Ok, so I am spending my holidays in Mexico, and I was just reflecting on how much I enjoy having amenities near my houses (both in Vancouver and in Mexico).
At home in Mexico, my parents’ house is near: * A movie theater (MMC) * A supermarket (Soriana) * A wonderful restaurant for Argentinian food (El Rincon Gaucho Clasico) * A great hotel with lots of little restaurants (Hotel Fiestamericana) * A car-washing place (La Vendimia) * A big mall (Centro Max) * A big park (Explora)
Really, I think that I have everything I need within a 2-4 minute drive…
Now, in Vancouver, I live within 15-25 minutes of: * The best spots for brunch (Slickitty Jim, Cafe Main, Crave on Main) * The best coffee places in the SoMa area (Soma, Waves, The Grind) * Wonderful places for dinner (Red Sea Cafe, Monsoon, Crave on Main) * The best spot for movie rentals (Happy Bats Cinema) * Nice small Mom-and-Pop market (QS Supermarket) * Great large market (Safeway) * Wonderful places for dinner on Commercial Drive
So, I can’t complain 🙂 I’m a happy camper — I got everything I need and more!
My family has had a history of dealing with cancer patients. I have had doctors and nurses in the family on both my father and mother sides. Furthermore, some of my extended family members have faced the disease itself. Our family has fought cancer many times, and unfortunately, we have lost all of our battles so far. I was just reflecting on how we felt when we last had to deal with the disease (the last time, was lung cancer). We didn’t talk about it. We were silent, as though the illness was invisible, as though it wasn’t there. I believe that by not talking about it, we let cancer win at least one battle. But I hope this is not the case this time. I hope we can conquer it, I really do.
Ok, I admit it. I have signed on to the dark side. I have become a pseudo-geek. Why not a full geek, you might ask? Well, for all these reasons: – I do not own an iPod – My cell phone is pretty basic – I don’t use BlueTooth – I do not have a Blackberry – I don’t own a digital camera BUT I now know how to download pictures!
That being said, I do: – Bank online – which includes bill payments – Organize my contacts using online calendars and address books – Have a blog – Have more than four e-mail accounts (which I read regularly) – Watch YouTube – Read the news online
Hence, while I do not deserve a full geek nomination, I can be a pseudo-geek. And I do depend a lot on my computer! So I’ve decided that I will upgrade myself this Christmas, at least with a digital camera.
Given my interest in fashion (yeah, I bought clothes in Montreal, Paris and Madrid alright!), and under the circumstances (extreme stress) I decided to rent the movie “The Devil Wears Prada” with Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway. It was a breath of fresh air. Yeah, Thirteen Going on Thirty also touched upon fashion and the sacrifices and choices we make to get ahead of the game, but TDWP has Meryl Streep (sorry Jennifer Garner, I love you to bits, but Meryl is Meryl).
And the lesson remains the same: Family and friends first, career advancement second. Not for everyone, I am sure. But at least, for me, it has worked wonders. And I have a very happy life full with friends and family who love me. Overall, the movie makes you feel good by the end of it (just as with 13 Going On 30) and teaches you a lesson or two…
This is a call for Vancouver residents who have not shoveled and cleared their snow-covered (now ice-covered) streets… YOU HAVE TO DO IT! THERE IS A BY-LAW!!! I almost took a fall six times last night because of some lazy resident who decided that he/she did not want to clear their walkways. The worst part is when 90% of the block’s residents have cleared their paths and there are only one or two who have not.
A mailman recently died as a result of a fall, and people still do not realize that it is wrong not to clear their walking ways. Unbelievable… and this is a first-world country!
Singing what has been named “The Ecology Song” (Mercy Mercy Me by Marvin Gaye) intertwined with “I Want You”… I love Robert Palmer’s rendition of Gaye’s song… he was amazing!
I was just browsing through blogs and the Vancouver Sun picture gallery and found some really nice pictures. But the snow also makes me reflect on those poor people who are homeless and who are unable to sleep under a warm and dry roof. I have never in my life experienced sleeping on the streets, although the third time I moved to Vancouver I almost had to sleep in the car I had rented.
All this makes me think that, while some people may see the snow as a happy (and strange) occurrence in Vancouver, others lives are threatened by it. Vancouver does not have enough capacity (in terms of beds) to provide shelter to every homeless person out there. And yet we seem to be so happy that it’s snowing because it is pretty. I am sorry, but I am not happy. If faced with the choice between snow and hot weather, I’m happier with hot weather. At least, homeless people can sleep on the street then!
All this comes back to the heated discussion on whether Vancouver has a progressive affordable housing policy. I won’t comment on that. I will just ask Vancouver councillors and the Mayor to roam around in this weather without enough winter clothing… *then* they will maybe understand how does it feel for the vulnerable and disenfranchised…
My two cents, even if gloomy.
PS – I found this cute picture… downloaded it from the Vancouver Sun website, so I am guessing it was provided by a Vancouver resident. If you are the owner of the picture, let me know and I’ll credit you!
Como todos los ridiculos fresas de aquella epoca, yo fui uno de los que se enamoro escuchando esta cancion…
“Tu forma de amar… siempre a medias, siempre loca, siempre a destiempo… tenia que acabar con alguno de los dos…” Cursilerias para muchos, pero bastante importantes para otros 🙂
If you’re Mexican and you’re about my age, you have heard this song. May like it or not, but it was for sure super popular. I have it on tape and MP3. I can’t believe it!!! I’m a dork 🙂
For the love of God, I just can’t believe it… it started snowing last night when I went out for dinner (well, apparently it started to snow around mid-day on Saturday) and now the whole city is covered in white powdery snow. I found pictures from the festival of snow in Vancouver… And for the record, I hate -3 oC temperatures… BRRRRRR
Patrick Duffy & Mireille Mathieu – Together We Are Strong.
I admired Mireille Mathieu since I heard her sing “Allo” (Lionel Richie’s “Hello”) but when I was looking for Hello, I came across this one. It’s so funny to see Patrick Duffy sing besides Mireille that I thought I should post it. It’s quite sweet.
I have been neglecting to write Trixi’s restaurant review because I’ve been swamped with work commitments. But I can’t delay it anymore. Last Sunday, I went there with two of my best friends and we had crepes for dinner. Yessir, crepes. I admit it, I was shocked myself. I am usually a fan of Trixi’s for 3 pm crepe and tea on a sunny day (as I have done numerous times with one of my closest friends) but they wanted a savoury treat and I wasn’t about to say “oh I am sorry I’m a sweet crepe kind of guy”.
So, there I went with a herb-chicken and mushroom crepe (without cheese but with tomatoes). It was, as usual, fantastic! But I was more shocked about the fact that I had enjoyed a savoury crepe rather than a sweet one. Of course, I shared a sweet crepe for dessert. Prices are fantastic (with 6 bucks you can have crepe and ice-cream and for 10 bucks you got yourself dinner). The owners are sweet and adorable and they’ll come to your table to tell stories. So, kudos to Trixi’s. It is located right across from Tomato on Cambie and almost 17th Avenue. My favourite crepe restaurant (and yes I know Cafe Crepe, and I like their crepes too, but Trixi’s has a homey flavour to it).
A really good friend of mine was feeling somewhat sad and blue the past few days, and even though we haven’t seen each other in months, I thought I’d cheer her up with part of a poem by Amado Nervo… It’s a wonderful poem worth revisiting here. I will do the translation eventually. I e-mailed this poem to an ex- of mine a few years ago, when I was head over heels and I was completely in love. The e-mail I got back was quite pathetic, I must add. But that did not detract from my emotions. I was SO happy 🙂
Ok, this restaurant review was long overdue and thought I’d write it before I forget completely. I have been to the Red Sea Cafe (670 Broadway, near Fraser) three times in the last month and I am going again this week. The last time I bumped into really good friends and took one of my closest friends for dinner for his birthday. The time before I just had a craving and had to run get some Erithrean/Ethiopian food. The first time I went with a good friend of mine.
The basis for Erithrean/Ethiopian food is a crepe-like bread called injera. A bit sour but incredibly tasty, it is used as a plate for the wot (curry or ‘mole’-like pastes with meat or veggies, amazingly well cooked and spiced). You then can use injera to grab morsels of food. I have been to the RSC three times already and every time I finish the meal so full I can barely walk.
The service is amazing and I always have a wonderful time. The owners I think are Erithrean. Despite the neighbourhood (it’s in a not-so-beautiful part of Mount Pleasant) it’s very well worth the trip to try the food.
EDIT – Worth mentioning, this is by and large, MY FAVORITE ETHIOPIAN RESTAURANT, and I swear by them any day of the week. I have now begun to create a tradition to go with very close friends of mine for dinner here.
One of my best friends gave me this song in MP3. Awesome beats, although I wonder if it’s along the same lines of Sam Roberts. You will understand my confusion when you know that Dirty Vegas is actually a house group (my good friend Silver introduced me to deep house). The better known song of Dirty Vegas is actually a house tune, Days Go By.
I am a big fan of Sam and now of Dirty Vegas 🙂 but definitely, I never expected DV to play something similar to Sam Roberts. I am confused now.
One of my best friends gave me this song in MP3. Awesome beats, although I wonder if it’s along the same lines of Sam Roberts. You will understand my confusion when you know that Dirty Vegas is actually a house group (my good friend Silver introduced me to deep house). The better known song of Dirty Vegas is actually a house tune, Days Go By.
I am a big fan of Sam and now of Dirty Vegas 🙂 but definitely, I never expected DV to play something similar to Sam Roberts. I am confused now.
Well, this past weekend was very much a trouble-plagued weekend. But more than anything, bad choices for dinner and brunch. So I’m going to review them both in the same post.
I was totally looking forward to brunch at Figmint given that it had just been reviewed on the local newspapers and it is very well located, on 12th Avenue and Cambie. But it was a total disaster. First of all, they charge 7 dollars to park (valet parking). I would think that (as an added bonus) they would offer free parking. I now know that there’s no such thing as a free brunch! For the price they charge for scrambled eggs, they should really provide some perks. I was not impressed. I could think of a good half-dozen places where I’ve eaten cheaper, nicer breakfast. The only good thing about it was the company, one of my best friends.
That same night, I went out with another good friend to Rain City Grill on Denman Street and almost Davie. The prices are quite exorbitant for what they offer (and the flavours are quite bland). I ordered salmon, and it was almost burned. Supposedly their dinner menu is very good, but I did not see the selection of dinner plates that is shown here. I was definitely unimpressed too. And I dine out quite a lot! Again, the only good thing was the company of another of my best friends. But, next time I’ll pass on both Figmint and Rain City Grill. I think it’s time I go back to my Main St. roots 🙂
UPDATE – My friend Karen Hamilton from Tiny Bites says Rain City Grill is good, so I’ll take her word for it! I’ll have to give it a second try.
The 25th Vancouver International Film Festival, held in Vancouver this year from September 28th to October 13, had numerous Canadian films (99% of which I could not see because of work commitments). But I did make time to see Mount Pleasant, for three main reasons:
a) The movie stars Kelly Rowan, one of my favourite actresses, who happens to be Canadian too. Kelly likes to support Canadian film, as shown in this interview with The Vancouver Sun. For those of you who don’t know who she is, here is her Wikipedia biography.
b) The movie is set in Vancouver in my neighbourhood, Mount Pleasant.
c) It is perhaps the first movie I have seen where I can actually relate entirely to what is being depicted in the film.
d) It is directed by brilliant UBC alumnus Ross Weber, who also happens to live in the neighbourhood.
So, on to the movie review. A few other blogs have also published a review of the film, so I’ll make my review more focused on why the film struck home with me. Beyond Robson, a very good local Vancouver blog published a really nice and thoughtful review, although I have to say that I did not hate every character. I felt sorry for Nadia and for Sarah. However, I did hate Megan.
The film is set in the neighbourhood of Mount Pleasant, in Vancouver (present day), and the lives of two families collide with those of a lost soul, leaving a big mess. Nadia, a young under-age prostitute who lives with her pimp Nick, and works the streets of Mount Pleasant, is picked up by Stephen, who is a real estate agent. He is in an unhappy marriage to Anne, and they live in (apparently, I can’t recall properly) Kerrisdale (or Shaughnessy), one of the affluent neighbourhoods. Doug and Sarah (whose boss is Anne) have just moved into Mount Pleasant with their six year old daughter, who pricks herself with a used hypodermic needle. This single event triggers an outrage by Doug, who is upset at the poor conditions of the neighbourhood, including drug addiction, prostitution, etc.
The movie does a superb job of depicting the state of the neighbourhood, and the complicated and intricate relationships of these individuals. It is a superb movie, and it struck home with me. As an example, ‘Nadia’ was “picking up” at the bus stop on the corner of 19th Avenue and Fraser Street, where I often have taken the bus to go either to South Fraser or Downtown. Seeing the neighbourhood where one lives in a cinematic fashion is really eery. I had an opportunity to talk briefly with Camille Sullivan (Sarah) and Ross Weber, the director. The question/answer period after the October 11th showing at Granville Seven was really good.
I hope they release Mount Pleasant on video so that I can show it to my parents and friends. Kudos to Ross Weber and the cast of Mount Pleasant for a job well-done.
On the sociological and urban development side, the movie does depict reality but I am hopeful that the gentrification process will reach this area soon. It is not a bad neighbourhood, it just needs some cleaning up.
For those of you lovers of Indian food, Nirvana is *the* place. That is, of course, if you live nowhere near 49th Avenue and you do not want to go to the area of Vancouver known as “Little India”. Since I love eating near my stomping grounds, I decided to go to Nirvana to meet a colleague and friend for dinner. My friend actually treated me to dinner, and while we were discussing a lot of issues and things that needed to be talked about, I recognise that the service was REALLY SLOW. The food is, however, superb.
Their dishes to share are to die for, particularly their chicken masala. The prices are a bit high for the amount of food that you get, but it’s not unaffordable. I would not recommend this restaurant for a quick, cheap eat because it is neither cheap nor the service is quick. But the atmosphere and the food itself make up for a lot.
And you can’t beat the location in Mount Pleasant: literally corner of 7th Avenue, Main and Kingsway (where all three streets intersect). Right besides the vegetarian restaurant “The Foundation”, Nirvana is worth the trip if you are into good Indian food and are not in a rush to get anywhere. Beware, you might become addicted to Indian food!
As a result of the post-birthday season outings, I have been to several restaurants within the past few weeks. That, and the fact that I’m super busy has delayed my reviews. So, I’m slowly trying to catch up. I am sure that as I type more reviews I’ll discover that I missed a few of the places I’ve tried lately.
On to the topic of this review: Crave on Main, whose website looks as sophisticated as the place itself. For anyone who lives near the Main St. area (what many people call SoMa or South Main) – still part of Mount Pleasant, the choice of restaurants is overwhelming. But in the stretch from 20th Avenue to King Edward, Crave does stand out. It has a cute patio and another patio inside the actual restaurant.
Mom and I walked by Crave just about every day while she visited Vancouver this summer, and we never got around to eating there. However, one of my best friends and I went for brunch there a few weeks ago. I had a smoothie and she had scrambled eggs with bacon and toast. Arguably, the smoothie was one of the best I’ve had, while my friend said these were top-notch scrambled eggs. The service was a bit slow, as the place is quite popular. We haven’t been there for dinner, but the brunch menu rocks, and the prices are quite reasonable, particularly for student budgets!
I will definitely come back to Crave on Main repeatedly, not only because it is near where I live but also because it is a fun and tasty place.
ADDENDUM – October 14th, 2006.
I went to Crave on Main again this weekend, this time with another good friend of mine. I was (quite obviously) a bit worried about whether we would be taken care of quickly. Well, I can’t say anything but pure praise to the staff of Crave. The service was TOP NOTCH. As in, unbelievable. There were times when three waitresses would be coming by to make sure that we were doing ok with water, coffee, etc. Our dishes took (I’m not kidding) seven minutes to make, and the food was superb. Recommended brunch item: Eggs your way with mediterranean turkey sausage with white toast. The server who was in charge of our table even came to the door to say goodbye with a smile 🙂 — ok, now THAT is what I call impressive!
UPDATE – September 30, 2007. I decided to try to link to UrbanSpoon and thus here is their code. Here’s hoping they’ll link to my other restaurant reviews!
Today I had to go Downtown to run a couple of errands (despite not feeling terribly well) and I ended up stopping at a Burger King (Granville and Robson) for a bite to eat. This area (Granville Street at night) can be very depressing with all the homelessness, the peddlers, etc. (Sorry, it’s the truth!)… Anyway, as I was eating my burger (which, might I add, was really tasty), I noticed a young girl eating all by herself in the neighbouring table. She had, quite obviously, finished eating quite a long time ago, and was there just gathering her thoughts (or at least so I thought).
She might have been my niece’s age (16) or perhaps a bit older. But she was definitely distraught. So the young woman who sweeps the floors approached her and asked her if she was alright. The young lady in purple (I think she was wearing purple) said she had missed her bus connection and that she needed to make a phone call. As she was speaking, tears started to well her eyes and she lost her composure for a couple minutes. The young lady sweeper kindly offered to find some way to give her a ride, although the girl said that she could call her Mom or Dad to pick her up. She was definitely not feeling well, and I felt really guilty for not helping more (although I did approach her and talked to her to ask whether she was ok and needed help).
At any rate, what really struck me was the compassion and sincerity of the young lady sweeper. She said “whatever you need, let me know and we’ll help you“. And she meant it. In a city that has been criticized for its lack of spirit and for being cold and closed, I was simply awestruck. This young lady who sweeps floors at BK was offering as much help as she could and being sweet and sensitive to the needs of the distraught young girl. Things like this warm my heart and remind me that, in spite of Vancouver’s “cold” society, there are still many people out there who are willing to give a helping hand. Annonymous heroes who live their lives unsung. Here is to praise a quiet hero. I hope the young distressed lady got home safe. I’ll have to check this week with the young lady sweeper. And perhaps bring her a token of appreciation. She really did brighten my day.
