I'm a family blog man now...

http://nicoleandcyrus.blogspot.com

Blogger Comeback

Alright...looks like Blogger has a new version out. The wordpress one was a little cumbersome to use, and I also had occasional server problems.

I've moved..

my blog that is... check it out. I'm still tweaking the format and look. But tell me what you think.
Its just an experiment for now. If it doesn't work out, i could always move back here....

Big Ridge

On Friday night, D & V, M&J, and Nicole and I tried to make it into our "regular" hangout...the Guildford Station Pub, but the place was jam-packed. So we made our way to Fleetwood Arms and....no room either. SOOOOOO...after standing in the shivering cold while we pondered Plan C, we finally decided to make our way to Big Ridge on Hwy 10. Big Ridge is owned by the same group that owns Dix in downtown. It was my first time there, and I must say i was pleasantly surprised. They made us wait 20 minutes for a table, but during that time the bartender gave us samples of their homebrew beer...(four glasses!).. Marty tried asking for more samples, and the bartender, to our surprise happily obliged. The ploy sure worked...cuz we ended up buying a couple pitchers. The food was fantabulous....the pizza had the freshest and tastiest ingredients I've ever had in a long time, and the honey garlic wings were just how I like wings cooked...light on the sauce, yet crispy. The girls were having enough fun without drinking too much, so Marty & I had to polish off the two pitchers of beer. As you can see from the pics we had some good times filled with some silliness in between.

I've got the hookup....the chocolate hookup.

My sister recently quit her Pastry Chef job making desserts at West Restaurant to work for Thomas Haas making....umm..chocolates. Its a sweet job (pun intended) working for one of Vancouver's best Pastry Chefs - she loves making chocolates, and i love to consume them. Here she is presenting me with my very first box of Thomas Haas chocolates for my birthday. If you ever want to try GOOD chocolate, try these. But be warned, you might need to go to Confession if you do... So what kind of chocolates? Try an Espresso with Amaretto Amaretto di Saronna - which is just a "dark chocolate ganache infused with espresso coffee beans and Amaretto di Saronno, dippedi n crystl sugar". Or how about something as simple as Lychee - "A silky dark chocolate ganache paired with a thin layer of fresh lychee, topped with a hand painted chocolate plaquette". Kids these are far from your Pot'O'Gold chocolates or heck, even Godiva couldn't touch these. All the chocolates are handmade, and most are 60-75% pure cocoa - mandatory for a discerning chocolate connoisseur like WT ;-). Oh, and did I say they also make chocolate cakes? yum.

Somebody!

IMG_4407
Originally uploaded by JCee.

For my birthday, Nicole got me two tickets to see Russell Peters, "Somebody" Show at QE Theatre on Sunday. To be honest, I didn't know alot about him other than he's Canadian (born in Toronto), he's East Indian (can't you tell from his name?), and that he's damn funny. He was the one who made this joke about how the Indian and Chinese can't do business together. If you still don't know who he is, go check out his site. He's well known for his racial themed jokes (note..i didn't say racist), cheeky grin, and his repetoire of South-Asian accents.....(but he can do an absolutely splendid British accent as well). The show was absolute torture on the stomach..i don't think i stopped laughing for more than two seconds - heck, I was even crying at times because it was too much. Unlike many other stand-up comedians who resort to a lot of in-your face, derogatory, crude and sick humor, Peters comes across as just a nice down-to-earth guy who can tell good jokes without being sick. Yes, his jokes involve race almost all the time, but I don't think its derogatory..he doesn't make fun or put down people, he just "talks" about them. He pokes fun at his own race most of the time, and the East Indians in the audience (who made up at least 60% of the crowd) just lapped it up. Anyways...i won't repeat any of his jokes here just because I wouldn't be able to do them justice...so you'll just have to watch one of his shows just to see for yourself. Or if you're too cheap, watch here :). What's tres cool, is that Sunday's show was being recorded to go on his next DVD in June. Maybe I'll be on it too...NOT.

White guys dating asian girls vs Asian guys dating white girls

Why does it seem that there are more white guys dating asian girls, than there are asian guys dating white girls?

It's been an age-old question among Asian guys since the beginning of time...and perhaps this finally answers the question.

Warning: Its almost 15-minutes, but its worth it. So get a coffee, sit back, turn up the headphones, and get ready to Alt-Tab it when the boss comes around.

Yvonne's Big Fat Greek Birthday

IMG_4197
Originally uploaded by JCee.

To celebrate Yvonne's Birthday, Nicole organized a little dinner at Taverna Greka Restaurant in New West. The yummy food and good company made for a fun evening... the only thing that was missing was the "Oompah!" dance, and the breaking of the dishes... (more pics from the dinner).

Weekends are never long enough...

Is it just me, or are the weekends getting shorter? This past weekend was jam packed with a whole lot of everything and a little bit of nothing. I hit up the mall on Sat to run a few errands, one of which was to drop into Bell Mobility, where I wanted to check if I could sign up on this new plan (through APEGBC) to save me some cash, and get me a new phone - ummm...I've been eyeing that new Moto Razr! But my hopes were dashed when the lady explained to me that it only works for new activations, and I'd have to give up my phone number - which i was very adamant about keeping. Its NOT FAIR!! Here I am, willing to convert my month-to-month to a fixed-term contract (which equals guaranteed revenue). But they won't let me do it, unless i give up my phone number. Gosh, I can't wait when number portability (ability to keep phone number through different carriers) comes into effect.

The highlight of the weekend was probably Saturday night, when Nicole and I dropped by Casa De Raf to celebrate Rafael's 29th Birthday. After a few drinks and some good company, we made our way to Shine for some dancing (awesome music!)..and so more drinks. It was a memorable night...especially for Raf (read his blog for his account and some pics). Fortunately, he made it home in one piece. I have this feeling that he'll do something a little different for his 30th Birthday ;-) Perhaps we're getting too old for clubbing. You never know just what might happen. For example, I left Nicole for a few minutes to go to the washroom and when i came out, I saw this strange guy talking to Nicole, who had just moved to a table (because she said a fight had almost broken out where she had been). When this guy saw me, he quickly turned around, and just b-lined it back to the bar. Hmm..so impolite...now why wouldn't he want to stick around and be introduced to her soon-to-be-husband? ;-)

Sunday was Chinese New Year (Gung Hay Fat Choi!, everyone!). It was also MY birthday under the chinese calendar, but no one except my parents really care..and even then they just say the same thing every year "Did You know you were born on Chinese New Year?". OK..sure...now give me my red envelope! hahah. I went to lunch with my parents, after which Nicole had to go to a Baby Shower, which was women only, so i had to kill some time and cracked open my new book - Paris 1919, by Margaret Macmillan. The book came highly recommended, so if you're into 20th century history, this book is supposedly for you. I'll try to write a book review..might have to wait awhile though, its hefty 500+ pages.

I capped off the weekend by heading to Nicole's uncle's house for another Chinese New Year's celebration. I love Nicole's family. Other than the fact you'll always have a good time in good company, you never know quite what to expect. The most memorable part of the night was when all the "kids" - aka. The Twentysomethings were in the living room chatting and playing poker, while the "Adults" - the 50+ club, were downstairs line dancing to loud music videos. Us "kids" were tempted to march downstairs and tell them to settle down. Fun times, fun times.

Now its time to catch up on sleep, and finish this freakin' 10-page work experience summary for my P.Eng application.

What's wrong with me?

Chocolate inventory as of today:

• 1/2 bag of Mini-Reese Pieces
• 1/2 bag of Hershey Caramel Kisses
• 1 Aero Bar
• 2 Fruit & Nut Bars
• 2 Toblerone Bars (400g)
• 1 box of Pearson Mints
• 1 box of Truffles

Being the intensely devout chocolate lover I am, my rate of chocolate consumption has hit an all-time low. I'm honestly suprised by how much chocolate I still have left from Christmas. A few years ago I could consume one large box of Ferrrero Rocher in one sitting. The exact cause in the decline is not clear to me. One might ask how much chocolate I've eaten since Christmas and its not that much...one box of Purdy's, one bar of Toblerone, some Reeses Pieces and Kisses, and a few chocolate mints. It's a very modest amount by my standards, so i must ask...what's wrong with me? What's even worse is that I don't even want to share my chocolate!!! Talk about selfish, eh?

Over the Edge?

Vanessa, a fellow blogger, has started this campaign against Spencer Gifts because of some racially provocative and offensive T-Shirts they're selling. You find all kinds of "joke" t-shirts in stores like Spencer Gifts, San Fransisco (eg. the store that says its always having a closing out or clearance sale!!), Dog's Ear (??), etc - some are witty, some are crude, but most are pretty harmless. But when the so-called "humor" targets a specific race (in this case, Chinese), you're really pushing the edge of good taste and is not acceptable in our society (especially Canada) - especially as a consumer product. If you agree its over the top, here is a link to a petition. If you think there's nothing wrong, I'd like to see how'd you try to defend it.

Winding down 2005

Yet another day off work, so M & I went to the gym this morning to work out. He usually works out just one muscle group per workout, and today was just chest and arms. I usually alternate between upper and lower body exercises, but i thought I'd try his routine for today. Best chest workout i've ever had...and working out with someone is much more motivating. I'll feel it tomorrow though. I also spent the afternoon overhauling my bike, and getting it ready for the new year. I won't make any bold new year's resolutions in terms of my fitness, but I'd like to get in shape for the Sun Run, and to look good on 'dem Maui beaches. hahaha ;-)

Before I run off the liquor store to stock up on booze for tomorrow night, check out these gems..

1. Wicked Video from the SAAB performance driving team. (Thanks to kurioso for the link)

2. Super hilarious digital short film by the folks at SNL, courtesy of Rafers. It's a spoof of the movie Chronicles of Narnia...rap-video style. These guys can really kick it.

Enjoy.

Million Dollar Homepage

Now THIS belongs in the "Why didn't i think of that" category.

Basically, this guy in England decided to sell pixel space on his website to advertisers, in order to earn money for school. In the process he created a virtual billboard, and is just shy of earning a million bucks.

Merry Christmas: To be Forgiven Is Bliss

After spending the better part of the week running around town doing Christmas shopping and errands, i was hoping for a change of pace today, so I decided to visit my Ninang (filipino for Godmother). My Ninang has known me since I was a baby having been spiritual parents since I was baptized. Her small, short stature belies her huge heart, maternal instincts, and caring personality. My Ninang and I were quite close in years past, but in recent times we`ve only talked maybe once a year (usually around Christmas time). This afternoon I decided to surprise her and dropped by her house (a short 5 min drive from my place). When she came to the door to greet me, she was so delighted to see me, and invited me into her house. We chatted for over an hour over some Root Beer and cookies, talking about her kids, and what she's been up to these days. We spent the most time, however, reminiscing about her late husband or my Ninong (Godfather) who passed away over five years ago after a long fight with cancer. Ninong was a man of great character, who never got angry at his wife and kids (even though she sometimes had a short temper). He was a quiet, respected, and humble man, who could never hurt anyone with his words or actions. In the years since his death, I could always sense Ninang`s profound sense of sadness and even guilt. Not only did Ninang miss him, but she felt guilty because she felt that somehow she was to blame for his death..somehow thinking that she didn't take good care of him. It was a sense of guilt and yearning for forgiveness that she couldn`t even begin to shake off until one day earlier this year...

Ninang woke up one day, knelt in prayer and "talked" to her husband - something she did almost every day since he passed away. She asked her husband if he could just give her sign that he had forgiven her, then she could be more at peace. She struggled for a bit to think of the right kind of sign. After a moment, she then told her husband that if he could give her a yellow rose, then she would believe that she was forgiven. She then went about her daily routine, going to the market, doing her volunteer work, and running errands. As the day passed, without the much awaited sign, she grew somewhat anxious. At one point, she tried to look for other signs, such as going to get her lotter ticket checked. She told herself, just before she had it checked that if she won $1, then that would be the sign. So she had the ticket checked, and sure enough she won exactly $1. But somehow it didn't seem right, it wasn't enough, and she carried on looking for the sign. Later that day, she visited her youngest daughter at her home. After a pleasant chat over snacks, it was time to say goodbye, but her daughter told her to wait before leaving saying she had something to give her. Ninang immediately refused...since she knew that she was might be trying to give her some money like she had done in the past. But this time, she came back from outside with scissors in one hand, and...a rose in the other....a YELLOW rose. Her daughter, said she wanted her to have it from her garden. By this time, Ninang was on the verge of bursting into tears, but managed to hold it back as she didn't want to make a scene. "How did she know?", my ninang asked herself. There was no way! She could not have known....UNLESS... By now, Ninang had said her goodbyes and drove home in earnest as tears as streamed down her face - she wanted to get home and talk to HIM. Once she got home, she said a prayer and said a few words to her husband....thanking him for his forgiveness.

My Ninang has now told this story to a few people, and some of them don't believe her (or at least show some skepticism)...and she understands, probably because she would have had a hard time believing it if someone else told her the same story in different times. I believed her. And even though, I don't think she deserved to blame herself for her husband's death, the guilt she felt was undeniable. Coincidence or not, the power of forgiveness is unmeasurable. Being forgiven after hurting someone is arguably one of the most profound and kind acts someone can do for you. But to forgive someone else, takes a lot more. So my wish for this Christmas is that each of us will think of someone that has hurt us (recently or in years past), and tell them that you forgive them. You might just understimate the power of such an action....

Merry Christmas Everyone!

The Most Memorable Gift - I never got.

While we're on the topic of christmas gifts, I must say thaat every gift I've received is special and cherished in its own way so there isn't a "best gift" - hahah, go ahead roll those eyes!! However, the most memorable gift I've ever gotten came in 1985 when I got a brand new spanking state-of-the-art Atari XT video/computer system from Santa. What makes it memorable is what I did NOT get that year. You see, the Atari came out the same year Nintendo released their popular Famicom video game system in North America - the NES. Well...to make a long story short, we all know how Nintendo did compared to Atari. Not only did Nintendo have better and more popular games (Mario Brothers), but they had those cool accessories like the Light Gun (remember Duck Hunt!!), the Power Glove and that little robot that could play against you. Plus all my friends were asking Santa for the NES. Now despite all that, I still asked Santa to give me the Atari XT. Why? Well, it could play games too...like Pole Position and Missile Command. But that wasn't the kicker. I asked for it, because it came with.....a keyboard, and it had an option for a magnetic tape drive (aka. cassette tape) and it looked more like a personal computer. And guess what......you could program it with a computer language called BASIC. I was such a nerd back then.

p.s. I finally got my NES about 7 years later in 1992, after Santa found it within himself to stop laughing at me and end the suffering.

All I want for christmas is my E-Class Benz

IMG_2681
Originally uploaded by JCee.

The last few weeks have been super busy with work, photo classes, all things x-mas related, and searching for videographers and DJ's. Last weekend I was up at Burnaby Mountain to take some winter pics. As you can see from the pic, some lucky gal (or guy) had their Christmas gift (or bday) wrapped, and parked outside the restaurant. I'm not a big fan of Mercedes but i wouldn't complain if someone gave it to me. ;-) So what's the best Christmas gift you've ever gotten?

Singapore Fling

I decided to stay in Beijing an extra day to finish some shopping, but by the time Saturday rolled around i was looking forward to leaving behind the pollution, traffic, and people horking (spitting) in the streets (among other things). Arriving in Singapore was a most refreshing experience. It was the first time i had asked for "Airport Pickup Service" from the Pan Pacific, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Upon disembarking the plane, I was immediately met by my own personal escort who walked me all the way through immigration, baggage claim and customs. I was then met by a limo (a Mercedes Benz E class i believe) and my own "driver" who then drove me to the hotel. Upon reaching the hotel, I was greeted by hotel rep who took me DIRECTLY to my room (didn't have to go to the front desk). Once I got to the room, she took down my credit card number, gave me my keycard and then she was off. It was the FASTEST check-in experience I've ever had...which is in contrast to the experiences i had in Beijing.

Today was our last day for client visits, so we hoped to make it a good one. You know the meetings being productive when the customer asks YOU if you have more time to stay and chat with them. In the end, the future business in Singapore looks promising so i hope to make it out here again soon.

We literally ended the night off on a high note. Our Singapore contact took us to the top of the Swissotel Stamford, the highest hotel in Singapore at 72 storeys high. The view from the restaurant up top was simply stunning. Singapore is such a refined and sophisticated city compared to Beijing, but it obviously can't compare in culture and history. Pssssht...who cares about the thousands of years of culture...just as long as the cabbies are honest!!! hahah.

Peking Duck!

After a productive work day, we decided to have dinner last night at a Peking Duck restaurant. It was a MOST exquisite establishment in the heart of Beijing (about 15 min from Forbidden City by foot). Apparently many famous foreigners and dignitaries have visited this place. Each duck is marinated and lacquered in a process that takes up to two days (so i'm told). In fact, the ducks are so famous here that each duck served comes with a Certificate of Authenticity with unique number which apparently is the number of ducks that have been served at the restaurant since it first opened in 1864. I wonder what number Donald and Daffy got. (sorry couldn't resist).

The duck was delicious. And unlike eating duck at home, its all cut right in front of you, and you don't have to worry about bones. I just wish i didn't stuff myself with the 10+ dishes that came before it.

Peking Taxi!!

Warning! This story will make me look a little naive, but i'm going to
share it in the interest of educating future travellers. If you want to laugh, just do it quietly, ok!!

Taking a taxi in a foreign country is always an adventure. In fact, the trip to the hotel from the airport is usually the "first taste" of the local culture. Not only do you get a sense of your surroundings, but you also get a taste of the character and methods of how the locals do business. In my case, upon arriving at Beijing Capital Airport, I got my bags and made my way out to the taxi waiting line. A bit of chaos ensued as I exited the terminal to a throng of people and cars all vying for their spots. As I strode out the exit, a man approaches me and says something in chinese along with the word "Taxi !!". I've seen these people come at you in other airports and they are usually private (more expensive) limo services, so I just looked at him, smiled and shook my head in refusal. He followed me for a few feet trying to convince me to take a "taxi" ride. I just kept shaking my head as I moved to the "official" taxi line. After a few minutes a uniformed official directs me to a waiting taxi -- and there are a LOT of taxis so its a confusing as to where to go. As I walk down the line of taxis, another man who appears to be a taxi driver, approaches me and get me to follow him to another line of parked taxis just across the road. As I follow, he asks me where I need to go, and I reply with my hotel name. He nods and shows me to the car -- at this point i'm getting a little suspicious since this other line of taxis isn't the same as the first one. We get to the car, he promptly opens my door puts my bags in, and then directs me to get in. He shows me a card that said "Beijing Capital Airport Taxi", along with some prices (ranging from 200-380 RMB for a ride to Downtown). I objected immediately because my friend had told me that the ride would cost no more than 100 RMB (~$15 CDN). I tried to explain my concern saying that it shouldn't cost that much. But I don't think he could understand. He just kept pointing me at his meter (which looked pretty authentic) saying "meter, OK? meter, oK?" Since I'm already seated in the car with my bags inside, i reluctantly accept and then we took off (i tried to reassure myself that the price he showed me was a maximum and that i'd pay no more than what the meter said......so i'm sure you all know where this is going)

My suspicion that this was not going to be a "normal" taxi ride started immediately, as we get stuck in bumper to bumper traffic on this two-lane country road out of the airport -- meanwhile I look off in the distance to my right and see an express freeway running PARALLEL to the road with traffic moving pretty fast. I ask myself, why the heck aren't we taking that?!?!?! Meanwhile...the meter keeps ticking by... on some stretches we moved one city block in 45 minutes. (Don't good taxi drivers know shortcuts?) Of course the driver remains very polite, yet apologetic throughout the ride. He even offered me a cigarette, but i kindly refused. But of course, he starts smoking....albeit with the window rolled down. Once the meter had passed 100 and it didn't look like we were anywhere close to where the hotel was i knew where this was heading. (But what could i do?) So i just sat and waited, and waited... watching the meter tick by 200, 300, 400...2 hrs later.. he stops at this street corner, gets out and points out the hotel (i found it kind of peculiar how he wouldn't drop me off in FRONT of the hotel). I see the name of the hotel and figure I can just walk the rest of the way, but before I go i have to pay what's on the meter...500 RMB (~$75 CDN). (Ding ding, ding! this taxi driver just hit the jackpot! -- and I can just hear the voices..."You were ripped off!!"). It was pointless to argue, since he couldn't understand a word i was saying. So i get my bags, and checked into the hotel. Later, I met up with my friend at the hotel, and when i told her how much i paid she was in shock. She asked a hotel employee to examine my handwritten receipt. Guess what? It was a fake. (And why not! After all I was in the land of fake Gucci bags and Rolex watches) Turns out the legitimate taxis, give computer printed receipts...and they showed me a sample of one -- noting that a ride from the aiport normally costs about 80 RMB!!! [jaw on floor] I was then told that you should always take the colored striped taxis (usually yellow/green)...mine was a plain burgundy. I was also told that these unscrupulous drivers have a special switch on the side which does something to the meter (like speeding it up by 5!!!).

Sometimes you learn your lessons the hard way, eh? So if you're in Beijing (or any other foreign country) always beware!!! Do your homework before you leave!!

If I could only sleep like this...

On Saturday, Nicole and I went down to Alana and Clayton's house to see their newborn son, Caleb. Since I had a photography assignment due this week, what would be a better subject to photograph than a newborn baby!! As you can see, Caleb was a darn cute baby. He was a natural throughout the entire shoot! I got kinda carried away and took over 150 pics (thank goodness for digital). I picked out my favorites, retouched some of them, and posted them on my Flickr! site. Hope some of you will enjoy!