Memories of the PNE

Favorite Memories of PNE 2010 (in no particular order):

1) Pork Sliders and Korean Tacos at the Roaming Dragon (my official favorite restaurant)
2) Getting Fat BBQ Pork Rice from employees who probably will ask for EO when I get back (but thank you nevertheless)
3) Meeting new people from Boulevard and Fraser Downs
4) Hearing "Stayin' Alive" when I was taking a break but coming out to do a dance anyways (too bad they never played "YMCA" or something from MJ)
5) Passing 260 chips flat with my left hand to one player and 120 chips with my right hand to another player at the same time (love those chips)
6) Dealing roulette as if it was the early 90's. Nobody could spin the ball like Wes Smith and Jason Feng (too bad Wes wasn't there)
7) Spending dinner breaks playing the arrows
8) Thank you to Mr. Ken's Donuts for giving the staff free donuts if you asked. It was great for the first two or three days and then I guess I got tired of it. But the generosity was much appreciated
9) Discovering an uncanny ability to deal Texas Shootout as if I was an expert (that's for you, Raymond)
10) Having the time of my life

17 Days

And as quickly as it started, it has ended; 17 fun-filled days at the PNE doing something I hadn't done since I was a rookie Blackjack dealer in the summer of 1989. I'd vaguely remembered that summer as I did my one shift at the PNE, 8 hours of Blackjack and 4 hours at Crown & Anchors. I swore I'd never go back to the PNE. And even though through the years I kind of missed it, I never went to the PNE. But this year, there was a shortage of roulette dealers and an overage of management shifts at the Rock, so I asked, and was approved, to be a roulette dealer. It was a decision that many thought was silly of me to decide on. Why would I take a pay cut and work extra long hours? The answer was simple: I was doing something I truly enjoyed.

I averaged about 11 hours a day, sometimes in frigid weather. I dealt 4 hours straight on Red Dog on the first day (thank you Sager), and in the 2.5 weeks I got to deal the other games: Texas Shootout, Four Card Poker, Three Card Poker, and even a bit of Texas Hold'em Bonus in addition to Blackjack. But of course most of my time was spent doing the one thing I missed the most since I became a floor manager. I got to hear the sound of the roulette ball once again. I wasn't the same as I was back then. I made a few silly mistakes but in the end it was the time of my life. Give me the cold anyday.

Regrets

I've worked a total of 21 hours in two days at the PNE, and I haven't had so much fun in a long time. If I'd only known how enjoyable working at the Fair would have been, I would have done it a long time ago, instead of waiting 21 years between stints. Yes, it was one find day in August, 1989 when I started my career at GCC at the PNE. That day I worked 8 hours on Blackjack and 4 hours on the wheel.

But fast forward to 2010. The first day I was dealing roulette (rather slowly at first but it all came back pretty quickly). It was a blast from the past to see old friends such as Lubna and Garry back with GCC (even if for a short time). Today started on roulette again, and then, as if I knew it would happen, I went to a game that I last dealt probably 15 years ago.... Red Dog. Who would have believed it? And it was fun, although four hours of it wasn't what I'd expected.

I have my one day off now and then it's back to the grind. And I couldn't have asked for anything better.

Michael Buble

Wow.... that's all I can say about the Michael Buble concert I saw tonight. The guy definitely is a great showman who not only sings but also entertains the crowd. There were a lot of great surprises, so don't read on if you're seeing the show on Saturday.

Just when I was expecting him to sing a lot of his songs and maybe other classic tunes, he tells a story of how when he was growing up he idolized one Michael Jackson. Then out of nowhere he starts singing AND DANCING to Billy Jean, complete with Moonwalk. He's one cool guy.

For Vancouver Canuck fans, the highlight was probably when he introduced John Shorthouse (yes, the play-by-play guy) and the two of them did a tribute to Tom Larsheid, the color guy who was retiring after 30 years. I may not be a big Canuck fan, but it was a nice touch to an already great concert.

Thank you Mr. Buble.

Thought for the Day

How long would you wait in line for a heavily discounted meal, such as a buffet? One hour? 2? 3? 4? 5? 6?

At First I Was Afraid, I Was Petrified....

I had another great time at Pondok, channeling the spirit of Frank Sinatra and the disco era to sing my two "signature" songs. It was a welcome release for me and it was great to let loose, although maybe a bit over the top. But as I've said countless times before, karaoke is my guilty pleasure, my "anytime anyplace" activity that just makes me feel good. Maybe one day I'll get to perform live in front of people other than my friends.

And now, the time for PNE is near, my little break from the other place. I'm starting to look forward to it. I will hear the sound of the ball once again....

PNE Rumors

Yes, it's true, I'm working at the PNE. No, it's false, I'm not managing, and no I'm not supervising (unless I am needed for those jobs which is unlikely). I've been dying to do something I haven't done full time since about 2004 when I came back to GCC. Yes, I'm dealing roulette. I haven't had the chance to say those wonderful three words... "Place your bets"... and "No more bets". Yes I'm taking a pay cut but with the long hours it will be the same. I have my reasons, mostly to have a little break from that other place. It's only for two weeks, I'm sure River Rock will survive. And no, I won't ask for EO.

I leave you with the first and last lines of the best casino movie of all time, "Croupier"

"Now he had become the still centre of that spinning wheel of misfortune. The world turned round him... leaving him miraculously untouched. The croupier had reached his goal. He no longer heard the sound of the ball".....

.... "Now he had reached the point where he no longer heard the sound of the ball... the spin of the wheel had brought him home to the place where he was born. The croupier's mission was accomplished. At last he was Master of the Game. He had the power... to make you lose.

I remember when I first saw the movie how incredibly real the movie imitated my life. Well, I get to hear the sound of the ball again.

Kooza

My one precious day off was spent watching the Cirque du Soleil production of Kooza. While it was obviously not as much of a spectacle as the Vegas shows, I had a good time. The acrobatic performances were just as amazing as the Vegas performers, and in some cases even better. If you have never seen a Cirque show, I would recommend this one before it's too late.

Where Am I?

I haven't updated my blog too much as of late, and for that I apologize. The life and times of this random guy in the universe has been busy and even a bit stressful as of late. I won't go into detail as it is out of my place to talk about certain things but suffice to say that perhaps I haven't been the same. I still try to turn everything off when I go to work but of course at work things can be unpredictable. But then again every so often Dancing Queen or some song from the 80's comes on and I feel good again. My daily wish is that everybody at least has a good time there, and both the staff and players are happy. Last week when I went to karaoke with my good friends, it was a great release. It's my guilty pleasure and yes, I'll sing anytime (too bad I didn't get a chance tonight....). Maybe an hourly song by the floor manager.... hee hee... so anyways, I'm still here.

Bamboo Shoots

After watching The Bachelorette tonight, I would now like to offer the most useless wastes of time on American television as of July 5, 2010. These people have no talent and yet want their 15 (and in some cases 20) minutes of fame. Alternatively they are people with some talent but have no idea what to do with their lives but waste away. But as usual the most pathetic thing is people still love them.

1) Kate Gosselin - Oh she's miles ahead of anyone else. Between subjecting myself to see her face and sticking bamboo shoots up my fingernails, I really can't decide.

2) Jake Pavelka - He has gone from the supposedly nice guy on the other Bachelorette show to now perhaps the most hated person on TV (next to #1). His interview was such a joke. Get off of TV please. Unfortunately, he'll get some sort of a reality show because the stupid American public will keep watching.

3) Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt - Well they're separated but together they are still silly wastes of time. Attention whores, probably next season of Dancing With the Stars will have one or both of them on.

4) Miley Cyrus - 17 years old and already miles ahead of Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan in the lost cause category. She'll be pregnant in no time and be in rehab before the end of the year.

5) Britney Spears/Lindsay Lohan - May their singing/acting careers end forever. Enough already.

Starry Night

Last week my family took me to Starry Night, an interesting new restaurant in Richmond. The restaurant was downstairs, and upstairs there were reflexology rooms (don't ask). I guess the best way to describe the restaurant is a higher-class Chinese-English cafe, similar to restaurants such as Cafe Gloucester and I Cafe. Unfortunately I was disappointed with the establishment. The service was very strange, as it seemed the wait staff had no idea what to do. We had to ask for bread and not once did they ask us if we needed anything, until the very end when we were just finishing up dinner.

As for the food, it was okay. I had a coffee-crusted ribeye, which tasted like a ribeye with coffee (depending on your taste this is either good or bad). My Manhattan Seafood Chowder was a bit too sour but adequate. Overall, for the price I would have to pay, I'd have to give it a fail.

Growing Old

I managed to get away from the slot machines and annoying people to spend 2 nights at Encil House, a bed & breakfast in Gibsons in the Sunshine Coast, for my ??th birthday. It was a welcome change from all the noise and hubbub of city life. One day, when my dream of becoming a full-time writer is realized, I may end up spending many weekends here. We had two gracious hosts in Keith and Taya, and they made us feel at home. You can't go wrong with a hot tub overlooking the waters. And the home-c ooked meal on our last night was too much (but also too good). If you are thinking of spending some time on the Sunshine Coast, I highly recommend this B&B.

As for the rest of Gibsons, it's a simple community with nothing in the way of city life. We had lunch at Smitty's Oyster House, and had some nice sushi the first night. We even found a Starbucks and a Sears, and the movie theater.

One Year Ago (Already?)

I remember hearing early in the day of the passing of one of the most iconic actresses I knew growing up. I was sad because I recalled how much I enjoyed Charlie's Angels, and "the poster". And then, many say unfairly to her, somebody else passed away. Most of us remember who that is. I can't it's been a year already since the passing of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson.

America's Got Talent (really)

Due to my schedule, I haven't had the chance to watch America's Got Talent until tonight. It's good to see for once that we are watching people who are actually capable of doing something, instead of all those silly shows that masquerade as reality shows. Last season, though, I was disappointed in the show because the American public voted for the "story" rather than the "talent" when they picked that country singer Kevin Skinner instead of the obviously more talented Barbara Padilla. Perhaps they will do it again this year. After all, who kept Kate Gosselin on TV far more than she deserved?

My early pick so far is the talented Dutch child who played Mozart on the keyboard. Wow.

Who?

I don't really know who Lars Eller is, but he doesn't have much pressure. He's only one of two players the Habs got for trading away the hero of all heroes, Jaroslav Halak. No pressure, my friend.

Back to the 80's

This is strictly a flashback post to the late 80's when I began my illustrious career with Great Canadian. Famous nicknames and quotes that only people from the old HIB would understand. Feel free to add any memories.

Nicknames of Staff

Chowder
Yipster
Christoff Smirnoff

Famous Quotes

Good show!
Me bet!
Bar-B-Q!
The line is busy!

People I Wish Would Come back to GCC

Andre D
Rick B
Randene N

Three Days Off From Work, So I Worked

The end of another "long" weekend for me, as I managed to put together three days off in a row this week. My schedule will be temporarily normal (unless things change, and they have at the drop of a hat) with afternoon shifts. This will give me more time to write for Mahalo, and I'm even considering working the "Go Team" shifts every morning at 7am. There are three 4-hour shifts every weekday (700-1100, 1100-1500, 1500-1900), in which we clean up or add to existing pages on Mahalo. I'm also writing some sports entries in the meantime. It's a lot of work which I've had to juggle with my "other" work but it's starting to pay off. My last page was on Vancouver Tourist Attractions, and I may end up writing about the attractions individually, as well as starting on some Vegas pages. What more can I ask for? I'm writing about Marie Osmond, the Montreal Canadiens, and Las Vegas. Life is good.

Eat Vancouver

This was the second year that Amy and I have gone to this exhibition. Last year's edition was held at BC Place and I must say it was much better then. This year it was at the new Convention Center downtown. While the site was really nice, I thought the ballroom was a lot smaller. As a result, the place was packed with rude people who really didn't have any manner. Hey dipsh*t, we're lining up here for a reason, did you ask beforeod you rudely budded in? After a while I just pretended it was a Boxing Day sale and didn't even say "excuse me". What's the point?

Oh the food. It was pretty good. My favorite was salmon on a stick, so good I had two. Otherwise we enjoyed some of the samples but were not impressed with the lack of cleanup on the floor. There weren't enough garbage cans and they should have differentiated garbage bins and recycle bins more, as people were throwing garbage in the recycle bin. Oops. I'd say 2 stars out of 4.

No Regrets

To my most beloved team that I have cheered for since I was a tiny little boy who came to Canada in 1972, thank you. Thank you for making me believe in miracles and for teaching me to never give up no matter what happens. You beat two of the best teams (and two of the best players) in the league. And while I could waste myself wondering what could have been if the Bruins hadn't folded, I cannot do that. The Habs players should be proud of themselves for making a 43-year-old man feel like a kid again. To Jaroslav Halak, the ghosts of goalies past touched you these playoffs.

I congratulate the Philadelphia Flyers on well-played series. You also came back from insurmountable odds to make it where you are now. I could hate your team, but it was a great series. There is no "what could have been". Best of luck in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Letters to Juliet

Officially I only have two days off this weekend, but unofficially it's three, as I had Saturday-Sunday off and a graveyard shift Monday. Day 1 was spent mourning the Game 4 loss of the Habs, but then we went to see a very good movie, Letters to Juliet. It may be my favorite movie of the year. It starred Amanda Seyfried (of Mamma Mia! fame) and the story reminded me a lot about Mamma Mia! There is also an amazing performance by Vanessa Redgrave which may possibly bring an Oscar nomination. It was a very romantic story.