Day 352: Quest to find Vietnamese sub

Wednesday was my girls nite out. It was an Asian theme. I decided that because I'm partially Vietnamese it would be a good idea to bring a Vietnamese dish. There was four of us. I decided on Vietnamese subs. I thought it is easily sharable. I was going to get four different flavours and cut them into four pieces. That way everyone gets to try all the flavours.

I thought it was easy. I just have to go to the store and wait a few minutes while they make my sandwiches. Well, it wasn't that easy. I went to Ba Le at Fraser and Kingsway because it was on my way home. I got in there and was deciding on which sandwiches to get. Right after I decided, the girl at the counter told me they are out of bread. I was floored. This has never happened to me before. A sandwich shop out of their essential ingredient?? I had to decide what to do because I was in a time crunch to get to my friend's house. There is another Ba Le shop in Chinatown. I got the phone number from the Fraser street location and called them. The phone kept on ringing and ringing. I thought they were just busy to pick up their phone. I decided because it wasn't that far away I would just go there. I drove by and saw their 'closed' sign. I pulled over and pulled ou my iphone and did a search for other places that would sell reasonably tasting subs. I got some ideas from a foodie forum. They listed Paris Bakery on Commercial Drive and Au Petit Cafe on Main St. I wasn't sure about the quality of sub from Paris Bakery and it was out of my way. So I didn't go there. I was on Main st already so I headed south to Au Petit Cafe. It is located at about 32nd and Main. I got a parking spot right in front of the restaurant. I peaked at their business hours sign. They are closed on Wednesdays. My last choice was Chong Lee Market on 22nd and Rupert. I have had subs there before and it's pretty good. I was thinking for some reason I couldn't get the subs there I can just get some Chinese take out. I got there and was looking at the sub menu. A lady said HI to me. I told her I wanted some subs. She said they were sold out. How can this be? Four different locations and I couldn't get any subs. It's either super busy for them because everyone wants Viet subs instead of leftover turkey or I have extremely bad luck. I guess no viet subs for us that night. I ended up getting some chow mein, chicken wings and honey garlic spare ribs.

Day 351: Christmas Hangover

Dec 25
During they day I did some house cleaning and relaxed a bit. We had a small family dinner with just a few cousins and an aunt and uncle. Of course being the non-traditional family, we had a Vietnamese noodle soup which has some veggies and beef. There was also some homemade spring rolls. For dessert we had some vanilla ice cream. With my ice cream, I added some chocolate syrup, blackberries and whipped cream.

Dec 26
I wanted to do some Boxing Day shopping. My first stop was to get a Ryan Kesler shirt for my friend in downtown. That store opened at 9am. I didn't want to lose out on getting a good deal on this shirt. I got there at about 9:30am and there wasn't anyone at the store so I didn't have much competition. My next destination was the Canucks store at Rogers Arena. They had a sale of 20-40% off everything in the store. I got a few things. I had to rest up for my big dinner.

The dinner was at my mom's cousins' house in Burnaby. They live in a nice large house so they can fit lots of people. This was an opportunity to see and spend some time with my second cousins. There was about 30+ people in attendance and about 10 of us were 'kids'. I arrived a bit late because my dad worked till 6:30pm and we didn't get there till about 7:15pm. Once we got there, some of my cousins were playing Funenglish. It is a new game and fun in a large group. I was so hungry when I got there. Luckily the food was ready and everyone there was ready to eat. There was so much food. It was all so delicious. There was spinach dip with garlic bread, green salad with a vinaigrette dressing, green bean salad, Vietnamese beef stew, sirloin steak, potato salad, ribs and fried shrimp. Of course, I had to save some space for dessert. I didn't get a chance to take pictures of main course, but I got my camera ready for the dessert.


The cake was from a bakery. My very talented aunt made some of the desserts. She made the cream puffs, creme caramel and the cheesecake. The fruit was good replenishment after some dancing.

My cousins and I spent our time together playing games. We played Funenglish, Taboo and, the highlight, was playing Kinect. One cousin brought his Xbox and his new Kinect. We played the dancing game (I don't know the exact name of the game). One cousin had to start us off by showing us to to play the game. Once he got going, some aunts and uncles joined in. It was fun watching 50-60 year old people dancing hip hop.


After two weeks of eating and 'celebrating Christmas', I'm suffering from a Christmas hangover. I have to listen to QMFM to get my Christmas fix. Now since I have attended my last Christmas party, there will be no more Christmas cookies and cakes. Next excuse for indulging in more food: new years eve!!

Day 350: Christmas Week

It has been a busy week for me.

Dec 17
My mom's company Christmas dinner. She retired this year. They also invite their retirees to come join them for Christmas dinner. Because my mom has worked there for almost 30 years, they gave her a special present as a reward for working there for so many years. I have been going to these dinners for many years. It's quite entertaining for little kids. But for someone my age, it's ok. It's more about the food for me. It's at a Chinese restaurant and it's a 12 course meal similar to wedding banquets.

Dec 18
My dinner at Phnom Phenh.
http://lisa-restaurants.blogspot.com/2010/12/phnom-penh.html

Dec 19
Christmas brunch at a friend's house. It was nice to see them again. I haven't seen in a few months. The brunch consists of pancakes, eggs, sausages, bacon and some fruit. There were many of their friends that I haven't met before. They had a gingerbread cookie building competition. It was really neat to see people's creations. There were lots of candy that you can use to decorate the gingerbread. One guy used a jelly bean to represent baby jesus. Another guy put two cookies together to make a race track. We stayed there for a few hours then went home to rest.

Dec 20
I got together with one group of friends for dinner. This dinner was about a month in the planning. There is 7 of us and it's hard to coordinate schedules. Dec 20 is a Monday and some of us has Mondays off. It was at one friend's house. We went over to make the dinner. It is fun to learn to cook together and eat together. For dinner we had a salad, mashed potatoes, green beans and a roast. It was so tasty!!

Dec 21
There is a group of friends who we get together every Christmas. This year we had our dinner at Boston Pizza and it was also pasta Tuesday. But I didn't feel like pasta. This dinner was also planned well in advance. I wouldn't think that I wouldn't be feeling like eating pasta that night. I had a whole rack of ribs with a side of veggies, garlic bread and a side salad. I didn't realized how hungry I was. After the rack of ribs, I was still hungry. But I didn't order anything after my meal. We had a small gift exchange after dinner.

Dec 22
I went to a birthday dinner. I was a small dinner. After dinner, we had some birthday cake.

Dec 23
We got invited to another Christmas dinner. The invite said 7 pm. We only know one couple there. We wanted to time it so when they arrive, we will be there too. We arrived a bit earlier than them. We got there about 7:30ish. The party wasn't really set up yet. Not everyone was there. It was supposed to be a potluck dinner. I was so hungry by the time I got there. We didn't start eating till a bit past 8pm. There was some Chinese take out, pizza, salad, pasta, mussels, some Phillipino dishes, fruit tarts and yule log. There was also a gift exchange. We had to leave early because we had to work early the next day.

Dec 24
It was a half work day for me. It was so easy to work a 4 hour shift. After work, I came home and took a nap. I woke up and had lunch. I went to dinner tonight. It was a simple dinner. Future Shop and Best Buy had their boxing day sale start tonight. I bought a few items. It took awhile because they site kept on crashing. Too many people are on these sites on Christmas eve ;)

Day 349: Phnom Penh

http://lisa-restaurants.blogspot.com/2010/12/phnom-penh.html

Day 348: "I Wish You Enough!"

(c) 2001 Bob Perks

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.
I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you enough "Hello's" to get you through the final "Goodbye."

Day 347: New Work Company Policy

http://lisasfunnies.blogspot.com/2010/12/new-work-company-policy.html

Day 346: Family Hot Pot

Tonight we had a family dinner. It was supposed to be a Christmas dinner. But we don't really celebrate Christmas and we don't eat turkey or ham. Christmas is another reason for our family to get together. We tried really hard to set a date as close to Christmas as possible. It was so difficult with so many people's schedule to work with. Tonight was the night that most of us can meet.

We have the non-traditional Christmas meal. We decide what to eat. It's not always the same meal every year. It's usually a variation of Chinese and Vietnamese food. Tonight was hot pot. There were veggies, which include bok choy and Chinese spinach. There was pork, beef, seafood, liver, tofu and tripe. There was so much food. I would put a little of each type of food in the hot pot and let it cook. A few minutes later the food was ready. We dipped it with a hoison sauce mix. My aunties mixed hoison sauce with some other sauces (I'm not sure what sauces they are). There is a system to cooking in the hot pot. I just thought I can just drop the variety of food in the pot and pick it up when it's ready. When I did that, my mom would be telling me that I did it all wrong. When the water boils, you can put in the veggies, but not with any meat. You have to take out all the veggies then put in the meat. The meat takes just a minute or two to cook. There is also vermicelli and you can eat it with the soup. After the meal, there usually is some type of fruit. Tonight it was pear and baby mandarin oranges. I love the baby mandarin oranges. It's so easy to peel and it's sweet. There was a few seeds in it, but that's ok.

Day 345: Van. Christmas Market / LTS

Sunday was a busy day for us. We started off at the Canucks store. If you used your mastercard that day, you got 15% off your purchases. I didn't find much that I wanted to buy. I bought some T-shirts for my cousin.

The second destination was the Vancouver Christmas Market. It is based on the Christmas Markets in Germany. It is located by the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on W. Georgia St by Canada Post, CBC and the main library in downtown. It was quite neat in there. All the stands are uniform and made from wood. It has a very cozy, intimate market atmosphere. There are stands that sell toys, clothing, Christmas ornaments and food.


There was a gazebo in the center of the market which is the stage with performers. While we were there, there was a group that played percussion instruments playing Christmas music. After them, there was trio of women singing acapella Christmas songs. It brought a vibrant energy to the market.


One item we tried was the "Brataepfel” (the stuffed baked apples, a traditional German Christmas dessert, served hot with vanilla). In the picture above was the man stuffing the apple before baking them. The one we had was stuffed with walnuts and raisins then topped with hot vanilla. It was quite good and sweet. It was the first time I tried something like that. I would eat it again.

We had a small snack and drink. We had a bratwurst. It was very expensive. It was $8 for a bratwurst. But it was filled with their special onion-like topping. It was good. It was getting a bit chilly and I wanted to drink something warm. We had the hot apple cider. It was tasty with the stick of cinnamon.



After eating the food and listening to the Christmas jingles, we spotted Mr and Mrs Gingerbread. I have never met them before and I was excited to meet them. They are so cute. They were at the kids tent taking pictures with them. I had to squish myself in for a picture with them. After the Christmas Market, we were early for our dinner. We decided to stroll downtown. There was the Woodwards window display we wanted to see and the Hyatt's Gingerbread competition.


Some of my friends and I went to the Hyatt Hotel lobby last year where they had the gingerbread house 'competition'. We walked by the Hyatt this year and decided to see if the competition this year. The competition had different divisions against different schools / organizations / groups. There were many schools that competed. They all did a fantastic job. Some of them paid so much attention to detail, it was pretty incredible. It was a very visually stimulating experience. You can donate some money to the Make a Wish foundation and vote for your favourite gingerbread 'house'.


The Woodwards window displays were scattered at a few different downtown locations. There are six all together. The first we saw was at the Vancouver Christmas Market. We were heading to Gastown for dinner. Our strategy was to see the ones at Bentall One and Bentall Three, BC Ferries Vacations, Canada Place then Woodwards last. The window displays were smaller than I expected. It was a lot of effort to see something so small. I think it would've looked better together.


Our last destination was the Long Table Series. They served roast beef, yorkshire pudding, mashed potatoes and carrots that night. Ummmm it was soooo delicious, as usual. There was a group of 5 of us. I finished my plate before everyone else. It is super rare that I finish my food before my friends. It has only happened twice and both times were at a Long Table Series dinner. I love going to the Long Table Series because the food is fantastic, the company is good (I usually bring some friends and usually meet some new ones at dinner) and it's cheap (it was $17 for the entree and beer). Of course, after dinner we ordered some dessert. We shared 3 desserts. It was the perfect amount of food for me.

Day 344: Fortune Sound Club

Dancer 1



Dancer 2

Day 343: ABC's of friendship

This is a test of the
Emergency Friendship System

.....a Friend does most
Or all of these...

(A)ccepts you as you are
(B)elieves in 'you'
(C)alls you just to say 'HI'
(D)oesn't give up on you

(E)nvisions the whole of you (even the unfinished parts)
(F)orgives your mistakes
(G)ives unconditionally
(H)elps you
(I)nvites you over

(J)ust 'be' with you
(K)eeps you close at heart
( L)oves you for who you are
(M)akes a difference in your life

(N)ever Judges
(O)ffers support
(P)icks you up
(Q)uiets your fears
(R)aises your spirits

(S)ays nice things about you
(T)ells you the truth when you need to hear it
(U)nderstands you
(V)alues you

(W)alks beside you
(X)-plains thing you don't understand
(Y)ells when you won't listen and
(Z)aps you back to reality

Day 342: A Christmas Story

'Twas the night before Christmas--Old Santa was pissed.
He cussed out the elves and threw down his list.
Miserable little brats, ungrateful little jerks.
I have a good mind to scrap the whole works!

I've busted my ass for damn near a year,
Instead of 'Thanks Santa'--what do I hear?
The old lady bitches cause I work late at night.
The elves want more money--The reindeer all fight.

Rudolph got drunk and goosed all the maids.
Donner is pregnant and Vixen has AIDS.
And just when I thought that things would get better
Those assholes from the IRS sent me a letter,
They say I owe taxes--if that ain't damn funny
Who the hell ever sent Santa Claus any money?

And the kids these days--they all are the pits
They want the impossible--Those mean little shits
I spent a whole year making wagons and sleds
Assembling dolls...Their arms, legs and heads
I made a ton of yo yo's--No request for them,
They want computers and robots...they think - I'm IBM!

Flying through the air...dodging the trees
Falling down chimneys and skinning my knees
I'm quitting this job there's just no enjoyment
I'll sit on my fat ass and draw unemployment.

There's no Christmas this year now you know the reason,
I found me a blonde. I'm going SOUTH for the season

Day 341: "It's a small world after all.."

They say that we are only separated by six degrees of separation.

The other night at my friend's birthday dinner I found two connections. There is my friend's friend who I see once in awhile. The last time I saw her was about 6 years ago. Since then she got married and got her masters degree abroad. She was talking about her husband and where he works. She told me he works at SFU in downtown as an event planner. She told me his name and his name sounds familiar. I deal with event planners and caterers around town. His name sounded familiar to me. She told me that the person who I deal with is her husband. What a small world!

My friend's cousin walked in and she brought her date for the night. When they walked in, I said hi to her and her date. I actually know her date. It was a bit awkward. I actually met him about 10 years ago during my clubbing days. We were acquaintances for many years. In 2006, we worked together at the casino. Last year, we dated for a short time. I guess some people get around..hahaha. Ok, that is quite mean. Oh well, it wasn't very nice of him to break up with me. Yes, he hurt me when he broke up with me. He wanted to be friends right away. But I was very bitter and hurt and didn't want to be friends with him. It would be a few months before I was civil to him. I chatted with him on MSN a few months ago. He was talking to me about who he was dating and I was talking to him about who I was dating. I saw him at one of the Canucks game when I was volunteering. We didn't talk much then. One of my supervisors was right there and he was kinda in a hurry to find his seat. At my friend's birthday we got a chance to talk for a few minutes. I asked him about the girl that he dated when we chatted on MSN. He told me they broke up. That's when I realized that my friend's cousin and him were in the early stages of dating. I got a chance to talk to her about my relationship with him. I guess it's up to her to decide if she wants to continue to date him.

Day 340: Santali Souvlaki House / Lucy's Eastside Diner

Lucy's Eastside Diner

http://lisa-restaurants.blogspot.com/2010/12/lucys-eastside-diner.html

Santali Souvlaki House

http://lisa-restaurants.blogspot.com/2010/12/santali-souvlaki-house.html

Day 339: A Real Friend Test

A simple friend, when visiting, acts like a guest. A real
friend opens your refrigerator and helps himself.

A simple friend has never seen you cry. A real friend
 has shoulders soggy from your tears.

A simple friend doesn't know your parents' first names.
A real friend has their phone numbers in his address book.

A simple friend brings a bottle of wine to your party.
A real friend comes early to help you cook and stays late
to help you clean.

A simple friend hates it when you call after he has gone
to bed. A real friend asks you why you took so long to call.

A simple friend seeks to talk with you about your problems.
A real friend seeks to help you with your problems.

A simple friend wonders about your romantic history.
A real friend could blackmail you with it.

A simple friend thinks the friendship is over when you have an
argument.  A real friend calls you after you had a fight.

A simple friend expects you to always be there for them.
A real friend expects to always be there for you!

Day 338: The Hormone Hostage / Santa's Reindeers

The Hormone Hostage

http://lisasfunnies.blogspot.com/2010/12/hormone-hostage.html

Santa's Reindeers

http://lisasfunnies.blogspot.com/2010/12/santas-reindeers.html

Day 337: My Secrets....at least some of them for now

This is one of those survey you ask your friends and ask them to send it back to you. So that's why some questions are in reference to that person.

1. First name - Lisa

2. Were you named after anyone? - not really

3. When did you last cry? - never fails when I watch Extreme Makeover: Home Edition...it's more heart wrenching then Oprah

4. Do you like your handwriting? - Yes, it's legible

5. What is your favourite lunch meat? - don't have one

6. What is your birth date? - the day I was actually born or the day my dad told the Canadian Government I was born? such a confusing question :P

7. What is your most embarrassing CD? - hmm not sure, I haven't seen my old CD's in years. I had my car broken in many times and they took my CD's, not sure which ones I have left.

8. If you were another person, would YOU be friends with you? - of course, I would be my own best friend..hahah

9. Do you have a journal? - does this blog count?

10. Do you use sarcasm a lot? - depends on who I'm with....If I like you, I will use it. That's how you can tell that you are my friend.

11. What are your nicknames? - not applicable..hahah

12. Would you bungee jump? - yes, do they still have the free bungee jump if you jump naked?? haha

13. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? - umm..i don't wear shoes with laces anymore. (I only have a pair of runners that has laces) I'm too lazy. They are slip ons or has velcro.

14. Do you think that you are strong? - emotionally or physically??? another tough questions...sometimes I just hate these questionnaires.

15. What is your favourite ice cream flavour? - mango, green tea (just to name a few), when can Ben and Jerry's or Haagen Daaz open up shop in Vancouver?

16. Shoe size - 8.5, I know I have big feet. I can't share shoes with anyone I know.

17. Red or pink? - red. I hate pink with a passion.

18. What is your least favourite thing about yourself? - hmmm....damn, stuck on this question

19. Who do you miss most? - my cousin and my friend. they left us too soon. :(...*cry cry*

20. Do you want everyone you send this to, to send it back? - yes!!!!

22. What colour pants and shoes are you wearing? -im wearing fuzzy slippers and my pj's.

23. What are you listening to right now? - the 11 o'clock news in the background

24. Last thing you ate? - delicious salad I made. It had lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, cheese, raisins and walnuts with french dressing.

25. If you were a crayon, what colour would you be? - does it matter? does certain color get used more??

26. What is the weather like right now? - no idea...I can't see thru the blinds, but I'm going to guess pretty cold outside.

27. Last person you talked to on the phone? - my friend Christina

28. The first thing you notice about the opposite sex? -hmmm...their style

29. Do you like the person who sent this to you? - not applicable

30. Favourite Drink? - pineapple juice, coconut juice in a coconut (like the ones you get at Thai restaurants)

31. Favourite Sport? - hmmm...don't have one

32. Eye Colour? - brown

33. Do you wear contacts? - yes

34. Favourite Food? - pho, I prefer the ones in restaurants. My parents don't make it the same as the restaurants. They usually don't like it when I eat it with bean sprouts and hoisin sauce. We are from North Vietnam. They don't usually eat it with the sprouts and hoisin sauce. Most pho restaurants are opened by South Vietnamese people and they eat it with the bean sprouts and the hoisin sauce.

35. Last Movie You Watched? - think District 9. I haven't watched a movie at the theatre in a long time.

36. Favourite Day of the Year? - don't have one

37. Scary Movies Or Happy Endings? - Happy Endings

38. Summer Or Winter? - summer. I can then wear my summer dresses.

39. Hugs OR Kisses? - hugs

40. What Is Your Favourite Dessert? - so many...so little time to share them

41. Living Arrangements? - basement

42. What's your favourite book? - not applicable...haha

43. What's On Your Mouse Pad? - don't use a mouse

44. What Did You Watch Last night on TV? - Glee

45. Favourite Smells? - hmmmmmm

46. Favourite Sounds? - not loud ones

47. Rolling Stones or Beatles? - beatles

48. What's the furthest you've been from home? - China

49. Do you have a special talent? - does talking too strangers count?? hahah..some may say it does...I want to be friends with those people. I talk to customers all day and it develops a special skill.

50. What is your ring tone? - the defaulted one..not too exciting..don't think i want to spend my time and money on changing my ring tone.

Day 336: Bunch of Sickos

I just checked and the last time I wrote about getting sick was about a year ago.

At my work, I work with 4 other co workers directly. One had to leave work early today because her son had a fever. Another co-worker wasn't feeling well. Another one had a headache. I had a sore throat today. My co workers son probably got something from his friends at school. Kids pass around germs very easily especially since they aren't conscious about always keeping themselves clean. I'm not sure how everyone will feel tomorrow. I hope they don't call in sick. It is better if they stay home if they are sick. If they are sick and at work, it is more likely they will pass the germs to everyone else. It's getting busier at work and we need all of them.

I hope this sore throat goes away tomorrow. It feels like a razor blade in my throat. I was drinking hot water and honey all day today to try to soothe my throat. I have some Chloraseptic that I can bring to work tomorrow. Can't I just help customers by emailing them or writing notes or something??

Day 335: "It's not all about me" weekend

Eventhough it was my bday earlier this weekend, I only celebrated it once (see Day 334 blog posting).

Sunday
I tried really hard to sleep in because I knew it would be a busy day. My first destination was a baby shower in Aldergrove. I have been friends with the husband for many years and I wanted to be there to celebrate the baby news. Of course, me being a Canucks fan, I gave them some really cute Canucks baby items. They are having a girl but the mother doesn't like too much pink items. All the baby girl items at the Canucks store were pink. There was also a yellow baby set but I didn't think it was as cute as the pink ones. I don't think she would mind having a few items that are pink. I bought them an onesies set which has 3 onesies: one is pink, one is grey and one is pink and grey. The other set I gave them has an onesie, a pair of booties and a bib. They all have a Canucks logo on them. It was a pretty typical baby shower. There were lots of appies. The baby's mother opened the presents before I had to go. There was a 50/50 draw. I don't think I won. I was there for a few hours before I had to go to my next destination.

My next destination was an engagement party in Delta. I didn't know it was an engagement party until I got there. It was an interesting party. It was a party of about 22 people made of the host family and their kids and their kids' inlaws families. (I hope that wasn't too confusing.) When I got invited to the party, they told me it was because they had a really large turkey and they needed help with it. I'm all about the food so of course I accepted the invited for a turkey dinner. It was a really good dinner. There was the turkey, mashed potatoes, salad, another veggie dish and bread. After the delicious meal, there was cake. It was a Chinese cake with fruit cocktail in the middle. Of course I had to stay for the cake. I was spoiled. Two days in a row of cake.

Monday
I thought I can find some deal because it was Cyber Monday. I couldn't find anything. It was a mini family dim sum outing. There my mom, one of my aunts and two of my cousins. We went to a small restaurant on 49th and Fraser. It is in the same complex as Starbucks. I have never heard of this restaurant before. None of us have been there before. It was almost full for a Monday afternoon. It was expensive for a small hole in the wall restaurant. The service wasn't every good. The food portion was good. But for that price I would go to a nicer restaurant with better service (eventhough the food portion would be a bit smaller). I like to go for the whole experience.

After dim sum, 4 out of 5 of us went to Metrotown. I need to get boots and to get ready for upcoming snowfall. We walked around and I am really picky on which boot I wanted. My aunt suggested Sears and we went in to see what they have. Luckily for me, there was 50% off on boots today. I found a pair of boots that is fairly attractive and has an attractive price. Yeah for me!

I thought because it is my bday it's a good excuse for us to go for dinner. I went out to dinner with my parents to Tom and Jerry's. Because my dad liked his steak alot from the last time we went there, he requested we go there again. We like to share our food. We ordered different entrees and shared them all. With our entrees, it comes with soup or salad. My mom ordered a veal cutlet with mashed potatoes and veggies and a soup. My dad ordered a New York steak with fries and veggies and a green salad. I ordered a salsbury steak with a baked potatoe and veggies and cesar salad. I was so full after my dinner.

Day 334: Bday at Delilah's

Tonight was my birthday party at Delilah's. It was a place I have wanted to try for a long time. It was a reality show Conviction Kitchen for awhile. Conviction Kitchen was about ex- convicts working in the restaurant industry (http://urbandiner.ca/2010/07/09/delilahs-conviction-kitchen/). Then now it changed back to Delilah's. Reservations were for 6pm. We left my place at 5:30 with the intention to be there at 6pm. I don't know what was happening but the roads were super busy and we arrived a tad bit late. About 1/3 of the people were late because of traffic and the lack of parking available. There were 25 of us and we were seated in 4 tables.

The food was ok. We ordered mussels and clams as an appetizer. We shared two entrees. On was the lamb t-bones served with veggies. The second entree was the 3-day brisket. I think the lamb and the brisket were too fatty. It felt like I was eating more fat than meat. The veggies were good. The food was affordable but of course you get what you pay for. They have a great martini menu.

The atmosphere was really nice. It didn't have many windows but it was dark so it didn't matter. It was a very comfortable setting. There was booths with comfortable seating. The chairs were like dining room upholstered chairs. The theme / look of the restaurant is deep dark woods and velvet. It's a bit dark in there but not as dark as a club.

The service was ok. The server was there to ask us for our drink order. They had people replenishing water. For each table, because we ordered at the same time, we received our food at the same time.

The best part of tonight was spending some time with my friends. There were some friends who I haven't seen in awhile. It was nice to catch up with everyone again. I guess with our busy lives sometimes our schedules just don'tjive too see each other more. Some friends I see once a month, some friends I see once every few months, some friends I see once a year. The separate tables worked well because I was able to go to each table and talk to them and focus on them. If it was one long table, I get easily distracted and won't be able to focus on my conversations with them.

Thank you for coming out everyone. I had a great time tonight :)

Day 333: Teachers

I really admire teachers. They endure so much for so little. I heard it's more about the passion of teaching.

There are teachers I remember and teachers I easily forgot. I remember my kindergarten teacher and my grade 4/5 teachers. I am not sure why I remember my kindergarten teacher. She was a very nice person. She was an old woman with curls. I remember my grade 4/5 teachers because he was also a musician. He played the accordion. He is the only person I know that plays the accordion.

I feel like a teacher these days. My mom has her own laptop. She uses email, Picasa and now Facebook. Since she had her computer, I have been her computer tutor. She has taken a few lessons at a local community center which teaches basic computer lessons. When she first got her computer, I didn't have much time to teach her. Things seemed easy for me. I didn't understand why it was so hard for her to understand. It's kinda hard to translate some items in Vietnamese. I just say it in English and hope she understands. I learned that I have to be patient. I have to do things step by step. I have to see if she understand each step before moving on to the next step. Once she understands, I can move on to the next item. The other day I had to teach my cousin how to use Facebook. I just taught her the basics, like uploading pictures and sending messages. Tonight I taught my mom how to upload pictures on Facebook. She knows about the wall and she reads what her friends are up to. I am offering to teach another friend how to build a website. She's using a site that I'm using so it will be easy for me.

Day 332: 19 Kids and Counting

Tonight after Glee, I ended up watching a few episodes of 19 Kids and Counting. I know it's not a show most people would watch. Its basically about the life of a family who has 19 kids.

This show is fascinating on so many levels. First, is that Michelle (the mom) delivered all 19 kids. I'm scared to have one kid, nevermind even thinking of having 19 kids. I don't know if any woman's body is made to have 19 kids. Second, they are all home schooled. I understand it is logistically challenging for them to drive some of them to different schools at different times of the day. It would be just a nightmare. They have to discipline all their kids to 'go to school' everyday. Thirdly, their income. I don't think they work. They probably have an income from TLC like Jon and Kate. I read that Jon and Kate made $75 000 per episode. How else would you be able to raise 19 kids? There is another family that just had their 18th kid, the Bates family.They also live in the US. They don't have a TLC show. I wonder how their income sustains their family. Fourth, their social life. There are some episodes where they integrate with other home school families and other large families. But what about when the kids are at a stage where they want to date? Because the kids don't go to school and interact with other kids, you seldom see if they have outside friends. Fifth, it brings up more social questions. Are they over populating ? What if there is no more TLC show, how will they get their income? Will all the Duggars of working age have to go to work? Will they have to depend on the government for money?

It would be interesting to see how long this show lasts. I have seen an episode when it was 15 and Counting. When will they stop having children?

Day 331: It's not my fault that I'm forgetful! (Friday night at the Caprice)

I know I am a few nights late on writing about my Friday night adventure. The last few nights was busy with volunteering at the Canucks game. But my adventure is crystal clear like it just happened yesterday.

Last week I decided to get my sister her birthday present before it is too late. I knew I would have to get it mailed to her. I decided to get it early to have it arrive to her before her birthday.

I got her this mat. I have spent some time with her family. Sometimes she just needs a reminder to gather these items before she leaves her house. Because she has two kids, there is a long checklist of items when she leaves the house. On Friday, when I was talking to my sister, she said the doormat arrived.

Friday night was my friend's fundraiser for his softball team at the Caprice. I bought a ticket and wanted to go to support his team. I was supposed to meet him at 9:30pm. Of course, I procrastinate a bit and was running late. I didn't get in front of the club till 10 pm. I called him to see where he was. He was just getting his coat checked. I was like cool, he was just about 10 steps ahead of me. I was going into my purse to get my ID. I then realized that I forgot my wallet at home. I was chocked. I felt I was smart enough to always remember my wallet. I drove to the club without drivers license. I thought people who forgot their ID's are ditsy. They know they are heading to a club how can they forget their ID? Now I felt I was one of these people. I called my friend to let him know that I forgot my ID. He asked what I was going to do. I told him not to worry because I would figure something out.

I called my dad to see if he can help bring my ID to me. He works in downtown so he is familiar with the streets downtown. I called him at 10pm. I told him to leave the house right away. He did. I was waiting at our designated spot and was trying to be as patient as possible. It was getting cold. It was drizzling and there was a forecast of snow that night. Lucky for me, I was under an awning. I was waiting by a bus stop. Some buses came and went. Everyone at the stop eventually got on a bus. It seemed so empty without people around me. Finally, my dad arrived. It seemed like forever and a day because it was so cold. I asked him to drive me to the Caprice. He asked me how long he took. I told him 30mins. He said that was pretty fast. He told me that halfway to downtown, he realized that he forgot his drivers license and had to drive back home to get it. I was laughing because I realized that maybe forgetfulness runs in the family!!!!

Day 330: Dragon's Den

I know this show has been on for a long time. I have heard people talk about this show but I have never watched it before. Maybe I just never spent this much time watching TV. I don't follow many shows or record them. I don't have a PVR or anything like that. I just watch whatever is on.

Tonight is the first time I watched Dragon's Den. It's quite interesting. There is a panel of investors also known as the Dragons. They are CEO's of their own companies and are wanting to invest their money in other businesses. Then there are the 'inventors'. They pitch their business ideas to the Dragons. The ideas could be a new idea that hasn't been marketed yet or something that has been in the market for awhile and they just need some injection of money to further their business.

On tonight's episode there was a older couple, from Vancouver, that was trying to get investors on board with their cereal product. They were an older couple which didn't seem like they have much life left. They looked kinda frumpy. Anyways, my superficial judgment aside, they presented their product and let the judges try for themselves. They had some cereal in small ziploc bags and some portions in a container with milk for the judges to try. The cereal looked like bird seed, it didn't look very tasty. The Dragons tried it and one made an offer right away. It was that good of a product. It is sold at Granville Island and I want to try some!

Another inventor was there to ask for money for her yoga clothing like. She wanted to compete with Lululemon. The Dragons asked her some financial questions. She has been in business in five years and hasn't broken even yet. She has been using her own money and family money. Her and her family have invested $750,000 into the business and it hasn't been making any money. I saw some of the items that she offered. There wasn't anything special about it. I don't think she would be able to compete with Lululemon. She didn't get any money from the Dragons.

Another investor was there to ask for money for his natural product line. All the products are made from natural products like olive oil, beeswax and cocoa. He bite one of his soaps and said if you can't eat the product, you shouldn't be using it on your skin. He used some product on one of the Dragons, of course the female one. He said the money would be used to pursue one of the marketing strategies; it is to have direct sales people and for them to sell it thru network marketing. The company has been around for 14 years and now wanting to expand their market. The Dragons liked the product and two of them made them an offer. He had to run the offer thru the president of the company, which was his wife. His wife declined the offer because it was too little for their 14 years of their blood, sweat and tears. He came back to the Dragons with a counteroffer. The Dragons didn't accept.

This is a great show to watch. I want to watch more episodes. It gives you a good idea of what ideas work and what investors are looking for.

Day 329: Vancouver...the best place to live?

I was talking to my friend tonight and we were talking about where we wanted to live. He said he wanted to stay here in Vancouver because it is the best place to live. I told him I wanted to live somewhere warm.

He listed the many reasons why Vancouver is the best place to live:

1) It is close to Whistler, named one of the best mountains in the world. It is a great place for snowboarding and skiing.

2) It has a low level of pollution. Because Vancouver is a relatively 'small' city, there isn't many vehicles to cause pollution.

3) Clean drinking water straight from the tap. He said there are only a handful of cities where it has safe drinking tap water.

4) Four distinct seasons. Some cities are really hot or really cold and no seasons in between.

I think because I have lived here for so many years, I didn't consider most of his points. I don't know how to ski or snowboard so I didn't think much about Whistler. I know some people may laugh that I live so close to mountains but I don't know. It's on my bucket list. I went to China a few years ago and it was really polluted. I know I would never want to live there. My sister lives in Southern California in the boonies and it's pretty unpolluted there. My friend said it is really polluted in LA, probably cause of the gazillion cars there. I never really consider the clean drinking water. I just turn on the tap here and drink the water. I thought everywhere was like that too. In California, my sister was always was giving me bottled water. I didn't realize that their water wasn't clean enough to drink straight from the tap. I thought I wanted to live somewhere warm, on the verge of hot, all the time. I may miss the autumn/fall colors of the trees. I may miss wearing different layers of clothing for the appropriate weather. Who knows? Maybe one day I may appreciate everything Vancouver has to offer and not want to move anywhere.

Day 328: Fundraisers...so many fundraisers

There are so many fundraisers out there. There are so many organizations needing money. But I have only so much money to distribute.

In the last two days, I gave money to three organizations. After work yesterday I went to Superstore. As I was leaving, there was a young guy outside selling chocolate covered almonds. I only buy chocolate covered almonds from fundraising organizations. They taste better than the bulk ones you buy inside Superstore. I totally forgot what organization he was with. He showed me the box and I was sold. I gave him the $3 for the organization.

Today in the afternoon I went shopping on Robson St. My friend wanted to go into Boys Co. At the cash register there was chocolate covered almonds. But it was different packaging then the one I bought from Superstore. They also had chocolate covered blueberries, chocolate covered nuts and fruit and chocolate covered cashews. So many choices, so little time. I ended up getting the chocolate covered fruit and nut. I decided that I had a box of chocolate covered almonds already and I wanted to try something different. I saw another man purchase a box before me. All he did was put his money in the envelope and took a box. I followed what he did. I was kinda nervous because it just felt like I was just leaving money in the envelope and who knows what would happen to the money. There was a sales person standing by me and she told me that there is someone from the breast cancer organization that comes by and collects the money. I just hope they do because I surely don't want the Boy's Co people to take the money.

Tonight I was watching TV and on my computer when the doorbell ran. I was expecting someone tonight and I thought it was my friend. I looked thru the window and it wasn't my friend. It was two young gals at my door. I opened it to see what they wanted. They were selling raffle tickets. They were from Killarney Secondary School and raising money for their dry grad next year. The girls also told me that their goal is to raise $1000 - $2000 for their dry grad. I live by Windermere, I am wondering what are Killarney students doing in my neighbourhood? Anyways, I forgot the whole list of prizes. But one of the item was a Luongo jersey. Once I heard that, I was ready to give them my money. Really, I didn't need another Luongo jersey, that's ok. I then asked them how many tickets where being sold. I think they said 5000. So, not so bad odds. I bought 3 tickets for $5. I just read the tickets and it said that the draw would be on Feb 14, 2011. Who sells tickets three months ahead of time?

Day 327: Ouisi Bistro

http://lisa-restaurants.blogspot.com/2010/11/ouisi-bistro.html

Day 326: Live by Chocolate - last class

Tonight was my last class at my chocolate class. It was only two classes and six hours long. The first class had 12 people. The second class only had 7 people. I think most of them forgot about the second class. That's ok, that means more chocolate for the rest of us. The teacher told us verbally about the outline of the class in the last class. This class he wrote the outline. It was much easier to understand what was happening.

He started class with a demo of the Chocolate Moka Eclair. Every time he makes something, he makes it looks so simple. The eclair starts with mixing some of the ingredients. Then you pipe them on a baking sheet and put it in the oven.




After it comes out of the oven, you cut them in half to let the steam out. While it's in the oven, you can make the whipped cream and put it in the fridge to keep it cool. Don't forget to melt the chocolate (It's the best part). Then you bake it some more. After it cools down, you put the whipped cream in the middle and drizzle the melted chocolate on the top.



The second dessert we made was the Chocolate Amaretto Biscotti. I never really thought about how people make biscotti. It's a double baked crispy chocolaty piece of bread drizzled with white chocolate. You mix the ingredients and then shape it into a loaf of bread. Then you bake it. After 25 minutes, you take it out and slice it. You lay the pieces on the baking tray, bake it some more. Then after about a few minutes, you flip them over so the other side bakes. After all the baking, you let it cool. You drizzle the white chocolate over the pieces after it has cooled down. If you do it when it is still warm, the drizzle just looks like mush.


The last dessert was the Chocolate Grand Marnier Souffles. I don't usually have souffles in restaurants so I wasn't sure what to expect. You mixed the ingredients together and bake them in a ramekin. After it is done, you sprinkle some icing sugar to make it look pretty. You have to eat it within a few minutes or else it will go flat.

After the three desserts, it was time to go home. I was walking in hallway and saw this sign. I'm so glad I don't go to Eric Hamber, they keep monsters in some of the classrooms :/

Day 325: Oprah interviews Katherine Jackson

Katherine Jackson is Michael Jackson's mother. Oprah also talked to Joe Jackson, MJ's father, and MJ's three kids. It is the first time MJ's kids did an interview since his passing last year. Last year, I couldn't stop watching all the channels showing his passing, biographies on him and his memorial service. I am sure there are many out there like me.

What is the fascination with Michael Jackson? I first heard him when I was a young girl. My dad bought his LP (do you remember what that is?). I thought he would be a singer that would be popular for a few years and disappear into the limelight. He sang and danced. I thought he was the coolest person ever. His music still plays today at various places. I think his music is classic. There still is an attempt for the largest amount of people dancing simultaneously to Thriller close to Halloween, of course. They don't call him the King of Pop for nothing.

As I got older, there seemed to be more publicity on him. It was not be for his music. It was on his plastic surgeries, his kids and his weird behaviors. When I heard about his passing, of course, I cried. I didn't even know him. I never met him before. It just seemed like a family member passed away. When Patrick Swayze passed away, I didn't shed a tear.

Before his passing, he was preparing for a concert in England. They were sold out shows. If I had the chance, I would go. Next year there is a Cirque de Soleil show coming to Vancouver which will be based on his music. The tickets went on sale a few days ago. I got tickets. This is the closest I will ever be to going to his concert. I'm really excited to go! I'm counting down the days already!

Katherine Jackson talked about how Michael was very self conscious of himself in his teenage years. He thought he was 'ugly'.A megastar still had very real issues. After his teenage years, he had some plastic surgeries done. I think plastic surgeries are a sign that you haven't accepted and appreciated what you are born with. It is a way to make you look like your 'ideal' appearance. I don't think everyone is accepting of all their features. As you grow older, you learn to accept them and maybe even use them to your full advantage. I have very full lips. My mom have always told me that it isn't considered 'pretty' or an 'ideal' set of lips. It is a very negative comment that she had instilled in my brain at a young age. I wasn't going to go and get plastic surgery on them. Angelina Jolie has very thick lips. I had to explain to my mom that having thick lips is considered pretty in this cutlure / society. Some women even have to pump injections in their lips to plump them up. So I have learned to accept my thick lips.

Day 324: Lovestruck Bridal Show

It's Sunday. I went to work. Just kidding. I didn't go to work. I was just visiting my co-workers who were working today. They weren't working in the office, they were on location at the Lovestruck Bridal Show (http://www.lovestruckbrides.com/) (sorry iphone users, the site uses Flash). One girl was only there till 2 pm and she was in a wedding dress. The wedding dress was borrowed from one of the suppliers of the fashion show. She looked absolutely beautiful in the wedding dress. I wanted to see her in the wedding dress. I made it there at about 1:30pm and saw her last few moments in the dress. The dress was worth $1500.

Lovestruck is one of the many bridal shows around. There are large shows and small shows. Some small shows market themselves as specialty shows. Lovestruck was located in Vancouver Club. It is newly renovated and looks beautiful. They added a wine room and a lounge. For the bridal show, the Vancouver Club was transformed by lots of white organza / white material on the walls to soften the look. There was a fashion show at 1pm and 4:45pm. There were lots of wedding related vendors. There were photographers, videographers, makeup artists, venues, cake suppliers and, of course, bridal dress suppliers. They were located on three floors. For brides, there was a gift pack with makeup items and special coupons.

There are so many suppliers to choose from. If I was a bride, I would be thoroughly confused. Of course there are wedding planners to help you weave thru the maze of suppliers. But there are many of those also. Lovestruck was a small show so there are fewer more select vendors. The idea is to help the bride decide on the suppliers because there is a smaller selection.

I was there to visit my co workers and to see what is new out there. The picture above is of our table display. I walked around to see the vendors. There is not too much new. I didn't get a chance to watch the fashion show.

Day 323: 100 Days

http://lisa-restaurants.blogspot.com/2010/11/100-days.html

Day 322: Live by Chocolate

My 'Live by Chocolate' class was held at Eric Hamber Secondary School. I have never been here before. I should've allocated more time to get to class. It was so confusing for me. Usually the office is also the night school office and there is also a small concession stand there. I thought it would be like Tech where you walk in the main entrance and you find the office easily. I got to the first floor and I didn't see the concession stand. I saw an engineer and he told me that the office was on the second floor. After I found the office, I found my class room number. It was on the first floor! I hurried to class because I was already 10 minutes late.

When I walked in class, the teacher was already talking. He was talking about the different types of chocolate and where to get them. He was a tall, big Chinese man who has been a VSB teacher since 1981. He has a very thick Chinese accent and I had to listen carefully to what he was saying. After an hour into class, we already were making some chocolate desserts.

He showed us how to make Raspberry Chambord Ganache Gateau. He makes it seems so easy. There was two tables of 6 people. We split up into 3 groups. Each group made a different chocolate dessert. One group made the White Chocolate Cointreau Truffles. Another group made the Toblerone Chocolate Mousse. My group did the easiest dish, Swiss Chocolate Fondue. The groups who made the mousse and the truffles started first. We sat there for most of the time and watched. There was a main theme in all the desserts: it was about mostly melting the chocolate. These desserts weren't difficult to make. When we finished, we had a piece of every dessert we made. I had some mousse and didn't even finish the whole thing. Too much sugar for one night! I brought some fondue and fruits, some truffles and a piece of cake. Tonight was the first class out of two classes. The next class is next week. After 6 hours of classes, we will be able to make so many chocolate desserts.

Day 321: I finally got the courage to talk to a famous person...

He's not an A list celebrity. He doesn't act or sing or dance. He's a politician. Maybe I shouldn't say that because people aren't fond of politicians these days. Not everyone knows him but he's quite famous in my eyes.

When I was in Chicago, I saw Vince Vaughn at a restaurant. I never talked to him or took a picture with him. I regretted not doing that. I felt like a chicken. But it taught me a lesson. It taught me to not be so tongue tied around famous people.

A few weeks ago I saw the Honourable Larry Campbell. It was at a Canucks home game when I was volunteering. I didn't recognize him. I said something to him about how he was chosen to pick the winning ticket. I forgot what his answer was. After I talked to him, I was talking to my fellow volunteers and they told me that he was the mayor of Vancouver and he is in the senate now.

Tonight I saw the Honourable Larry Campbell again. This time I wasn't so tongue tied. I had a conversation with him. I did say some things that made me sound stupid but that's ok, at least I talked to him. I asked him what his favourite job was. He said being a coroner. Then I remembered that Da Vinci's Inquest was based on his life. We also talked about the Canucks charities and I found out that he is on the board of the Canuck charities. Then I asked him what other charities he's involved with. He is on so many of them that I don't know where he has the time to do everything. He travels between Vancouver and Ottawa. He is a very nice man. Not everyone recognized him. There was one point where a couple were walking by and pointing at him. I think they were the ones that recognized him but was too shy to talk to him.

In case you forgot who Larry Campbell is, here is reminder: http://www.larrycampbell.ca/biography.shtml

Day 320: Dylan and Yuri's Wedding

This weekend I was in Seattle to attend a wedding. It was a family friend's wedding. My mom is friends with the groom's parents. I have known the groom since I was a little girl. It was really nice to attend this celebration and share this special day with them. It is my first time meeting the bride and she seems like a really fun person.

My mom and I arrived on Saturday morning. It is Chinese custom to have a tea ceremony. It was at the groom's house only. The bride is Japanese and they didn't hold a tea ceremony at her place. The tea ceremony is only for family members. We just hung out till that was finished. In the afternoon we headed to the wedding venue which is an hour away from Seattle. It is called Lake Wilderness Lodge in Maple Valley (http://www.ci.maple-valley.wa.us/index.aspx?page=107).

The wedding ceremony was held upstairs. The groom's father passed away 10 months ago and there were many acknowledgments to him. They wrote their own vows. When the bride was reading her vow it had reference to the groom's father and I'm sure many people teared up. After the ceremony, everyone was directed downstairs for a cocktail hour. While everyone was downstairs, there were people upstairs rearranging the setup for the reception. Cocktail hour lasted about an hour. People were mingling and taking pictures with the bride and groom. The was an open bar and some appies.


The reception was pretty good. The buffet food was a mixture of Chinese food and Japanese food. I heard someone from the bride's side owns a Japanese restaurant and they were they one that brought the sashimi. It was a beautiful presentation of sashimi (as seen in the pictures). I have never seen sashimi at a wedding before and was pleasantly surprised. Another item that I have never had at a wedding is Peking duck. They had two servers preparing the item. The one server took the bun and put some Hoisin sauce and a piece of onion on it. The other server put the piece of duck in it. It was pretty good. They called tables in numerical order to get food from the buffet. There were 25 tables and I was table 21. By the time I went to the buffet, there was no more sashimi. I was so sad and disappointed. I was really looking forward to tasting the sashimi.


After dinner, they had some entertainment. They played the slideshow. They had speeches. The grooms cousins had a special presentation from the bride and the groom. They had a special dance number for them (video to be uploaded soon). Then the dancing started downstairs. I was upstairs at my table and I was talking to people at my table. It seemed like a wild party on the dance floor. The night ended quite early for me at about 10ish. It takes an hour to get back to Seattle and my ride needed to get home.

Day 319: "I don't get any."

If a family member did something you didn't really like, what do you do? Do you tell them? Do you just move on as if nothing happened? What if an aunt or uncle gave all your cousins a gift but nothing for you? Wouldn't you wonder what you did wrong? Why you were left out? Would you act differently around them because you feel resentment against them?

Day 318: The Restaurant Experience

The other night we went to The Keg by Costco by Still Creek. We had some steak. It was a Keg that we haven't been to before. It was really nice inside. It is very modern with lots of dark woods. It was very dark inside. Of course I took some pictures of my food. When I viewed the picture, that was when I saw how delicious my food was. The service was really good. He was very attentive and always refilling our water. We shared a prime rib and a teriyaki steak. The prime rib was served with mashed potatoes and vegetables. The steak was served with yam fries and vegetables. I had a tea. With tax and tip, my bill came to $87. I was very surprised on how quickly that added up. It was for two entrees and a tea and tax and tip. The price was quite high but it was a lovely experience.


Last night we went to Koon Bo on 41st and Fraser. My mom had a recommendation from her friend that they serve good quail and peking duck. We made a reservation for 6:30 but we were a bit late. We arrived and it was quite busy. All the tables were full. The tables were squished together. It was kinda cluster-phobic. There were only 3 servers for the whole restaurant. In turn, our service sucked. My dad had to go to the counter to get us more napkins. We had to put our empty plates on an empty table beside us. They didn't come to our table frequently to collect the empty plates. We ordered the three course peking duck which came with the skin and the wrap, the meat stir fried and the bones in a soup. My parents also ordered some fried rice, veggies and the quail. The restaurant was filled with noise from people talking. It was too much for me. It gave me a headache. I thought the food was ok. But I think it was effected by my whole experience. If the atmosphere and company is good, my food is good. But if the atmosphere is disturbing or too noisy, it seems like the food isn't as good.

Day 317: Luke Skywalker

My cousin Luke has twins that just came home from the hospital. Tomorrow my sisters family and my family are going to visit them. My cousin Luke and his wife are Chinese.

I was eating a snack with my niece tonight. I was mentioning to her that we are going to visit Uncle Luke tomorrow. She had this weird face and wasn't sure what his name was. I had to spell his name out to her. Then I said it's like Luke Skywalker. (She is very into watching Star Wars and knows her characters.) She looks at me with this wide eyed face and said 'he's white?' I said no he's not white but he only has the same first name.

I had to giggle because she says the cutest things sometimes.

Day 316: Koko's

Their mom was going out for dinner and I wanted to take them somewhere they haven't been before. The other night I took them to Crash Crawly's and I wanted to take them somewhere similar. I read on a site where this lady rated all the indoor activity centers. She rated Koko's a 9 out of 10. She only rated Crash Crawly's 5 out of 10. I thought if she rated it a 9 it must be a pretty good place. The price is about the same as Crash Crawly's. We walked in and they already noticed that Crash Crawly's was better. It was ok they made the most of their time here. It was located in Port Moody. It is really close to the Golden Spike Pub. Going to Port Moody wasn't fun in rush hour. We tried to get there as soon as we can so the kids can play longer. It was only opened till 8 pm. Through out the night they had to remind me that Crash Crawly's was better. We took some pictures and had some chicken strips with fries.

After Koko's, we went to White Spot for dinner. It was getting late for the kids but I wanted them to try the Pirate Packs. They enjoyed it. It was a lot of food for them. I had to help my nephew finish off his ice cream. It wasn't that hard to convince me to eat ice cream. When I got home, my sister told me she was taking the kids to meet her friend for lunch tomorrow and they are going to White Spot. Her friend mentioned that they have Pirate Packs for the kids. The kids will enjoy having Pirate Packs two days in a row.

Day 315: Richmond Oval / Rocky Mountain Flatbread

There was a park that my sister wanted to take the kids to in Richmond last year. Because she didn't take them last year, she wanted to take them this year. She forgot the name of the park. We tried to look for the name online and from her emails. We couldn't find it.

We decided to head to Richmond to try to find the park. Because we were heading to Richmond, we decided to eat dim sum there also. We went to Gingeri Restaurant in Landsdowne Mall. It is good for dim sum. My niece loved the deep fried squid. It came as a surprise to me that my little nephew loved chicken feet. He just took the feet and used his hands to eat it. He ate almost the whole dish.

After dim sum we walked around the mall. My niece (like her wonderful aunt) wanted some bubble tea. In the middle of the mall was a mini train with a Halloween theme. The kids went on the train. Beside the train was a merry go round. My niece wanted to go on it and wanted me to join her. Man, I'm so weak. Just going in circles a few times made me dizzy and nauseous.

My parents suggested going to the Richmond Oval. I have never been there before. I wanted to go. We went there and took lots of pictures. We only paid parking for an hour so we only spent an hour there. On the way to the Richmond Oval, there was a playground by the UBC Boathouse. It was shaped like a boat. The kids loved it there. There was a slide. The climbed up and slide down, up and down, up and down. They did that for almost an hour. It was time to head to dinner.

We went to the Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co. in Kitsilano. We went there last year. On Sunday and Monday nights the kids get to make their own pizza. My brother in law has two sisters and they have a few kids. We met with them for dinner and my brother in law's dad. It was fun for the kids. We ordered 3 large pizzas for the adults. It was $23 each for a large pizza. I think it is a bit expensive. We ordered a meat lover's pizza which was too spicey for me. I really like the BBQ pulled pork pizza. The third pizza was good. It was a chicken with tomato and spinach.

It doesn't seem like a busy day. By the time we got home at about 8ish, I was pooped. I was ready for bed. But my sister had to make some phone calls, so I had to give the kids a bath. Wow! I have never seen kids so eager to take a bath. When the water wasn't ready yet, they took off their clothes and were ready to jump in. I got my nephew some figurine from Cars which changes colour in different temperature water. It's the coolest thing! They loved playing with the color changing cars. We have glass shower doors. The kids have sponges and they just played 'window cleaners'. They just loved cleaning my glass shower doors. I was happy with that because then I didn't have to clean them myself. It was a struggle today because they were loud and restless. Nevertheless, we got them bathed and dried and ready for bed. Now it's my turn to head to bed.

Day 314: Family Tree

I originally was planning a get together with my second cousins on my mom's side in the summer. I thought it would be nice to just hang out at the beach and let the young kids play outside. The whole idea is to meet outside of weddings and funerals. Then we get a chance to talk. I found out my sister was going to be in town in October. I decided to postpone the get together till October. I thought it would be nice for her to meet with the cousins as well.

A few weeks ago I mentioned to my mom that I was thinking of doing a family tree for the get together. She thought that was a great idea. I was thinking it would be easy to just put the names and pictures of people and that was it. It was more complicated than I expected. My mom's relatives have a Chinese name and a Vietnamese name. First she wanted to put their Vietnamese names. Then she was thinking of using their Chinese names. Both was difficult because it was about translating into English. Finally my mom decided to use their English name, if they had one. I am really lucky that my mom knows most of her aunts and uncles names.

The family tree is on one of our walls. The other challenge is to make sure we had enough space to put everyone's name. My Grandmother from my mom's side had 10 siblings. Some siblings didn't get married and didn't have any children. Two siblings got married, divorced and is remarried. The ones that had children had 4-6 kids. Those kids now have kids and some of those kids have kids. I tried to include some pictures to make it more interesting. Some cousins sent me recent family photos. Other cousins I just found some pictures on Facebook. Luckily I had space for everyone. Luckily some of my cousins are on Facebook. It made it easier to connect with them.

I think most of my cousins enjoyed learning about their family history. Some cousins didn't know how we are related. But since they saw the tree, they know now! I know most of the significant others didn't know about the linage. It is overwhelming and can be hard to digest.

Day 313: WHY GOD MADE MOMS

http://lisasfunnies.blogspot.com/2010/10/why-god-made-moms.html

Day 312: Crash Crawly's

I have seen this building many times when I drive by the No 1 Hwy in Coquitlam when I used to work in Coquitlam. Today at work I asked my co-worker, who has kids, more about it. She said it is a fun place to take the kids. I was really excited because I have never been there before and I thought the kids would like it.

We got there about 6:45pm and it closed at 8pm. It was more than enough time for them to run around and play. It was a really neat place for the kids. It is kinda like a large jungle gym. There are tubes where you can slide down and tubes where you have to climb up. This equipment is made for kids, not adults. I had to crawl most of the time. Some areas where the kids can stand up, I still have to bend down. My knees are a bit bruised from crawling so much. There are several ball pits (kinda like the ones in McD's and Ikea). I was allowed to go climb with the kids around the jungle gym. There was a tube where it was dark and we were a bit scared to slide down. Yes, being the whissy that I am, I did scream. In the far corner at the top there were air guns. You load it with a foam ball, pushed the button and aim! They kids loved it there. I think they spent the most time there. My niece aimed at me a few times and hit me with the foam balls. I'm glad they didn't hurt or else I would be all bruised up.

I can really feel my age when the kids are running around and wanting me to chase after them and I'm getting tired. My 7 year old niece was the leader. She decided which direction to go. My 4 year old nephew followed her. I went last to assist my nephew if he needed a push up or helped carry him down. By the end of the night, I was tired and ready for bed. But our night wasn't over yet. We got some pizza and bubble tea to end the night.