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