure... This task was made much easier by the little plastic base that was provided. There were trenches molded to provide guides for placement... the hardest part was trying to get the icing in place...


While I was holding the pieces in place waiting for the icing to set my cousins began on the Tree, Gingerbread Man, and Gingerbread Snowman :)... hehe, the one I did, had claws :D


We worked on-and-on into the early morning, got the roof Iced (more like buttered with icing :p)... decorated.. and soon we realized that we were running low on candies... wtf :@ at the rate that we were going.. we were going to run out before we were finished!!! Not cool...


Finally! After about 2 hours the house was complete :D Et Voila!

We had so much fun putting it together that we're thinking of having a little competition next year ;) If you haven't already you (and your family) should try it too :D

---

AK sent me pictures of his house... O.o ... then he told me about the bag of Skittles that came with it!!! :@ I felt ripped off :( Check it out... it looks REALLY nice, BASTARD :P

Merry Non-Denominational Winter Holiday...

X-Mas, X-Mas... the weathermen promised us a white X-Mas... and it didn't happen. I asked for a winning Lotto ticket... that didn't happen either :p

Those who know me also know that I never look forward to X-Mas... I never look forward to any holidays/celebrations, for that matter. Meh, it's just me. As with every other year I spent TOO MUCH time running around like a chicken without a head seeking out gifts. A few years back our family decided that we were spending waaaay too much money on gifts for EVERYONE! We could easily spend $1000-$2000 just on gifts, am I right? We don't have a particularly HUGE family, but I guess it's bigger than alot of others. What was our remedy? It's sorta 'Secret Santa-ish'. We all put our names in a bowl and then we each pick one out. The person you draw is the person that you have to buy a gift(s) for. We also put a cap on the amount of $ we can spend. Usually $50 or so... AND you're not supposed to purchase GCs cuz that's cheating!

I ended up buying for more than just one person (in my family)... it just feels wierd buying for one person only. The end result? Hmmm.. I'm probably going to be crying when I see my next VISA bill... on top of the new phone, bluetooth, and plane ticket to S'pore (will blog about that too) the presents are going to hurt :/

This year seemed not-as-festive as previous years... not sure what it was...

Anyway, we had the usual family gathering on the 24th. This time my cousin and in-law couldn't make it... they're in Thailand) so no crazy Karaoke Revolution or DDR :p My Uncle brought over 2 guests. I'm thinking they're both from the Vancouver Raquet Club where he plays badminton. They didn't speak much English... and I don't speak much Chinese :$ so there wasn't much conversation there, hehe.

My Sis and I ran around doing some last-minute shopping. I had to grab AKs gift plus I wanted to look for a Gingerbread house kit :) By the time we got back the rest of them were waiting for us so they could start dinner. WOOOO HOTPOT!!!

WOW... We had 2 burners going one with Chicken/TomYam and the other with just chicken. I was pretty surprised at the amount of food that was on the table. I guess mum's just used to preparing for a HUGE party! I remember waaaaay back in the day, we used to have an open house during X-Mas. People would come and go as they pleased... and THERE WAS ALWAYS ENOUGH FOOD!!! Imagine that O.o

After a couple of hours stuffing our faces we brought out the dessert :) The highlights were Aunt Sally's home-made cheesecake and the Mango Pudding! There were lots of other sweets/chocolates to choose from too. Among my favorite were the shortbread balls and the Turkish Delight! :D At the same time my sis and cousin handed out the gifts and we all tore in :p Somehow it's not as exciting as when we were children... but it's still fun because my cousins are clowns and are always goofing around while we're together! Oh ya... we did the traditional X-Mas cracker thing and put on our crowns too ;)



OO... Since there was so much food left over my cousins came over again and we had Hot Pot once more :D... then we put together the Gingerbread house!... coming soon...

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 :(