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.