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.

Do You Believe Now?

The Habs are back. Enough said.

Sweetness

The Forum Ghosts watched over the Habs last night. They were among the many packed into the Bell Centre as they saw Les Habitantes defeat the Penguins. The hockey gods stood behind Jaroslav Halak once again, and skated beside Mike Cammalleri. Maybe there is something magical about the playoffs and the Canadiens. It was pure magic tonight and the magic shall continue, whether it be Boston or Philadelphia, and then whether it be San Jose or Chicago. Forever Proud!

Summer of '79

Last night I went to a reunion for my elementary school, Sir Richard McBride. It was a chance meet people who were there in the 1970's. There were three of us from the "Grad '79" class (yes, I graduated from elementary school in 1979). It was a night full of sudden flashbacks when certain names (of students and teachers) were mentioned and memories came back, of the neighborhood grocery store, of Freezies and Hubba Bubba and that Coke dispenser. Amazing, that was 31 years ago. Where did the time go?

Priorities

I really have to sit down and decide on a schedule for my life. As much as I'm enjoying my "side job" working at Mahalo, I need to put aside some time (hopefully every day) to do some writing or editing. Right now I'm still considering it somewhat of a fun thing (even though I'm starting to make more and more money). I'm getting a lot of searches for some of my articles, but I need to put in an extra effort to get them to or near the top of the Google Searches. How do I make people more interested in the Montreal Canadiens Roster? Who wants to know more about Jaroslav Halak? Do people still want to hear about Marie Osmond? Do you buy Iams Pet Food for your pets?

Dine Out Vancouver: Beach House

Due to my schedule I'd never gotten the chance to participate in Dine Out Vancouver until last night when we decided to go to The Beach House in West Vancouver. There were other choices but unfortunately they were all booked up for the weekend. The rain ruined a very nice view across the water.

For appetizer, she went with prawns while I opted for a delicious carrot and ginger soup. We both decided on the Beef Shortrib for our main course (I wasn't in the mood for salmon or chicken). It was a generous portion of meat with creamy mashed potatoes. Toffee pudding and Napoleon Mille-Feuille completed a very beautiful evening. It's too bad that a) I have so many night shifts thereby making it unable to attend more Dine Out restaurants and b) all the restaurants are so busy!

Freelance Writing

Aside from the bad drivers in Richmond, and the occasional "stuff" at work, I am happy. My dream has always been to write for money and right now that dream is starting to come true. The last month with Mahalo I made about $200, which is nothing spectacular but it's a start. The more I write the more I earn. The more people search for my tidbits the more I earn. It's something called SEO, which stands for Search Engine Optimization. I'm learning more and more about it. Currently my Vertical Manager, Jeff, has given me a lot of tasks on the Montreal Canadiens, what more can I ask for? I've tried not to write too biased an article on Jaroslav Halak. I was also part of the GoTeam last week, where we spend 8 hours cleaning up other pages. It paid $10/hr which is cool. I'm getting a lot of projects to do which is time-consuming but I'm doing something I love. I have a page on Marie Osmond, and even a page on Amy's favorite actor in the world, Daniel Henney. And believe it or not, they assigned me a page on Iams Pet Food, even though I've never had a pet in my life. It's great.