Generally speaking, I avoid going to Yaletown simply because I am not able to afford the rental prices and it pains me to see the beautiful buildings where I can’t really live (just kidding, hehehe – truth is, I am an East Van boy at heart). So anyway, M called me tonight and asked me whether I’d want to go out for sushi. Not one to refuse an invitation for Japanese food, I said “for sure”. So off we went.
M had praised Kaide for their sushi but I hadn’t really had a chance to go there. So off we went, in the rain and cold. But our bravery was well rewarded. Kaide’s sushi is, by and large, one of the best I’ve had in years. And it’s not really all that expensive, despite its Yaletown location.
We had edamame, a few dynamite rolls, spicy tuna and kaide rolls (both vegetarian and non-vegetarian). The food here is simply amazing. And the service was very nice too. M had been here before, but I hadn’t and I am glad she invited me. The spicy tuna is enough for two people and can make you become addicted to this dish.
Funny how it goes, I was going to write a blog post commenting on M’s sense of loyalty, so I warned her before “don’t be mad at me if I say sappy things on my blog“. But it’s true. There are many qualities to her, but M’s sense of loyalty is uncanny. Every time we hang out, I am reminded of the time when she had to deliver a report and stayed up for over 36 hours. She wasn’t being paid all that time, but she did it because she felt the responsibility. She is fiercely protective of her friends and has a lovely and sarcastic sense of humor. Which is quite alright by me 🙂
One time, she felt so ill and sick she couldn’t really drive me home from Commercial Drive, and she was like “you’re my friend, I should be able to drive you”. But she was really sick that time and I said “no, drop me off here and go home NOW”. When I first moved back to Vancouver, she basically drove me around to pick up furniture, see places for rental, etc. And again, I think that’s one of the things I admire most of her: how loyal she can be with her friends, family, work. For this and many more things, thank you 🙂
This weather makes me almost kind of depressed. Some people attribute that to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) [no pun intended]. However, it does bring some sad memories. Although yesterday was sunny and cold, and I was always on the go (meeting at 2.30pm, hair appointment at 5pm, writing a letter, submitting a package), I still feel somewhat nostalgic.
It’s probably the fact that this weather reminds me of the first few months when I moved to Vancouver. I wasn’t ready for this kind of climate, and I felt lonely and cold. I am not alone at all, so that would be unfair to say, but I do still dislike cold temperatures. And as I have said, this year I am better prepared than I’ve ever been before (I have rain gear, scarves, gloves, the whole nine yards).
L and I were making a commentary that some memories seem to be engraved in our souls, and they never go away. It was around this time (a few years ago) when I learned that my ex had cheated on me, so I guess I don’t forget that either. At any rate, the best revenge is to live well, and I have the life I have always wanted, I really live a very good life. For that, I am very grateful.
I have lived in this city for over a decade (actually 11 years come to think about it). During this period (specifically in 2001), I had to endure (and survive) a bus drivers’ strike that completely screwed my personal, academic and professional life. I spent hundreds of dollars in cab rides, my social life was reduced to nil and my school suffered, all because of the inability of transit authorities and bus drivers’ unions to settle on time. It seems to me as though everybody has forgotten about this strike, hence the title of my post.
During the bus drivers’ strike, I repeatedly asked everyone who wanted to listen “why hasn’t the government settled this strike?” — I had very little idea of how strikes were supposed to settle (yeah, both parties agree on a common goal and then proceed to write a deal and the strike ends — at least, this is in theory).
Many businesses and people suffered. Jobs were lost, revenues were not earned, wages not collected and a lot of people suffered irreparable damages to their personal, professional and academic lives, just as I have. The exact same year, while the bus strike lasted over 123 days, the health professionals (specifically, nurses) went on strike. Their strike was not long, though. Less than four weeks into the strike, the B.C. government legislated the nurses back to work.
Now, I am by no means suggesting that the B.C. government should legislate the civic striking workers back to work. I repeat – I am not in favor of the B.C. government implementing back-to-work legislation. There is one thing I am puzzled by, though – why was it that nurses were deemed an essential service and thus legislated back to work, while transportation services were not? And again, I am not saying that this is the best way to go. But someone needs to be providing essential public services (the government) and this is not happening. Right now, trash is piling everywhere (and I continue to read stupid lame reports that ‘there are no health risks‘ – what are these people thinking?) and nobody is doing anything.
The thing that bothers me is that somehow these strikes continue to happen, and that affected people are somehow adapting and coping and either refuse or avoid taking action. Or is it that this is our way of taking action? Just shut up and not do anything? Honestly, what have we done to end this strike? What can be done, realistically?
Once the 2001 transit strike was over, we were given three days — yes you heard right — three full days!!! of free bus rides, I am assuming to somehow compensate for having to endure this stupidly lengthy strike. I wonder what the City of Vancouver, or the union, or both, are going to offer in compensation for having to put up with piling garbage.
If citizens’ votes are the currency of governments at every level (municipal, provincial and federal), wouldn’t shifts in electoral voting be a powerful punishment for having done a lousy job at providing public services and governing? Citizens have a voice, and that voice goes beyond a vote in an election. But electoral votes are powerful still.
Something should be done, and this civic strike should not be forgotten. There must be a lesson here for future governments about what not to do. And, hopefully, when voting and choosing governments, Vancouverites, British Columbians and Canadians will not have a severe case of amnesia.
PS – I don’t like the empty promises such as “we hope to end the strike by Labor Day weekend” or “we hope to end the strike as soon as the Thanksgiving weekend“. I mean, what do you think, that we are thinking positive thoughts and associating them to the specific statutory holiday “oh geez, we’re going to have garbage collection again after Thanksgiving – yay!“. No, we are not. We are upset that things have gotten this far. Three months without garbage collection. Wow, unbelievable for a city that ranks so high in the ‘livability’ scores. What does this strike say to the world in regards to our ability to be civil and negotiate and settle labour agreements? Yes, you are right: it says very bad things.
I have always liked Bif Naked’s music, and since my blog tends to be Vancouver-centric, it’s just fitting that I write about her wedding (which happened just recently). Her Wikipedia entry indicates that although she was born in New Delhi, she was raised in Vancouver. She married The Vancouver Sun’s Ian Walker (a sports reporter according to the Sun’s website) on September 29th, 2007.
Now, I saw the photo gallery on the Sun website, and I don’t know what you guys think but her facial expression is somewhat shy and even a tad self-conscious. She looks overjoyed and happy (quite obviously) but I wonder if she was a bit self-conscious of all the attention (had I remembered when she was getting married, I probably would’ve just showed up — judging by the pictures the wedding must have been beautiful).
One of the songs I like the most of Bif Naked is “My Whole Life”. I have not been able to find the song either on iTunes (I must not be looking the right way) or a full video on YouTube, so this will have to do. And again, even though I’ve never met her in person, congratulations to her and her husband!
I will itemize this post because I don’t want to waste my reader’s time 🙂 so without further ado:
I will be doing a lot of Spoonbacks (that means, I am linking my restaurant reviews to Urban Spoon) in the next few days. I still haven’t found out how to include the gadget unless I edit each post individually. I find that Urban Spoon is a useful resource to concentrate information on local restaurants, bars and coffee shops. However, my continuous update of my blog posts may screw your RSS feed, though, since when I update on Blogspot, sometimes a few RSS readers will pick it up as though it is a recent post when it is an old post. Sorry about the inconvenience.
I haven’t seen any of the movies of the Vancouver International Film Festival. However, Jark at Beyond Robson has a whole series of reviews, so mosey over there if you want to learn more about these movies. I may show up to one and possibly two movies, but don’t think this will happen before next week.
I have been trying to do an interview on sustainable restaurants, I just haven’t gotten around to it because I’ve been swamped with work.
I hate this weather. I simply hate it. And this year I am the best prepared I have ever been in a decade in Vancouver. I have enough rain gear, boots, jackets, everything. I have even ran in the rain (and didn’t freak out). But I just hate the cold and the weather.
I had been meaning to come have a coffee at Lugz, not only because Jark (the owner of Lugz) is also a blogosphere friend and I had been meaning to introduce myself “irl” (that’s how we say in real life – I just learned this acronym from my very good friend Nomade Moderne), but also because I live in this neighborhood so I feel that I should know all my local coffee shops. So, as I was walking home from work today I decided to stop by, say hi to Jark and have a coffee. Very good decision on my part.
First off, Lugz only serves ethical coffee (fair-trade). Second, they serve cinnamon rolls (from a local pastry shop that I pass every day on my way to work and I always forget the name — J used to stop there occasionally to buy me a cinnamon roll on his way to pick me up and I can’t recall the name for the life of me). Third, Lugz provides a very comfortable atmosphere to have a coffee and relax. Fourth, Lugz has a broad range of food items to satisfy your hunger. And fifth, free wireless internet.
You have no portable computer to use their free wireless? Not to worry. Lugz offers terminals for use. And the relaxed, open space concept really invites you to just grab a nice coffee or tea, sit down, relax, read the paper (or bring your laptop and do some work — which I can’t do at the moment since my laptop decided to stop functioning last week).
I think that at some point in my life, I did stop by Lugz but it must have been briefly and only to send an email, but now that I took the time to stop by and have a cinnamon roll and a coffee, I know that I will come back often. All in all, Lugz is a great coffee shop, and I’ll be swinging by often from now onwards.
Oh and for those of you who don’t know of Jark’s other passion (writing), he’s one of the main editors at Beyond Robson 🙂 — just so you know…
Whenever I read some Vancouver-based blogs, I am often reminded of family (see my post below on Brothers and Sisters). My Mom reads my blog very rarely (mainly because I write in English and she hates to have to read some of my stuff in English – ask her to read in Spanish and she’s a voracious reader). When she does, she likes my writing, apparently (she loved her Mother’s Day post). But in general, she won’t read my blog unless I ask her to. However, I often read Miss604’s mom commenting on Rebecca’s blog (under the cool pseudonym Mom604). Her Mom-in-law does that too. I find this immensely cool.
Now, the thing is – there are numerous other reasons why I think my Mom is super cool.
Mom is a political scientist and a professor. This, in and of itself, makes her cool to me. I can discuss world affairs with her and she always has a very unique view of the world. Her insights are always very valuable.
Mom is an amazing cook. Her Mole con Pollo is by and large the best I’ve ever had. She taught me how to cook meatloaf this year (and she loves my curry chicken with basmati rice, so I must have learned something).
Mom is fearless. And by this, I mean she is never afraid to take on challenges. She raised her kids and then decided she wanted a PhD in political science. So she packed her bags, left her beautiful house and she moved to a foreign country all by her lonesome for a few years. And she succeeded! How cool is that?
Mom is never afraid to speak the truth and to be forthright. Her and I are excellent friends. We always speak directly, no-holds barred. We had a heart-to-heart a few nights ago which left me thinking about all the things I need to improve.
Mom is the most loving and caring individual I have ever met. She sacrificed her career and her well-being many times to take us where we are right now. I wouldn’t be who I am if it wasn’t for her.
Today is definitely not Mother’s Day, but whenever I read blogs where cool Moms write comments I am always reminded of my own uber-cool Mom. Gracias por todo, Mom.
So I’ve just recently been perusing Darren’s blog (Timing and Delivery). Funny how it goes, I was about to write a blog post about the great service I’ve received in this city. So I’m going to send you over to his blog (it’s quite entertaining and well-written) and then come back to mine for a quick list of the best service I’ve received in Vancouver (food-wise). In no particular order. Some of the servers’ names I have tried to anonymize because I am not sure if they’d be happy to be mentioned by name.
* K at The Cascade Room – she was unbelievable. Prompt, friendly, super fast. At one point she said “my only concern is that you guys have a great time”. Ten stars out of ten. Nine stars to the hostess who was so friendly and sweet. * All the servers at Sodas’ Diner – You know exactly how I like my bacon and cheese burger without cheddar but with mushrooms. Yeah, you rock my world. Ten stars out of ten. * The servers at The Cat’s Meow – Admittedly, I fell out of love for this restaurant, but the service was always top-notch. Can you believe one of the waitresses said to me “oh your scrambled eggs got cold – I’ll just have the kitchen whip up new ones for you”. Amazing! Nine stars out of ten. * The staff at Cafe Barney on Granville Street – Everyone here is so friendly, and they spoil me rotten every time I show up for dinner. Eight stars out of ten. * The cook, servers and host of Crave on Main – The best brunch in town hands down. Although we sometimes need to wait a bit in line, we always get the best value and service. Eight stars out of ten. * Lisa, Vinetta and the staff at Rhizome – They have created one of the friendliest atmospheres in the Main Street – East Vancouver – Mount Pleasant area, and their chilaquiles are to-die-for. Nine stars out of ten. * The Gwyneth-Paltrow look-alike at The Whip on Main and 6th – She is gorgeous, she is friendly and she is always on-the-ball. She made my visit to The Whip twice as pleasant (I was there with S and A, which was awesome in the first place) * The owners of the Red Sea Cafe – I am a loyal customer of this Fraser and Broadway restaurant, and one time I was SO pressed for time, J and I just showed up and said “we need food, we need it fast and we need the bill ASAP”. We got in, ate amazing yedoro wot and ocra and proceeded to head out to the movies. It took less than 45 minutes altogether. Their food is amazing and they’re super sweet. Ten stars out of ten. * The cook and waitresses at Cafe Luxy – Eat lots of good pasta and amazing desserts. Be provided with amazing service. Repeat as often as needed. Eight stars out of ten. * The owner, cook and staff of Water Street Cafe – My favorite Italian food restaurant. Owner speaks Italian (in addition to English). I get spoiled rotten (came here on the day of my birthday and was an amazing experience. Ten stars out of ten. * Vicki and Theo at Alexis Restaurant in Kitsilano (Broadway and Vine) – I just love their food and their personalities. They’re awesome. Ten stars out of ten. * The owners and staff of Enigma (on Trimble and Tenth Avenue) – Brunch here any day of the week or weekend. Bliss. Ten stars out of ten.
Before the season premiere of Brothers and Sisters, I had never listened to The Last Goodnight, a great band that has produced a great song as the backdrop for this show’s first episode of the season. I find the music an interesting combination between rock and ballad. Soft rock if you might. Here is the video, judge by yourselves.
I had to admit to my friends C and H that yeah, I do on occasion watch TV. This particular show, Brothers and Sisters, is one of the very few that has me hooked. The story of matriarch Nora and their dysfunctional children Sarah, Kitty, Kevin, Tommy and Justin is one that everyone can relate to. They fight, they bicker, they create conflicts amongst each other but more than anything, they love each other and they are always there when things get rough, and when they are needed.
I couldn’t say whether my own family is or not dysfunctional (it all depends on the definition), but as always, there are times when we bicker at each other, when we complain about each other. But more than anything, and that’s one thing that this show reminds me of, we stick by each other. We love each other very, very much. My brothers and my parents, my nieces and nephews, my sisters in law and extended family, all of these people make my life much happier. My family IS indeed my cornerstone, my foundational piece, the people to whom I run back when I feel the need for unconditional love. For having a family like the one I have, I am very, very grateful.
Thanks to Rebecca @ Miss604.com, I found out about UrbanSpoon. It’s sort of like DineHere.ca, but with a different (more geographically-oriented and visual) interface. At any rate, I added their code to a couple of my restaurant reviews. I think I’ve reviewed about 70 different restaurants for dinner, 17 for brunch and a number of coffee shops, so I am not sure I want to link each one of my posts to UrbanSpoon on my own. Rebecca suggested a method to link back my restaurant reviews, but I have an insane amount of them on my blog, so I’ll let you know how fast UrbanSpoon picks up my reviews 🙂
As a Main Street area resident (no, I’m not one of those “Main hipsters” as people have tended to call them), I enjoy enormously hanging out around my neighborhood. It is what people have termed “a vibrant community”. And I am about to rave about a newly opened restaurant: The Cascade Room. I went for brunch many times to the restaurant that used to be in this location, the Main Street Cafe (where the brunch was cheap and nice) but that closed I think by the end of last year. Good thing I took my Mom and brother there before it closed.
The re-incarnation of this space is now a posh, stylish, sophisticated and spacious restaurant-lounge called “The Cascade Room” (their menus will tell you why, and I really appreciated the history lesson, as I have always been interested in the historical development of Mount Pleasant).
Since I had been trying to get to this place, C and B and J agreed to come down to my neck of the woods for dinner. Now, bad decision to come on a Friday night at 8 pm. This place was PACKED. I noticed that while the place is stylish and the decor is posh, I didn’t feel that the staff were pretentious at all. Granted, you could see dozens of customers who looked sort of Yaletowners, which is a little funny considering that Main Street (South Main or Mount Pleasant) is considered more of an artsy, eclectic mix. When we got there I felt like I had just switched neighborhoods completely and entered a Yaletown restaurant. However, my opinion changed quickly as I got a very enjoyable experience at The Cascade Room.
Their dinner menu is very good, with great variety, from pasta dishes to excellent burgers. The portions are generous, and the presentation for each dish is superb. I had a Cascade burger with salad, which was really tasty. The salad wasn’t drenched in dressing, and the burger was very well prepared (on foccacia bread, which was a bit weird but I really appreciated the flavors). Water refills were extremely prompt.
Our waitress was unbelievably sweet, and at one point she said “my only concern is that you guys have a great time“. I mean, good service can’t get much better than that!!! The hostess was extremely sweet as well, particularly since I came with C, B and J and we waited for over an hour for a table for four. The service was outstanding. While we waited for our table, I paid attention to the waitresses and waiters. They were like, on the ball! Literally, it was hard to believe they had been going at it since 5 pm (one of the main guys at The Cascade Room, who had an interesting accent which I can’t place, may be a Londoner or an Aussie, told us that they had filled by 5.30pm). But you really couldn’t tell because the level of service was top-notch.
I walked by the kitchen on my way to the restrooms (these restrooms are very well maintained by the way), and I saw the kitchen staff providing the servers with the food orders, and I didn’t hear anybody yelling or notice any bad moods. I would think that The Cascade Room really paid a lot of attention when they chose their kitchen staff and their main-floor staff (hostess, waiters and waitresses, bartenders) because everybody exuded a strong positive vibe.
My experience with The Cascade Room was nothing short of excellent, the food was great and the service was unparalleled. Of course, it helps to be hanging out with B, C and J since they are the funniest people you can get. After dinner we came back for a coffee and some puppy loving (they also loved the puppy I am dog-sitting). And we agreed that we are going to come back for more. The drinks look totally delicious (I saw a mojito from afar and I thought it looked very tasty). But next time we’ll probably head down there at 5 pm or on a Tuesday afternoon.
Honestly, I do hope that The Cascade Room keeps this level of good service. It would be a pity if their top-notch food, drinks and service were ephemeral. I sort of doubt it, though. As I mentioned before, by the time we were eating (9pm) the staff should have looked sort of exhausted with a fully packed house all evening long and they were friendly, cheerful, fast and prompt. So I have high hopes for the future of The Cascade Room.
PS – I think the owner of The Cascade Room also owns Habit, right next door. I am not very much of a tapas guy, but I’ll try Habit perhaps for just a dessert and coffee. Will tell you what I think of it later.
I am currently house-sitting and also dog-sitting. For me, this is an entirely new experience. It’s been years since I last had a dog, so I’ve completely forgotten everything my parents taught me on how to treat well puppies. As a result, I have printed out instructions, Google’d lots of websites and spoiled the little puppy rotten.
That being said, there are numerous perks to dog-sit. First, everyone on the street will smile at you. Some of them will say super sweet things to you (like “is this your first dog?” while flashing a mega-watt smile *swoons*), some others will offer pointers on how to treat the puppy and some others will just strike random talk. Second, this particular puppy is totally sweet, and therefore I am enjoying enormously the dog-sitting. Third, walking a puppy will rapidly increase your fitness. At first, he was struggling to walk along with me and now he runs at the same time. So we go for short jogs.
All in all, I would seriously consider having a dog if my place wasn’t as ridiculously small as it is and if I didn’t lead the hectic life that I have. Puppies are good for my soul.
I usually peruse numerous news and media outlets because I want to make sure I am always informed, and get my news fix from diverse sources. That’s also why the first thing I do every morning is read a substantial number of blogs, both Vancouver and non-Vancouver-centric. I frequently like to read the 24 Hours and Metro on the way to the office as my commute is at least 40 minutes long and I bus to work (see an interesting discussion we had on commute times at Paul Hilldon’s blog).
Actually, numerous times I find that 24 Hours has some of my favorite stories. I really like Robyn Stubbs writings, particularly when she looks at environmental issues. Her series on toxins was perhaps one of the best I’ve seen in a long time.
Currently, I am focused on working on justice issues, particularly from a youth and gender perspective, in northern Uganda. Since 2003, I have partnered with local researchers on African cultural approaches to justice and reintegration. Today, our project Justice and Reconciliation Project operates in four districts and with nine research officers in northern Uganda.
24 Hours had the good idea of seeking to highlight the issues facing Uganda and thus sought to talk to Erin. The video below is the YouTube version of their interview with her. Erin inspires with her passion to improve the lives of Ugandans.
Not that I am tooting my own horn, but frankly, I cook a great curry chicken. This time I made it with mushrooms, onions, curry paste (red curry) and a bit of tomato sauce to reduce the heat, and boy is it tasty. The only problem now is that, since I cooked a lot of it, now I’ve had two helpings of rice with curry chicken since lunch (and I did eat a sandwich for lunch!). This is not going to do any wonders to my diet 🙁
UPDATE .– I found a recipe for tagliatelle and curry chicken. Yummy! I have always been a fan of pasta with curry. Paesano’s (in Richmond) has a mean chicken curry with penne. I am also a fan of Incendio’s (Burrard) curry with pasta. But today I’m cooking it with white rice.
Despite how miserable this weather is, I am still trying to run every day. Primarily because it makes me feel energized, keeps me fit and allows me to have some cardiovascular resistance for my volleyball games. It also helps me keep my weight at bay (I lost about 20 pounds in the last couple of months and been able to keep them away with exercise and diet).
Running in the cold rain is bad as is, but there are two pieces of equipment that make it better. One, the iPod that Nomade Moderne gave me (which now, thanks to my newfound knowledge of iTunes, contains my favorite songs in a playlist) and two, the iPod arm brace that LSF gave me for my birthday.
In previous weeks I found that I could run with the iPod in my hand, but it was awkward. Now I can run and listen to music (which makes it all better). This particular arm band also has a belt clip that allows me to go out while wearing street clothes and listen to my iPod.
I was hoping to see the 2007 AIDS Walk for Life (which took place right at the same time as the BC Tour of Courage) in the front page of at least one or two major newspapers. But that wasn’t the case. Admittedly, I am a big supporter of cancer research, and I was also one of the bloggers who encouraged people to attend. But as it usually happens when many events happen at the same time, I always find that some newspapers put different stories on their front page. There’s always that degree of diversity. But every paper I read (including Metro and 24Hrs) had Lance Armstrong and a story about the BC Tour of Courage. No reference whatsoever to the AIDS Walk.
I am a big supporter of both causes and would have liked to see the Vancouver Sun or the Province at least to pick up on the story. AIDS is still a major pandemic and many Vancouver people are affected, so every effort that is made to prevent the spread of this disease should be promoted. Hopefully the AIDS Walk will receive some coverage in the next few days.
So this is what the rest of the year is going to look like, huh? I had to wear a sweater AND a jacket on top of my t shirt today. The weather was horrible. Despite what my friend J says (yesterday he was wearing shorts and t shirt), I can’t cope with less than 15 oC or I feel like I am freezing. And if this is the kind of weather that we are going to have in Vancouver for the rest of the year, I am toast. Darn it!
In more than a decade living in Canada, I had never set foot on Swiss Chalet. It was always funny to hear the commercials and see the postings for new employees (the branch on Broadway and almost Balaclava is fairly new). But I never actually thought of eating there. So when J suggested that we try it out (given that it’s sort of a family place) I thought “heck, why not?”. So off we went. I have to say that the portions are generous, the food is fairly good (you can’t go wrong with rotisserie chicken, baked potato and garden salad with balsamic vinaigrette) and inexpensive. The dry ribs with honey garlic were very tasty too 🙂 Honestly, I will go back to Swiss Chalet, even if it sounds corny!
While usually my Friday nights are dedicated to dinner with B & C, this weekend we switched our schedule as to accommodate some of my own personal affairs (namely, dealing with work stuff and decompressing). So we set on brunch down in Marpole. Now, I know that Marpole is close enough to them (since they live in Richmond) and to me (it’s less than 40 minutes commute, very doable and this area is very well connected – 99 B-Line then 98 B-Line).
So I had to find a place to have brunch there and the only one that I could find was Marpole Grill. I didn’t know anything about this place since I rarely go to the Granville and 70th Avenue area, but I am glad we did have breakfast here. B and C treated me to a great brunch. The Marpole Grill is located at 67th Avenue and Granville, it’s very well decorated (classy and elegant).
It is well attended (we saw a myriad of senior people, but I think that’s just a coincidence) and the waitress was super sweet and very prompt with water and coffee. We had to wait a bit for our orders to come, but I think it was the result of the fact that Marpole Grill has just recently come under new management.
I would come back to the Marpole Grill for brunch for sure. The food was very good, and the service was actually impeccable. If only our brunch had arrived sooner! But that wasn’t the waitress’ fault, I think they are just experiencing what C indicated “teething pains”.
I am a lucky guy. I really am. I just came back from a wonderful birthday celebration with some of my close friends. For one reason or another, several of my good friends were unable to join me tonight but many of them did. We went for dinner at La Bodega (a Spanish restaurant that I’ve reviewed before on my blog) and then for a drink to 1181 (a bar on Davie Street that has awesome drinks). I had such a great time. I think that I am very lucky to have the friends I do. While admittedly I tend to be self-centered (because, you know, it’s all about me), I just told my friends a truth that is always on the back of my mind: I did not have a life to go back to. I always have had a life, and my friends have always been a part of it. Again, thank you. Thank you very much.
There are three types of food that I never get tired of: Indian (e.g. curry chicken and rice), Ethiopian (e.g. injera and yedoro tebs) and Italian (e.g. penne a la puttanesca). Mirchi is one of those reliable places you can go to if you want amazing Indian food. Located around 63rd Avenue and Granville. Their curry is not for the faint of heart, though. I went there with L and K for dinner, and while we ate as much as we wanted to (and still managed to down a mango lassi), my stomach was a bit upset. It wasn’t because of the quality of the food (which is good) but because I ate way too much and it was a tad spicy. But if you can handle hot food, Mirchi is one good place to go to in Marpole.
I am beginning to understand the challenges of trying to stay on top of things, as I almost forgot to promote three events that I strongly support. So without further ado, here they are…
The AIDS Walk for Life Vancouver takes place this Sunday too, September 23rd, at Stanley Park. Registration begins at 8.30 am and the walk begins at 11 am. This is a cause I have supported since long ago, and recently I Blogathoned for A Loving Spoonful, a charity that provides meals for people living with HIV/AIDS. Please show your support! Most likely, I will be doing the walk with a group of my close friends.
The CIBC Run for the Cure happens on September 30th, this event is in support of the fight against breast cancer. Both Rebecca and John will be participating in the run (I’ll be cheering online! and might show up in person), so head over to their pages to sponsor them (click on the links above).
I hadn’t listened to the Elvis Presley version of Heartbreak Hotel (I know – a sacrilege – sorry!) but I found a song with the same name by Whitney Houston recently and I really liked it, since it sounds so sexy and calming. This is not the best song I’ve heard of Whitney Houston but it certainly qualifies as one of those I really enjoy listening to. The video starts here:
As mentioned before, I rarely watch TV, but recently I was watching a broadcast chat between Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson, where they were discussing that they kept in touch via email and what not. I kept wondering this until I switched channels and noticed that they had done a duo. I don’t follow nor listen to country music myself, although some friends of mine do. But I like this song, included in Reba McEntire’s “Reba’s Duets” forthcoming album. This version is excellent. I loved Kelly Clarkson’s version but I saw this video recently and it made me like this song even more. Yes, it does remind me of someone. No, you can’t ask who 🙂
