Our Game Again

I've had a lot of fairly negative comments about the hockey team, because they only play hard when they need to. The "blame Brodeur" reporting was uncalled for, because the whole team let me down. You don't score 2 goals in regulation against THE SWISS and expect me to be impressed. They played badly against the US and all I heard was, well it's better they play another game. That's silly. But at least last night they played like they should. Why couldn't they do that in their last two games? Is it too much to ask that they play 100% like the women's team?

Bring on the Slovaks.

Owned

Who says we can't own the podium? Right now we are tied for first in gold medals. I'm not saying the other medals aren't important but we have 4 potential golds staring at us in curling and hockey. And there are still many other events too. US may win in overall medals but wouldn't it be something if we win the gold medal race? Onward!

Merci

What a night for skating, and strangely I'm still not talking about hockey. Yes, we won, as everybody "thought we would".

But tonight at the Pacific Coliseum I once again saw what being in the Olympics is all about. It's not about the medal, it's about the effort. If you put in your best effort and fall short than there is nothing more you can ask for. Two nights ago Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir put in their best effort and came up with the most beautiful four minutes I've seen in a long time. Tonight, Korea's Yu Na Kim gave an amazing skate to be in first place.

But she didn't have the best skate. Any Canadian, any skating fan, anybody with a Mom that they loved, well they all knew who had the best skate. To Joannie Rochette, I have no words to offer. It was breathtaking. You already won the gold medal for your effort in the face of adversity. O Canada.

O Canada

Tonight I was so proud to be a Canadian, and so proud to be a part of history. It was tonight that I saw what the Olympic spirit was all about. Yesterday night I lost a bit of my patriotic blood when I saw a disappointing performance from a bunch of overpaid skaters. Tonight I felt the blood rush back as I saw a beautiful skating performance from a beautiful 20-year-old lady and a dashing 22-year-old man. To Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, you have redefined grace and beauty and poise. They should put a picture of you two in the dictionary beside the word beauty. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Thought of the Day 2

We should invite the curling team to play some Squeeze Baccarat. Think about it.

Skeleton

What an inspirational performance by Jon Montgomery to add to the Canadian Gold Medal Party! I doubt I'll ever get a chance to do the skeleton (or is skeleton a verb on its own?) because it's just a big to freaky for me. Then again I drive in Richmond almost every day.... oh but I digress.

"O say can you see, by the dawn's early light...."

P.S. To Melissa Hollingsworth: You did not let your country down. You gave it your best shot and I am proud of you representing the greatest country in the world. You will be back in 2014 and I can't wait to see you on the podium.

Thought of the Day

I wonder if Maria Sharapova (or Monica Seles) would have made it big in curling. They scream enough already.

And now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Pairs Figure Skating Final

Ever since Jamie Sale and David Pelletier were robbed of a gold medal years ago, I'd gotten a bit weary of watching pairs figure skating because it's so much dependent on the judges. It is supposed to be a beautiful sport but there's a lot of favoritism. But tonight I enjoyed it once more.

I had the opportunity to hear some of my most favorite pieces of music:

Theme from Love Story
Theme from Romeo and Juliet
The Way We Were
Blue Danube

What more could you ask for? The Chinese pair that ended up second brought the house down with their inspirational performance. They were more or less perfect and fittingly won the free skate. But unfortunately they could only get silver. The gold medalists danced a safe but beautiful routine. While the Chinese have been known in the past to concentrate on the technical aspects as opposed to the "beauty", it looks like times have changed.

And to the two Canadian pairs, thank you for representing Canada. While you fell short of the podium, you have done our country proud.

The Olympic Experience

I am very fortunate to have a girlfriend who won the lottery for two tickets to the Pairs Figure Skating Final tonight (as well as the Women's Final next week) so I had the rare and possibly once-in-a-lifetime experience of seeing an Olympic event live. The event was great and I saw some amazing athletes.

What is so different between the Olympics and "regular sports" is how appreciative the fans are of ALL the performances. The crowd cheered for every team. They gave a standing ovation for a French team. I did not hear one boo. There may have been some surprising marks but all in all this is what fans should be. Cheer for greatness even if it's from somewhere else. Spend less time jeering for the other team.

GOLD!

Congratulations to Alexandre Bilodeau (and the rest of Canada) as we FINALLY won our first gold medal on Canadian soil. It was an amazing performance and such a beautiful story. As he said, the party is just getting started for Canada. Onward!

HCNY and HVD

Happy February 14 depending on what it means to you. The end of my most adventurous week at work is over and now it's time to savor some moments with someone special. The Olympics await us in two days.

Day 1

My condolences to the family and team (and country) of the Georgian athlete who died as a result of the horrible accident during practice. I hope this doesn't put a damper on the Games. The moment of silence was very honorable and touching.

Here We Go!

It's finally here. After beating South Korea by two votes to get the 2010 Olympics, it's finally here. To all the athletes and coaches and volunteers and workers, God speed. And to the Canadian Olympic hockey team, kick some ass.

Synchrohearts

While browsing through the 103.5 website (home of the greatest radio station in the world) I came across an ad for a board game about relationships called Synchrohearts, which turned out to be a wonderful game that I recommend to all couples. The game was shipped in a day. How's that for service? If you order early enough on Thursday morning there's a good chance you'll get it on Friday! Otherwise I believe it is on sale at selected retail stores in the Lower Mainland.

Flame

Despite a lot of my reservations about the "commercial" aspect of the Olympics, I still enjoy the torch relay and of course the sporting aspect. It's been quite exciting hearing about the torch as it nears the Opening Ceremonies. Yesterday one of my heroes, Rick Hansen, brought the torch into Richmond. It only seemed like yesterday that he started his truly inspirational Man in Motion tour. I remembered standing among a throng of people at Oakridge Center when he finished it all. He was one of my "picks" to light the Olympic flame but it looks more and more like a certain #99 will get the honor.

The Next Step

To buy a place or keep renting...to wait until you get married...can we afford the mortgage...I have many questions to answer in the next while. I know I would have to make a lot of changes in my life.

TGIS

Thank God it's Saturday (my Friday). It's been a big roller coaster of a week that is am one workday away from ending. But with the help of an amazing staff and cool managers we managed to get the new Salon Prive open upstairs and the new and improved (and louder) Party Pit running. From the dealers to the supervisors to Guest Services to Tricom, thanks for getting everything ready. I hope Saturday's shift runs smoothly, but I can't wait for my weekend. Then it's two days off before the double whammy Chinese New Year / Valentine's Day special.

Random Musings

Yes that was me in the paper on Tuesday. Yes that was me whining about the Olympics (what else is new?). Yes those were my Habs that beat the Canucks. That's all for now.

Craftsman Collision

I got my car back today from Craftsman Collision and I'll have to say I was extremely impressed with their service. Of course I wasn't thrilled that I had to bring my car there in the first place due to the ACCIDENT IN THE TIM HORTON'S PARKING LOT. But they fixed the dent, vacuumed the interior and even cleaned up the car a bit. I got a little gift basket as well. And even though I wasn't liable for the damage, I got to use my Air Miles Card! Good thing it was over $1,700 in damage! I'm that much closer to Vegas!

The Other Casino (not that one)

Last night I went to bed at around 1am after saying goodnight to Amy, hoping for a peaceful sleep before going to work at 3:30pm the next day. It wasn't meant to be as in the middle of some dream about something I can't remember, I was awakened at 4:30am by Sylvia. Evidently the 6am floor manager in COQUITLAM called in sick and they needed someone ASAP. I was the last hope and so I managed to push myself out of bed, in for a quick shower, and then got ready for my trip to the Boulevard Casino....

FLASHBACK: A long ago when I was at Fraser Downs I remember for some reason I'd left my GPS at home and as if by chance that was the day that Highway 1 had a big detour and I found myself lost somewhere in Coquitlam. I managed to go through New Westminster to Cloverdale (quite late mind you, but I got there).

FLASH FORWARD: My car was being repaired due to the idiot in the Tim Horton's parking lot. My GPS is in the car. Now going to Boulevard from Vancouver is easy as I've done it before. But from Richmond I knew the shortest way was to get on Stewardson/Marine Way and make my way there. But somehow, perhaps burdened by lack of sleep, I took a wrong turn and found myself lost AGAIN (I turned left on Marine when I should have gone straight). Well, I managed to get there a bit late.

I hadn't been to Boulevard in a year or two, and not for a morning shift. It definitely was a nice change from the usually hectic River Rock days. Everything was well organized at Boulevard, and definitely not as busy as the Rock. It was relaxing and free of stress, and considering my lack of sleep this was perfect. But now it's back to the Rock. Oh well.

Torch

Well, I guess for me the only good thing about the Olympics is trying to figure out who will light the torch at the very end. Right now I am pretty sure it will be one of these people, none of whom have been torch runners during the journey to the opening ceremonies.

1) Wayne Gretzky

Well, I always thought Lemieux was the better player, but if you think Canada, you think hockey. And when you think hockey, I guess Gretzky comes to mind. It would make a lot of sense.

2) Rick Hansen

I remember his "Man in Motion" tour from years past. He has been a great ambassador to athletes all over the world.

3) Betty Fox

Of course we know her better as the mother of the most inspirational runner of all time, one Terry Fox.

4) Michael J. Fox

He's not an athlete, but he's Canadian.

Real TV

Here is a list of TV shows that I watched growing up through the years and really, really miss. They were so much better than most of the crap on now.

1) The Tonight Show with JOHNNY CARSON
2) The Donny & Marie Show
3) The Carol Burnett Show
4) The Price is Right with BOB BARKER
5) Happy Days - before the Fonz jumped the shark
6) The Dean Martin Roasts
7) Wonder Years

That's all I can think of for now, although there were many more. I could watch reruns of these all day long.

Le Gros Bill

Not many people of the newer generations would know who the title of this post refers to. But to anybody who follows old-time hockey, anybody who is a Habs fan (and many, many people who are not), they know that Le Gros Bill is the nickname of one Mr. Jean Beliveau. While he retired long before I got a chance to see him play, I have read so many stories of the classiest hockey player who ever lived. Just go on the TSN website and read how many letters of support there were for him, who suffered a stroke yesterday. Bruin fans who hated the Habs, Leaf fans who hated the Habs, any many other non-Hab fans had nothing but respect for this fine gentleman. He was the epitome of class, and all I can say is I pray for a speedy recovery. I can honestly say if the hockey players of today would have even half of the class that Mr. Beliveau possessed, the world would be a better place.

Respect

My heart goes out to those people in the customer service industries. This is a vague category that encompasses many jobs but more or less share a common goal. While most of the time the employees deal with great people who show respect, other times the opposite happens. Supposedly, "the customer is always right". Now every so often something must be done to please the customer. Even if the bill says "no refund", sometimes a concession is made so the customer comes back. Even if the dealer and supervisor are sure that the player wanted a card and made a signal to hit (and then bust), sometimes a ruling is made in the customer's favor. That is part of the job.

But what is unfortunate is that this "privilege" is abused. And no, I'm not going to start ranting about the casino industry. That I will reserve for another post (and most likely on my other blog). I just don't like it when people think abusive language and gestures are acceptable just because they are "valued customers". Yes, this applies to my job, but it happens in other industries too. Today my girlfriend had to deal with an extremely rude tenant who thought that by yelling and screaming, things would be done faster. Do they expect respect when they themselves cannot show any? "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you". It is unfortunate that certain cultures are less respectful than others.

I think back to the urban legend that in some restaurants if you complain enough about the food the chefs will do something "gross" to your meal.

Town Hall

I hadn't seen Sam in a long while so he called me up for lunch today. We decided to go to the newly opened Town Hall Restaurant (once Saltlik) on Alberni. It was very spacious with a pretty nice menu. I'm sure the night time scene is pretty cool. We started with a Chorizo Clambake, which we ordered mainly because we just wanted to see what it was. Basically it's clams with chorizo and double-smoked bacon. It was pretty good but we only got 6 clams so it wasn't that good a deal. Sam had the chilean sea bass and I opted for the bodacious rib-eye because I just wanted to see what it was. Basically it was a bodacious rib-eye with skinny fries that were quite tasty and numerous. It was a nice restaurant with fairly overpriced items.

Hockey

Hockey is obviously a part of Canada. One can argue that it IS Canada. There are diehard fans all over the country. I have cheered for my Habs for, wow, 39 years now. Habs fans are everywhere. I know Maureen and Brenna who worship the Flames. There are frustrated Leaf fans who never give up. Oiler fans, Senator fans, and even the Canuck fans who seem to enjoy their reputation of being whiners (that's for another post). But in about a month, all the CANADIAN fans will get together and cheer for Team Canada. I have to admit while I don't have a lot of positive things to say about the Olympics themselves, I'm getting hyped up about hockey. I still recall coming to Canada in 1972 and watching perhaps one of the greatest hockey series ever. Who can forget Paul Henderson scoring THE GOAL? It only seemed like yesterday.

GO CANADA GO!

Refuel Restaurant

Once called Fuel Restaurant, this establishment was renamed after some story that I'm not sure about. It was a small restaurant close to Kits. Amy and I shared some spiced pork ribs, then for appetizers Angela (who showed up late...) shared spaghetti carbonara and crunchy pork cheek (?). They were yummy! For the main, Angela had an ox tongue salad, Amy the seared rare albacore tuna salad, and I completed my pork theme with the sloping hill pork. While the dishes were small they were quite tasty. We couldn't stay for dessert, but hopefully we will soon. They also have a brunch menu!!

Bucket List #1

Inspired by my friend Lisa's blog, here is my long awaited Bucket List (Version 1). People may or may not remember the 2007 movie starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson called, surprisingly, Bucket List. Basically two patients on their last days write up a list of things they want to do before they leave the Earth. My bucket list is based on things I would like to accomplish or do within the next two years (might as well set a goal). Some of these things I've tried but was unsuccessful. But here goes.

1) Have a crossword puzzle published in the New York Times, but barring that, any major publication. For those who don't know, the infamous Sunday crossword puzzle in the New York Times pays $1,000 to the author! Daily crossword puzzles in that newspaper pays $200. Other publications pay a bit less but nevertheless this is a goal of mine. And for all you aspiring cruciverbalists, visit The Cruciverb Website.

2) Have some form of my writing published. I've been inspired by many positive comments from readers of this and my other blog about writing freelance. Maybe I'll end up writing the next Harry Potter or Twilight. Maybe I'll end up doing movie or restaurant reviews for some major publication. But I'm going to do something.

3) Go to New York for the second time. I had a rushed trip there two years ago. Why you ask? It was to enter, here it comes folks, the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. I didn't get a chance to see this beautiful city in detail, and I must again. I remember standing in the middle of Times Square in awe. Dare I say it was more beautiful than Vegas.

4) Find my passion in life. No, I'm not talking about my relationship, which is wonderful. I have to decide what I want in life and make an effort to find it. I can sit around and whine all day but if I don't have a solution than there is nothing I can do.

5) Visit Europe. I've been to Vegas. I've sort of been to New York. I was born in Hong Kong and even though I haven't been back there since 1996, I've been there (I do want to go there though). I've heard such wonderful things about Europe. France, Italy, England, they all sound wonderful (perhaps these countries should each be a separate bucket list item). Perhaps a trip to the real Monte Carlo, a ride to the top of the Eiffel Tower, tea with the Queen, and seeing Rome. Sure beats looking at Oak Street Bridge every day.

6) Do karaoke at River Rock during Party Pit nights. Anybody reading this?

I'll start with those for now. My friend Lisa had more items, and I'm sure I'll find more as time goes by.

Morality

Not long ago, a friend asked me the following question (well I turned it into a two-parter). It was very tough for me to answer.

1) You are on the ill-fated Titanic (or some other luxury liner) and the boat is about to sink. Before you is a lifeboat. You have been instructed that there is room for you and one other person. You look beside you and see: Your Mom, your significant other, your child. Of the four of you, two people can go on the lifeboat, and the decision is yours. Who do you select? Are you one of them? If you select yourself then skip #2.

2) Same situation but YOU have to be one of the people on the lifeboat. You can select one other person to be with you: Your Mom, your significant other, your child. Who do you choose?

I added #2 because (well maybe it's just me) I assume most people would pick somebody other than themselves for #1. But anyways, enjoy your moral issue of the day.

In case anybody is wondering, for me it was really difficult. My Mom brought me up and everything I have accomplished in life is more or less due to her (and my family). But then again, she has had a wonderful life. I have a significant other who I promised to be with "till death do us part". Hmmm. And of course if I had a child, perhaps it is time to let him or her carry on my heritage.

#1: My significant other and my child
#2: If I had to be on the boat, then it would be with my significant other

Abigail's Party

The first brunch of 2010 took place on Sunday at Abigail's Party, a nice little place on Yew and 1st. She had a Mescalero Scramble (chorizo, corn, peppers, cilanto, cheese) while I opted for a really delicious Short Rib Hash, possibly one of my favorite dishes during our brunch adventures. We'll definitely have to come back to this nice place.

2010 Resolutions

1) EAT HEALTHIER

I went for a checkup and I'm more or less in good health except my cholesterol is a bit high, and my blood pressure is high normal (sometimes above normal). It will be tough to give up my favorite foods but I will cut down. Don't worry Keg, I'll still be a customer but I won't be coming for the Omega Cut as often as before.

2) DON'T TAKE MY WORK HOME

If I have a bad day at work, I usually end up having a bad day outside of work. I need to at least try to forget everything. Or if I need to vent, just vent and forget about it. Easier said than done?

3) BE MORE ORGANIZED

Be clean.

I'm working on my Bucket List for 2010-2011, a list of actual things I want to accomplish within the next year or two (or three). In the meantime, greetings to all.

Reflections of 2009

On the eve of the busiest day of the year at the casino I have a chance now for some peace and quiet to reflect upon the last 365 days or so and what it has meant for me.

On the relationship side I am with a very understanding person who has put up with my torturous schedule and mood swings. Somehow we've managed to make it work, and although there are ups and downs, I guess that's part of a healthy relationship. I'm nowhere near perfect. I have a lot of things to work upon. But she is still beside me (well when I'm not working). She taught me to be more positive about life.

As for work, well I guess it's my other relationship. It's a relationship that I've had for more or less twenty years. I first met "her" thinking it would be an autumn fling but twenty years later I'm still stuck with "her". Sometimes "she" makes me happy and other times it's nothing but stress. It's funny, people ask if a relationship should be based more on love than on security. What's more important? I should be thankful I have a job in these tough financial times. Is there something better? Who knows. Of course I would rather be lying on a beach every day but realistically that won't happen unless I match all the lottery numbers.

In the meantime, I can say with my heart that I work with a wonderful crew, from the managers to the supervisors to the dealers. Sometimes we have to put up with the toughest of circumstances and I wish I could do more to make things easier. But all I can do is try to put a smile on everyone's face once in a while. I wish we could all be happier. I wish there was more that I could do.

To the wonderful people at Fraser Downs, I miss you all. I haven't done cards with Deryck in eons. I haven't looked across the track in a long time. I hope you all have a great holiday time.

Happy New Year to everyone.

Sherlock Holmes

The original plan after dimsum was for me and Amy to see Avatar. I'd thought that because it was Monday and it was after Christmas (and even Boxing Day) that Metropolis wouldn't be as busy and that there would be no problem seeing my favorite movie this year. Well I was wrong. It took us about 15 minutes just to find a parking spot, and by the time we reached the lineup to get tickets we were already thinking about a second choice. Lo and behold, tickets for Avatar were sold out so we went with Sherlock Holmes instead.

The movie was not exactly what I expected. The beginning was horribly slow and other than seeing Rachel McAdams I found the story rather boring. The action did pick up a bit in the second half but I guess I was too disappointed in missing Avatar than enjoying the movie. It wasn't bad but I guess it wasn't fabulous.

Nuviews

It just so happened that there was a spot available at 6:15 for this restaurant tonight on Christmas Eve. I'd heard pretty good reviews for this place downstairs from Stonegrill. The restaurant was somewhat retro and the view was awesome as I remembered from the days of Anderson's.

Amy had a prawn bisque and the main course was albacore tuna. I opted for the Christmas Eve menu, which was four courses (technically six but more on that later). I started with a scallop appetizer followed by a salad. The main course was a prime rib eye of beef with a little meat pie on the side. Everything was excellent. What I enjoyed most was we also got two "Amuse", little palette cleansers. The first was an awesome slice of raw tuna (which actually tasted better than Amy's main course). The second was a pre-dessert (?) of a chocolate soup of sorts. Yummy! For dessert I had my classic creme brulee (vanilla bean) while Amy had a date pudding. Highly recommended restaurant!

P.S. Merry Christmas everyone!

Avatar

My shortened review of the movie: WOW!

I did not expect too much from this James Cameron "epic". There was so much hype and secrecy surrounding it that I didn't think it would be that good. Boy was I wrong. Mr. Cameron you have outdone yourself. The 3D effects were nothing short of phenomenal and groundbreaking. I believe I said "Holy shit" 4 times in the movie. The time he spent on this movie must have been astounding.

Happy Holidays (Really)

From a lot of my past posts people think I really hate Christmas. This isn't true. I guess for me Christmas has always been a time for reflection and peace, as opposed to maniacal (is that a word?) shopping and craziness. Even though my family is not Christmas crazy, I still enjoy the holiday because it's when I try to think of all the good things that have happened to me. I'm in a wonderful relationship with a wonderful person. I have a good job, even if it is stressful at times. Life is good.

I have some goals that I would like to accomplish in 2010. Inspired by a friend's blog, I will be writing a future post with my Bucket List, things I would like to accomplish hopefully within the next year. But for now, even though it's still a few days away, I hope everybody who believes in the holiday has a Merry Christmas. And even for those that do not celebrate the holiday, I wish you and your family peace and joy.

Staff Christmas Party 2009

Yes it was that time again for the River Rock staff to get together to drink and be merry and hopefully not make a complete fool of oneself. As usual I didn't get to win anything even though half the people it seemed weren't around for the draw. Rats.

As for making a complete fool, well, it was Billy Jean that came on first. I managed to get Alex's hat and did my best to imitate the great Michael Jackson. Anyways, unfortunately a few songs later they played YMCA. I hope my impending YouTube video gets less airplay than Susan Boyle. Who knows.

But when all is said and done, this party was a great release from a lot of stuff happening at work. If only I'd had enough sleep beforehand...

Waazubee Cafe

This week's brunch adventure brought us to Commercial Drive, and a nice restaurant called Waazubee Cafe, a nice simple breakfast for me and chorizo omelette for her. The best part...the coffee! We both had an Americano which was of course better than the usual standard coffee. It's too bad these aren't bottomless.

Festival of Lights

Every year at this time, Van Dusen Gardens is transformed into --you guessed it-- a festival of lights. Amy and I went with Andrew, Suzanne and Cathy. We braved the cold (thankfully no snow) and enjoyed the beautiful presentations. I'm just glad my day off wasn't greeted with any snow (the stuff that fell earlier in the day doesn't have to count). But based on the rather cold weather that was there, I don't know if my "no snow" wish will come true.

It's Over for Now

And so ends a long and stressful week in the world of casino life. I can't say anything went wrong today at work, because thankfully I was working with two great managers. But perhaps I was just stressed that something WOULD go wrong (a great chessplayer once said "The threat is stronger than its execution"), especially near the end of the shift when I had to do something that involved a lot of money shall we say. But when all is said and done I'm at home and I think everything went OK. Sorry if I yelled at too many people today.

What Day Is It?

I can't wait for this week to end. For me, that means a whole day off on Friday. I don't know what the word weekend means. Most of the time I don't even know what two days off (in a row) means. Sometimes I don't even know if it's AM or PM.

Either way it hasn't been the best of times. Lack of sleep, stress at work, lousy Richmond traffic and the impending cold. And I can't even say I'm saving a bundle on my car insurance (whatever happened to that commercial anyways?).

OK enough whining. I just want to break 200,000 in Bejewelled Blitz one of these days.

The Blind Side

It looks like Sandra Bullock is coming back to the acting world after a short hiatus. While her last vehicle, All About Steve, was less than spectacular, this movie based on the true story of Mike Oher was very good. Sandra was excellent in her role as Mom to "Big Mike", and the little boy who played SJ was also very good. Perhaps there is room come Oscar time, since next year the Best Picture nominees have been expanded to 10 (is this a good thing?).

Cafe Barney

Today our brunch adventures took us to another spot on Main Street, right across from the unfortunately burnt down Slickety Jim's. The pretty one had a sausage omelette and I went with a salmon and mushroom Benny. I found myself addicted to the potatoes (wonder if they were cooked in duck fat?). Yum yum.

Baker's Market

Before work, Amy and I went to the annual Baker's Market, a small little room with a variety of baked goods. We got to sample some yummy breads and chocolates and other delectables. I wish it was a lot bigger but it was neat, something I never knew existed. Is there a Prime Rib Market somewhere? Hee hee.

Best of the Year

I haven't put together my list of favorite movies, songs, memories, etc., of 2009 so for now I'll leave it up to all my readers. What were your favorites of 2009? Off the top of my head:

Best YouTube video: Well the very first time I heard Susan Boyle sing I was mesmerized. I still think she should have won Britain's Got Talent

Favorite Meryl Streep movie: Well it was Mamma Mia last year. This year it was Julie & Julia (well this is probably my favorite movie). Is there nothing she can't do?

Most Annoying Celebrity: Ooh tough one, but I guess Jon & Kate (are they really celebrities?)

Biggest Waste of CNN: Balloon Boy

....to be continued

Miss Scarlett

Iron Man 2. Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow. No more words are necessary.

Who Cares?

I want to hear about Tiger Woods' affairs just as much as I want to hear about George Clooney's golf game. But this is what the American public wants to read about. If I were to boycott newspapers and TV until they stop reporting about Tiger's NON-GOLF news, how long would it be? I DON'T CARE.

Twilight Saga: New Moon

Is that the official title of the movie? I hate it when I go see a film and I don't know what the title is. Well, what did I think of Part 2? I'm 43 and not a teenager anymore, and I'm a guy. So I didn't ooh and aah. The director was different and the whole movie was different from the first one. While I'm not saying it's a really bad movie, this second chapter of THE SAGA was OK, nothing special. I did see a trailer for a movie called Letters to Juliet which looks really nice.

Burgoo

Our Sunday brunch adventures restarted after a little break. Today it was Burgoo on Main and 15th, a nice little restaurant which boasted comfort food from all over the world. Amy chose the Pain Dore (Quebec), which was toasted French bread with blueberries and banana. I chose the French Beef Bourgignon, a healthy helping of beef with carrots, mushroom, and mashed potatoes. Yum yum. As Amy said in her own blog post, I would definitely like to come back!

Movies

I haven't seen a movie at the theaters in a long time. My schedule has been unpredictable as of late. Mondays off were reserved for Dancing With the Stars. There weren't really too many movies I was looking forward to; it looks like the holiday season of 2009 isn't a blockbuster movie-wise.

Work at Home

Does anybody out there have experience and/or are successful in some sort of a home business or part-time job? I've looked at a number of options but don't know exactly where to begin. I started my second blog with the intention of perhaps having media outlets link to it one day. There are a lot of successful people blogging full time but right now it's not exactly bringing in any money. I looked at things like medical transcription and things to do with writing, which is what I like to do. I like to proofread. Anybody have any ideas out there? No, playing online poker is not an option.

Month Away

Well it's a month away from that Christmas thing. I know it is a big holiday for a lot of people but unfortunately I guess it hasn't been a big thing in my family. We did go out for a dinner but it really wasn't different from most family dinners. Way back when I would get some lucky red envelopes but somewhere along the line I got older and the envelopes got less and less. Rats.

I'm one of those that likes to plan all the gifts beforehand and then do all the shopping in one or two days if possible. I remember one year when I left everything to December 24 at 4pm. I had one hour of pure mayhem but I managed to get all the shopping done.

It's hard to shop for fear of buying something that the recipient doesn't like. I think clothes are tough. I can be picky about my bright colored shirts and ties. ABBA and Montreal Canadiens work for me (hint hint).

Dancing With the Stars Finale

Yes I'm a big Donny Osmond fan (well perhaps more of a Marie fan) and at the beginning of the season I wanted him to win, but it just seemed unfair that it was him. Mya was by far the best dancer (which she proved week after week) but it must have been all those Utahans (?) that voted for Donny. He definitely had more fans than anybody else on the show. Perhaps even Kelly Osborne should have won ahead of Donny because of her great story. But of course that's the way these "American judges" shows work. The popular one always wins, and not the better won.

Any guesses for next season's cast? Jon & Kate? Lindsay Lohan? Paris Hilton and Britney Spears? Amy Winehouse?

Turkey

Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends. I still don't understand why Canada celebrates Thanksgiving one month before the Americans do. Maybe they can do that with Christmas and other holidays.

Shots

Well I finally gave in and subjected myself to the intense pain of an H1N1 Vaccine shot. OK it wasn't that bad, other than my arm being a little bit sore. I haven't had any of the side effects such as nausea and headache, and none of the severly allergic reactions that evidently 1 in 1,000,000 people get. Well I never could win the lottery anyways. Now what?

James' Cafe

We didn't have time for a long brunch this Sunday as I was scheduled to work at 2pm. But Amy had discovered a nice little cafe very close to her place which served pannekoek of all things. I'd only gone to the Dutch Pannekoek House and the Wooden Shoe in the past, but this was a nice little place. I ordered what was essentially a meat lover's pannekoek with lots of meat, while Amy had a trail mix and fruit one. Both were pretty yummy.

Anybody have suggestions for nice brunch places?

Countdown

38 more days until Christmas.

Battle of the Blades

With all the silly American shows featuring celebrities dancing, it was inevitable that the True North Strong and Free would come up with something, and of course it had to do with hockey. What they came up with was actually quite interesting, even if it was all for charity. For those who didn't know, the show paired up a retired hockey player with a professional figure skater (8 pairs in total) and they did routines with one pair being eliminated each week. In the end it was Craig Simpson and Jamie Sale who won. I hope they do another season of this show soon.

Pet Peeves

I've started a new blog called The Pet Peeves Page. It's a pretty self-explanatory blog which I plan to try to get lots of traffic to. I was thinking about emailing newspapers and magazines to see if I can get any exposure. Any suggestions or assistance is welcome.

Three Rivers

I'd never been a fan of all those medical dramas on TV. I might have watched a few episodes of St. Elsewhere back in the 80's, and maybe a few of E.R. But I'm definitely a fan of Three Rivers now. What started out as a "must-see" because one of Amy's favorite humans in the world, Daniel Henney, was one of the doctors has become a superb show full of drama and especially ethical issues. Tonight's episode featured Mandy Patinkin in an Emmy-worthy performance as a patient with Lou Gehrig's disease who decided to let himself die and donate his organs. While I am not here to spout my views, I am here to say his performance was very powerful. This is a great show.

One Minute, Go!

A large majority of Facebook junkies would know the meaning of the title of this post. I refrained from adding Bejewelled Blitz to my Facebook because I knew how much I liked the regular game and how addicted I would probably become to it. I stayed away from it for so long.... until last week. And now I am addicted to it. If I ever meet the guy whose voice it is that says "One Minute, Go!" I'll probably strangle him. Stupid shit (that's an inside joke for my River Rock friends).

Remembrance Day

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

2010

In about two months we will be having the Winter Olympics here. I really have mixed feelings about what will happen. While I am proud of my country and obviously I want them to do well, I hate what it has done and what it will do to the city (and outskirts). It's quite evident that the traffic will be the major problem and unless I'm mistaken, nothing is really being done. We have the Canada Line all built and running well, but anybody want to speculate how busy those trains will be? Normally I drive about 7 minutes to work, I expect that time to triple or quadruple in January. And if it snows like we did last year, uh oh. The budget has been so wrong it's become somewhat of a joke. Is it all really worth it?

Weekend

The Heavens and Earth collided and I managed to get a whole weekend off (SATURDAY AND SUNDAY) so I spent I spent it relaxing with Amy. Yesterday we went to the Aquarium, which I hadn't gone to in a long, long time. I'd heard about the 4-D Experience and it was worth the hype. Unfortunately the movie was too short so I really couldn't enjoy it too much but it's definitely a lot of fun (except for some really young kids who were a bit freaked by the "effects").

Life is still good.

Slickety Jim's Chat N' Chew

My brunch consultant came across this small establishment on Main Street close to Broadway, and that's where we went on the weekend. It was an interesting little restaurant with a lot of retro decor. A lot of the food items had interesting names such as Revolutionary Eggs (what Amy had) and The Mean Teen Queen. Amy's meal was ham and eggs with asiago and cornbread. I had something with a weird name, "When I Met Ghoulio on the Playground" or something like that. It was Eggs Benny with prosciutto, and quite delicious.

Short Update

Life is good.

Central Bistro

Yesterday's brunch (well more like lunch) was spent at a quaint little place downtown near Stanley Park. The decor was very nice and I was impressed with the great service. I had a spicy beef hash which had way too many potatoes (which were delicious but too much). Our weekend brunch hunts continue.

OK back to work.

American Judging

Way back in May I posted an entry regarding Dancing With the Stars and how unfair the so-called judging was. Nothing has changed. You can't tell me that Natalie Coughlin should have been eliminated, it was only because she wasn't as popular as the others. Are the Americans really voting for who they think are the better dancers, or are they voting for their favorite celebrity?

Let's not forget the past season of America's Got Talent. It is blatantly obvious that AMERICA voted for the underdog just because he had a nice story. Unfortunately I can guarantee you that his show in Vegas is probably a flop, while Barbara Padilla and the percussion group will find much more success.

Chambar

Amy had mentioned this quaint little restaurant on occasion so last night that's where we went. It served Belgian fare. The place is close to Gastown, and is right beside Cafe Medina where we went a few weeks ago. The design was very nice and upscale, not what I'd expected.

As an appetizer we got the $16 bacon and scallops (or scallops with pork cheek) which while delicious was definitely not worth it. We got three scallops and that's about it. But the dinner more than made up for it. We had two different kinds of mussels for $22 each, one in a tomato sauce and the other cream. We didn't have room for dessert.

Seb's Market Cafe

Before work I had brunch at this nice little corner cafe on Broadway near Fraser. The lineup wasn't too bad, perhaps 15 minutes. I had an ice chai latte and a yummy bacon and apple omelette. My better half had a Eggs Benny with crab. I'm really enjoying our little travels into the lesser-known little restaurants and cafes around town (even though all of them have had rave reviews). How many more of these are in town?

Reality?

Who wants to make a bet that the balloon family will get a reality show? Wow, between that show, Octomom, Kate the Loser Plus 8, who has time for anything else? America is so obviously in the forefront of excellent TV programming. They prefer a chicken farmer who sings offkey to an opera singer who hit every note. Where do I begin?

Maybe I miss all the Michael Jackson reports after all.

Attic

The boy was in the attic. Meanwhile CNN was turning the show into some ratings stunt. I guess the Dad did it all for publicity. He probably got a commission from CNN. I hope he gets fired from his job and nobody hires him. He is an embarrassment to parents around the world.

I'm beginning to think TMZ has better coverage than CNN.

CNN

The news of the day in the great United States is the story of the 6-year-old boy who supposedly got into his father's experimental balloon that was tethered in the backyard and drifted away from his Colorado home. What kind of people would leave this balloon in the backyard knowing there is a 6-year-old in the family? Now the balloon has landed and the child is not inside. That's nice.

Knowing how the American media is, the parents will eventually do a heart-wrenching interview thanking everyone for their work. Instead, they should be in jail for being perhaps the worst parents of the year.

Quiz of the Day

If you had to lose the use of one of the following for one week what would it be?

1) cell phone
2) Facebook
3) email account
4) TV

I'm considering some sort of a detox if that makes sense, perhaps try to go without each of the above for one week (not at the same time). TV should be easily, as I've gone a month without it once. The other ones will be tough but why not? It just seems that the wrong things are taking over our lives.

Victim?

I find this whole David Letterman situation hilarious. As usual, the wonderful media has somehow transformed a bad person into a saint. yes, he was the victim of a possible blackmail scheme but evidently the fact that he was being blackmailed because he was having an affair seems to be forgotten. Obviously it's OK to be adulterous when you're in Hollywood, especially when you're a famous celebrity. Next thing you know, they're going to do a reality show following the lives of ALL of Letterman's mistresses. Letterman Plus 8 (or however many it is).

Crap

Other than keeping up with IMPORTANT news, I'm finding it almost unnecessary to watch TV, especially all this crap from the so-called entertainment world. At least I don't watch 24-hour reports on Michael Jackson anymore. But now it's all about the Gosselin family. Why are they even in the celebrity category anyways? Is it because years ago they both agreed to exploit their kids for the love of money? I don't care who's having an affair. Both are at fault, and the attempt of the media (and TLC) to make HER look good isn't working. She is abusing her kids, not physically but in every other way possible. Please remove her face from the news. They can do a show called "Kate plus 0".

If I wasn't so tired I'd comment on Dave Letterman. Maybe tomorrow.

C Restaurant

It was one year ago tonight that I went to dinner with a very special lady. For our one-year first-date anniversary (is it legal to use two dashes in one sentence?) I chose one of my favorite restaurants, the only one I know of with one letter in it's name... C Restaurant. When I booked the reservation online I was asked if I wanted flowers to be delivered as well, so I thought why not. It was suggested that I call the restaurant to say that flowers would be delivered and to have them arranged. So I did.

So we went to the restaurant and I saw the flowers that I'd ordered along with another arrangement that I assumed was part of the restaurant. Evidently my phone conversation was misinterpreted and the restaurant thought that I'd asked them to get some flowers to put on the table. So Amy got two arrangements instead of one.

Oh the food. As usual, I really enjoyed dinner at C. Amy had a lobster bisque and I ordered a pork belly as an appetizer. You could say that I got a nice piece of fat pork but it was delicious. Oh I forgot, we'd also gotten a little apertif beforehand, some sort of a drink which I couldn't remember the ingredients of.

For main courses, she had scallops and I had a seared halibut. Maybe the fish was a tad overcooked but I still enjoyed it. For dessert I had a white chocolate bread pudding.

I was most impressed with the excellent service. As each dish was presented, the kind server (Drew) would describe it. Water was readily filled up and I had a good time, even if I paid extra for another bunch of flowers. But they were nice.

Happy Anniversary, Baby.

Les Faux Bourgeois Bistro

A number of people recommended this quaint little restaurant near Fraser and Kingsway. All of the positive reviews were accurate as the food was delicious. We shared an appetizer of meat with (obviously) French bread. I ordered the Steak Frites and Amy had mussels, both were delicious. For dessert we had a nice big cup of creme brulee. Yum yum.

Love Happens

And we have Jennifer Aniston in yet another romantic comedy, this time with Aaron Eckhart. The movie started off slow and was a tad boring. It also didn't help that the people behind us found it necessary to do a running commentary of the movie. Yes we heard the first time that parts of the movie was filmed in Vancouver (as well as Seattle). No, the Space Needle isn't in Vancouver. Thanks for letting us know in advance everything that will probably happen.

But the last part of the movie was quite touching, although I didn't see a lot of chemistry between the two main characters.

Casino Life

It is often said that one should never date a coworker or someone in their own workplace. That does make a lot of sense because of what would happen if things don't work out. But that is not the topic of this entry.

I'm writing more about the life of a casino employee, especially one with either "abnormal" hours or swing shifts (my hand is up). Well I guess I can extend it to anybody who doesn't have a regular 9am-5pm job, like doctors or other on-call occupations. How do you function? How do you mix work with a social life? If you are single, how hard has (or had) it been to do things outside of work? If you are dating, how understanding is the partner? "Normal" relationships consist of having dinner with each other at 6 or 7 and then a movie or other activities.

If you are married, how understanding is the spouse? I do know it actually works well for some "married with children" people. One parent will tend to matters while the other is at work. But this also means that they are away from each other for 8 hours. Is this good or bad?

Lotto Max 2

OK maybe I'll win next week. The good news is this week I won a $5 free play plus $1 on the extra. The bad news is how much I spent to get the $6.

Know your limit, play within it.

Lotto Max

Please let this be the week I win the lottery... well anytime in the near future would be nice.

Dating Disaster (Luckily Not Me)

Amy and I were having a casual dinner at a small restaurant in Burnaby. Normally I don't make comments about people sitting beside us but in this case I must. It all started when the couple sat down and probably within 30 seconds they were holding hands. Or perhaps the girl grabbed the hand of the guy or vice versa. Well whatever. All I know is on the corner of my head I saw a guy in a shirt or polo shirt. Then Amy told me to look at him as he was standing up. I almost burst out laughing. The guy's tie was, well, shall we say, hanging even further than "down there". I mean, mean usually have their ties too short (even I am sometimes) when the tip should be just at the belt buckle. This guy's tie was practically touching the floor.

Then when it came time for them to go, the guy tells the girl to pay her own half or something like that. I could sense the girl really pissed off at this time. She said something about having no change. Then she goes up to the cashier to get change. Maybe the guy thought she would end up paying or something. It gets all confusing after. While she was up there paying the guy gets up and goes to the cashier too (to get change??). The girl comes back followed by the guy who gives her money because I think he assumed that she paid for his share too. But she hadn't so the guy had to go back up to the cashier to pay his share. I know, I know, why should I care. I just found it so silly. If this was a first date then I'll bet the farm the loser guy isn't getting another one. If they've gone out before then I'm pretty sure it's over now.

There's your laugh for the day. And now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Cafe Medina

We tried a nice little cafe downtown for brunch today and it was very very good. It is called Cafe Medina. Amy had the "Fricasse" and I had "Les Boulettes". Both were delicious. We ended with a really yummy waffle with mixed fruit topping. We'll definitely be going back to this nice little find. I'm also kind of obsessed with this really far-fetched idea for a restaurant that came into my head.

All About Steve

Wow, a movie about a crossword puzzle constructor, how can I refuse? Even though I'd read some questionable reviews, I really enjoyed this new Sandra Bullock vehicle. I identified with her character for some reason. Well, I would love to be a professional crossword constructor myself, but I know how hard the field is to get into. She was a bit too neurotic, but it was a good film anyways.

RIP Patrick Swayze

"No one puts Baby in the corner".

He finally lost his battle with pancreatic cancer but it was a gallant fight. What was once thought to be only a week or month became an 18-month fight.

It only seemed like yesterday that I saw Dirty Dancing and Ghost for the first time, when in fact it's been 22 and 19 years now. How time flies.

Don't Go West

We now have a new member of the "Please Go Away" Celebrity Club, Kanye West. I didn't get a chance to watch the MVA's but it's obvious this guy is a loser. He can now join Jon & Kate, Octomom, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, and the rest. Drink some more, idiot.

Boo Hoo

I'm glad Serena Williams lost today. She can whine and bee-yatch all she wants, the fact of the matter is she lost. One year she accuses her opponent of cheating. This year she whines over a clear foot fault violation. She is the sorest loser in tennis. May she never win again.

Forever

To all my friends (and love of my life) who gave me advice after my little Facebook status posting, thanks. And to those who have been there for me throughout each day, month, year, and decade... thank you. I feel blessed and fortunate to know some very wonderful people who mean the world to me.

9

After Gamer, we went to see a weird cartoonish movie about a post-Apocalytic society where the machines have all taken over. It's hard to explain the movie so I won't try but it was pretty interesting. One week, Joe and I saw Inglourious Basterds and the next week we saw this one.

Gamer

I hadn't seen Joe since he got back from Vegas and getting Marie Osmond to call me (hee hee) so we had dinner at our usual haunt (The Keg) where he gave me back the Marie Osmond book that I had her sign. Then we went to see the first of two movies afterwards, the Gerard Butler flick. This guy is cool, one minute he's some ultra-violent meanie in movies such as 300, then he can go 360 and play romantic roles such as P.S. I Love You and The Ugly Truth. Gamer is an obvious homage to Blade Runner with some Running Man references thrown in. It was a lot better than I'd expected.

America's Got Talent

OK normally I have nothing but negative things to say about reality shows. And even for most of the episodes I've watched of America's Got Talent, nothing has particularly stood out. It seemed that the only memorable acts are from strange people. There is the country singer who reminded us of Susan Boyle for some reason. Tonight I saw two kids probably eight or nine dancing to Michael Jackson but ballroom style. Huh?

But the last performance was that of a lady named Barbara Padilla who had evidently beaten cancer years ago. My first reaction was, well, of course, without a story how could they get so far? But then she started singing one of two opera songs that I truly adore (the other one is Pie Jesu), Ave Maria. I remember the first time I heard Sarah Brightman sing it, "there was someone in my eye". Tonight it happened again. While we'll find out tomorrow of she makes it to the final, I can't see anybody else beating her. As Piers Morgan said, "a star was born tonight". Bravo.

7 Days

Today is day seven in a row of work for me. I'm spending it in the confines of Fraser Downs for a nice relaxing shift. It's good to see some old friends again and meeting the "new" slot attendant.

Bobby Loo

Well, it was announced a few hours ago that Roberto Luongo re-signed in Vancouver at $64 million for 12 years. While it seems to be quite low for him, it seems obvious that he did it so the team can sign some good players up front (Heatley rumors?). No, I'm not jumping on the bandwagon but I admit this was a nice move. I'm still cheering for the Habs though.

Border Crossing

We decided to check out the new hotel at Tulalip for our "weekend", and do a little shopping at the Seattle Premium Outlet as well. Our trip started off with a relatively short 40-minute wait at the border on Sunday (I've waited up to 90 minutes before), then a short walk at Bellis Fair where we had Clam Chowder at Ivar's. Mmmmm.

The hotel was quite nice, better than I'd expected it to be for the $130US/night price tag. The cool part of the room was the shower, which consisted of three separate heads (one for the head, one for the torso and one near the feet). You could have all three running, or control which one you wanted. This was quite ingenious as I'd never seen it before.

Gambling-wise, I took it easy, and managed to make less than $100. Amy made a little bit of money on roulette and I got to show off and pass 200 roulette chips to the dealer, who was probably more pissed off somebody could do it. Oh well, too bad.

All in all, it was a great time and I can't wait to visit again.

Birthday

Even though the media frenzy hasn't subsided, I do wish to note that Michael Jackson was to become 51 on August 29. Many hated him for what he allegedly did, but I remember him for his music. So Happy Birthday MJ.

Inglorious Basterds

I hadn't seen Joe in a while so we went for our usual dinner at the Keg in Surrey, then headed out to watch Quentin Tarantino's latest venture. It was his usual violent fare, this time taking a somewhat historically "different" view of the Second World War. While the movie was pretty good, I did not have a good time due to the idiots sitting two rows back who more or less laughed at various inopportune times throughout the movie. Thanks for ruining the movie for me.

I Am Canadian

Why is Gary Bettman insistent that an NHL team stay in Phoenix when it is obvious nobody cares about hockey over there? Canadian fans are so eager for another team, even if it is led by a silly guy such as Jim Balsillie? Heck, even a team in Portland would generate more interest than Phoenix, but Bettman doesn't want to admit he's really an idiot. Look at the hockey hotbeds he's developed in Carolina, among others.

Take That, Buster

Amy and I spent a wonderful day at the PNE. While it was nothing special compared to other years, it was a nice relaxing day. I even rolled an 11 for her when she was playing Over/Under 7 for a nice $60. She also was doing quite well on the carny money games. Meanwhile I couldn't win anything, not even Whack-a-Mole. But we had a good time.

And then we went back to where our car was supposed to be. For those that don't know, there is a spot on East Pender just in from Renfrew that is FREE. If you read the signs, yes, it is permit parking beyond the sign but there is space from the post to the corner if your car is small enough. I've parked there before, but today there was a van in front of us but I gambled and lost.

OK, it's fine, I got towed. I accept that (although I will probably contest it because of the 1.5 meter rule that I'm pretty sure I followed). So I called Buster's and they said it was there. OK, I got off the phone and then realized that there were two Buster's Towings (one under the Granville Bridge and the other near Science World). So I called back and asked for the address. Well, Amy was nice enough to donate her monetary winnings toward the cab ride to the Buster's on Science World because that was what the lady said. When I went there it was a guy who said my car was in the OTHER lot. You know the rest. The lady who worked at the OTHER Buster's on Granville Bridge gave me the address of the one at Science World. I'm just getting ready to put together a really nice letter to the manager of Buster's.

Argh.

48 Hours

One more afternoon shift and one more morning shift and I will get a much needed two days off. All I want to do is....nothing and "embrace silence".