Charlie’s Angels Reunited – Emmys 2006
Kate Jackson, Farrah Fawcett and Jaclyn Smith… the three women we all know to be Charlie’s Angels … 30 years later, they still look stunning…
I had to pick up some stuff from one of my friends tonight around Granville Street, so I thought we would go for dinner near by. The closest restaurant (really) is The Red Door (Granville & 14th Ave.), so we thought we’d try that one. I am rarely into Asian fusion or Asian tapas, so I thought “well, what the heck”… we tried the eggplant with rice and we shared a won ton soup. The food was tasty and abundant. Didn’t really need to eat more than these two shared plates.
The prices are really reasonable. The only problem – the service. I wasn’t impressed with the level of service, despite the fact that the waitress was very nice. I think that it took them way too long to bring us drinks AND food. But once we got those out of the way, we were alright… All in all, I would go back to The Red Door… but only if I have had something to eat a bit earlier. Otherwise the wait might get to me…
Well, normally I blog about one of these things
a). My personal, day-to-day life.
b). Environmental affairs.
c). Restaurants where I eat.
Today I was reflecting on how lucky I am (yet again!) and how quickly moods can change. This needs some explanation. I am near the end of my ‘birthday season’ (one week before, one week after my birthday – all spanning three weeks)… and I have just had a lovely dinner cooked for me last night (though I was so hungover I could barely eat). So anyhow, I am a lucky man with lots of good friends…
On to the discussion of what the title means. My apartment is tiny. It is a one-bedroom ground-level basement suite. I love it dearly. It has everything I need, and I don’t really have a lot of furniture. My dining table can be expanded to hold up to four people. However, it’s really basically a two-seater. I usually invite one friend over for dinner and my dining “room” fits perfectly. However, two weeks ago I folded one part of the table so as to make enough walking room. It ended up being a one-seater (for me to eat breakfast or dinner – I rarely eat lunch at home).
A few seconds after I had folded the table, I felt really sad and lonely. It really struck me… I live alone. I *am* alone. I have wonderful friends, a very good neighbour, and my family. But I am really alone. It wasn’t until I answered the phone an hour afterwards (one of my friends calling) that I thought “well, you are not really alone… you have lots of people who love you and care for you, and when you make enough money, you will have a real dining table for six”…
That’s what I meant by ‘love is where your heart is’. If you have friends and loved ones near you (either by phone, email, MSN or physically), you are never alone. So, in short, I am not really alone… And I am grateful for that.
Well, I was out and about having dinner tonight at the Yaletown Brewing Co. (commonly known in Vancouver-lingo as ‘the Yaletown Brewery‘, located at the corner of Mainland and Hamilton) with one of my best friends (who took me there for my birthday) when something happened. I went to the rest-room, and on the way back, I had to weasel my way around a table where a very animated conversation was taking place. Lots of really heart-felt hugs. And then I thought to myself “that guy is behaving exactly as I usually do – very public displays of affection, very warm, very outgoing and genuine”
… When on close observation I am start thinking to myself “oh, that guy looks strangely familiar… I am sure I have seen him somewhere… isn’t that… oh yes it is… it really is… Justin Trudeau!“. Yes, ladies and gentlemen. The first-born son of Monsieur Pierre Trudeau, the late Prime Minister of Canada, husband to Madame Sophie Gregoire [yes, they DO make a very cute couple].
And, for the record, Justin is a UBC alumnus (Bachelor of Education), although currently he is studying a Masters in Environmental Geography at McGill University, as reported by Wikipedia. Justin used to teach in Vancouver, so it does not seem surprising that he has very close friends in the city. I was just surprised. The last time I saw him was at GLOBE 2006, where he moderated a panel. Most of the time, my association with the Trudeau last name is the Trudeau Foundation, which sponsors great thinkers in Canada. I guess I just hadn’t seen Justin in a social setting in a long, long time (I seem to recall having seen him a few times over the past ten years in various other settings, but really socializing with good friends, I think this is the first time). He looked so genuine, so warm, so authentic, that I think my admiration for him is well deserved. He uses his charm, good looks, poise and positive attitude to inspire people and raise awareness on critical issues (such as avalanche control, sustainability and opportunities for youth to mature and grow). *sigh* Now I know why women want to marry him and men want to be like him…
Having gushed about Justin Trudeau for a few paragraphs, on to the restaurant review….
The Yaletown Brewery was a popular haunt of my friends and I since 1996. I think I have been to dinner at the YB more often than I have at a White Spot [which is supposedly super-Canadian]. The food is really good (and portions are generous), the service is friendly and it has an outdoor patio. I think I’ve been there at least three to four times a year for the past 10 years. No, it’s not that I don’t have options. It’s just that the YB is good. It is really good. And seeing Justin Trudeau was just icing on the cake. I had a wonderful evening with one of my best friends and I managed to walk around Yaletown for a good half hour (something I hadn’t done in AGES).
[UPDATE – I have been recently and although some people may hate it, I still like it]
Matt and Elektra
This *IS* the actual fight, with some footage of Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck talking before the fight. All Matt Murdock is trying to do is get Elektra Natchios’ name 🙂 That’s a really cool fight. If you are interested, here is the link to the “Cats Fighting” version (animated cartoon).
I am a very lucky man. I really am. I have had a number of really wonderful birthday celebrations (for me it’s not usually birthday, it’s more like birthday season! it spans one week before and one week after). I am extremely blessed to have the family I have, my brothers, my parents, my wonderful friends in Mexico, in Vancouver and every other country where I have had the fortune to spend time.
But today I realized how lucky I am to be complete (as a human being). Being able to walk all over the place, see wonderful things, read and speak various languages. I am truly amazed at the many gifts I have received in various shapes and forms. The ability to walk is one particular gift I came to cherish today as I was strolling to pick up some documents near my office.
One of my students and I bumped into each other this afternoon and started a fairly animated outdoor conversation, in the pouring rain and enduring cold weather. After a few minutes, we saw a young lady who was wheelchair-bound, trying (quite unsuccessfully) to get into her car at the parking lot. Due to the rain, the floor was very slippery and it was extremely hard for her to control her wheelchair. Therefore, my student and I ran to offer our help. We held the car door open and provided her wheelchair with a leverage point so that she could push herself into the driver’s seat. She finally did get into the car and we happily placed her wheelchair in her car’s trunk.
While she was very embarrassed to have asked for help, we were very happy to be helpful. I couldn’t help but be completely in awe. I thought to myself “this is a student who faces challenges to transport herself from one point to another, and I am so lucky to walk everywhere I want to without even thinking“. If we hadn’t been there to help her get into her car, she probably would have gotten even more wet, and the rain was freezing cold. Yet, she never lost her composure, and she gave us (at least me) a lesson in humility and made me reflect on the gifts I have received.
I happen to believe in God, and I often think that God gave me certain gifts to share them with the world. I am very grateful that he gave me the ability to walk. But beyond that, I am truly amazed at how some people have the courage to face their challenges and become successful. True champions in their own way. I salute those people who overcome their handicaps and make something of themselves instead of feeling sorry. By taking charge of their disability, they have overcome it and grown more mature. Thank you for giving me a lesson in how to live life.
Well, last night I went to see Lino do stand-up comedy, at Marcela‘s invitation. I had a really good time, and I was impressed with Lino’s ability to make jokes in English! That takes a lot of hard work and courage. Kudos to him!
Since I frequently read their blogs, I found out that they had reviewed a few restaurants in the past, some of which I have visited myself. Having lived in Vancouver for ten years, it is likely that I haven’t been to pretty much just about every nice restaurant within the Vancouver area. For sure, when I have been out and about I’ve done my share of Burnaby/North Vancouver/New Westminster restaurants, but for the most part I’ve been a Vancouver eater. Furthermore, traditionally I have been a Downtown/Yaletown/West End/Kitsilano customer. So, it’s kind of hard to try and find new places. Chances are, I’ve been there already!
So I thought I’d continue with my restaurant reviews with my traditionally favourite meal: brunch. For those of you who are brunch-addicts, Slickitty Jim’s a great choice. Located between Broadway and 10th Avenue on Main Street, it is basically a few steps away from the Main St. 99 B-Line stop. It is small, usually crowded on weekends, and definitely can get a line-up if you aren’t there by 8 am.
That being said, I went for breakfast/brunch with Mom a couple of months back when she was visiting Vancouver. Three times, if I recall correctly. Now, for me to repeat brunch three times during a three-week visit, that must indicate something. The place is not good. It is awesome! [Correction – Mom was here for a month]
The owner is there running the show, she is sweet, kind, caring and the food is just amazing. Mom and I had both the Chorizo Scramble (I think that’s the name, I forget) – unbelievably good. Very filling and reasonably priced. If you want to get a taste of Main St., breakfast Slickitty Jim’s-style sounds like a good idea.
UPDATE – I am no longer a patron of Slickety’s — too bad service twice in 2008. No go for me again.
Today I had a really hard time taking the 99 B-Line. Most buses went through, fully loaded with people. As someone with an environmentally-minded orientation, I should be happy. But I can’t be happy because, even though we are making more use of public transit, we are indeed over capacity. The popularity of the U-Pass (a universal bus pass for students at UBC and SFU) has made it commuting much easier (as it covers all three zones of the Lower Mainland).
Sustainable transportation should also be climate-neutral, in my humble opinion. I was talking about this topic with Marcela, who is very passionate about sustainable transportation. For example, she was suggesting that street-light coordination would be but just one of the many ways in which you could streamline traffic in the Metropolitan Zone of Guadalajara. I don’t know since I don’t work in transportation, but I’ll take her word for it 🙂
Presuntos Implicados – Mi Única Razón
A song that speaks about tolerance, love that has no boundaries nor definitions, really beautiful music. Worth watching.
Presuntos Implicados – Cómo hemos cambiado
This is a song by the Spanish group Presuntos Implicados. It was my favourite for a long, long time. It still is one of my top 10 songs.
Australian Open 1996 – Bests Moment
This is Monica Seles’ last Grand Slam (Australian Open 1996) but for some reason, she’s not featured at length!
A few days ago I reached the 10 year anniversary of my move to Vancouver for graduate school. August 23rd, 2006. What a milestone!
It was a cold day, I recall. That was surprising since Mexico isn’t characteristically cold. My older brother and his family had already left, as he was going to do his PhD in the United States. Five days and my Mom had to see two of her children move to different countries. In my case, I was the one who moved the farthest. My other brother was already in the US, so 60% of my Mom’s children were living abroad by September of 1996 (this percentage increased to 80% by 2000).
I reflected on Caro’s blog that ten years ago I moved to Vancouver. The reflection being that, before 1996, I avoided at all costs living away from my family. I did my undergraduate degree near my hometown just so that I could see my parents and brothers every other day. And then, one day I told myself “I can do it. I am going to do it.” So I packed everything, quit a rather lucrative job, and moved to Vancouver to start my Masters.
And then I stayed… and I decided that this is where I want to live. I fell in love with Vancouver. But moreover, I grew up. I stopped being the wimpy little Momma’s boy and became a strong young man with the grit and willingness to face the challenge of a country I didn’t know. I graduated from ‘mocoso‘ to ‘hombrecito‘
Wow 🙂
My first two comments from two well-established bloggers… YAY!
I haven’t really taken the time to link to other Vancouver- (or other) based blogs, but sometimes I am not sure I have the content to enrich them… well, I’ll give it a good try. This weekend I shall put some time into connecting with some other blogs.
In the mean time, I want to recommend my latest acquisition on Beatport (yes, I do pay for music!)… Head Above Water by Elements of Soul featuring Mia Taylor. It’s such a cool song. I’ve had it in my head for the past hour or so. I can’t stop listening to it. It’s soulful, it’s deep house and it’s very much in the lines of The Rurals and Deep Six (as argued by Guidance Recordings in their review). If you click on their webpage you’ll be able to listen to the version I bought – (Axwell’s Star Beach Mix) — well, only a tiny bit. Worth the purchase, though!
Bionic Woman
This is a compilation of Bionic Woman clips to the theme of BW. Very well produced.
Well, it seems like my blog has been all about YouTube and superheros lately. Not a lot of environmental commentary either. I know, I know! I’ve had family visiting and it’s been a hectic few weeks. But I’m back on track now 🙂
Mom visited recently from Mexico, and we went for dinner a couple of days before she left. I wondered where to take her since we had done the majority of restaurants I usually like. My Mom has been to Vancouver many times and we’ve very frequently eaten out so I really didn’t want to take her to a ‘repeat’ restaurant. Dining out in Vancouver is normally not hard to do. There’s a gazillion restaurants to please just every palate. But throughout my 10 years in the city, we’ve been to too many of them. So it took me a while to think of a good place.
However, I had just recently read a review of Whineo‘s, a neat dining/bar place in the downtown core of Vancouver (right on Granville Street). I knew Josh Manuel, one of the co-owners, through his former job and I thought it might be neat to check this place out. And as I will explain below, I think I made the right choice 🙂
Mom and I ordered a platter (for $ 14 bucks, you can’t beat that) with all the strong flavours we both like (capers, olives, hummus, anchovies)… yummy! Then we proceeded to order chicken breast with mushrooms in a nice wine reduction. The plate size was right, the price was really inexpensive (under $ 15 for a main course, it is almost unbeatable). We also ordered patatas bravas, although I think by then we had eaten too much. And the cheesecake with blueberry compote… to die for.
My Mom was so happy with the meal that she said this had been the best dining experience she had had in Vancouver this time around. I was quite pleased to hear that, particularly since the staff at Whineo’s was very friendly and the food was amazing. I wanted to come back with my brother but he had to fly out and thus we couldn’t do it. But I’ll certainly be back 🙂
Since I didn’t take pictures, I had to borrow pictures from Urban Mixer Flickr’s website to showcase how the food is presented. You can check it here… You can check Raincoaster’s picture of Whineo’s indoors here.
I found out that WaiterBlog had reviewed Whineo’s so here is the post.
And just a minute before I was about to push the “Publish Post” button, I discovered that Whineo’s is an OceanWise member and thus their seafood dishes are certified as sustainable 🙂 Now one more reason to go for dinner there!
Lovetronic – You are Love
For those of you who like House Music, this is totally the type of music I dig.
An Alternative Wonder Woman
This is not the Lynda Carter version, but another actress. Well done as a matter of fact.
Sweet mother of God! It’s 28 oC and it’s supposed to get hotter this weekend. The forecast predicts up to 37 oC in the Lower Fraser Valley… *sweat*
I know that this may be one of the effects of climatic change, but living in Canada has made me appreciate warm temperatures 🙂 I am sorry to say, but I’m all up for 28 oC in Vancouver!
Not your fault (Good Will Hunting)
The YouTube video of the climatic scene of Good Will Hunting.
This movie is one of my favourite. Apparently, it is one of the favourite of the Academy as well… they gave GWH an Oscar for Best Screenplay (Matt Damon and Ben Affleck). The most poignant scene is a testament to Matt Damon’s acting ability and range, as well as Robin Williams. Two of my favourite actors show here what genuine care and affection is all about. I got the movie from YouTube.
While it might be a surprise to read the name of the world’s mightiest superhero in an environmentally-inclined blog, there is actually a relevant connection. I am not going to reveal the plot of the movie, which recently opened in theatres in Vancouver (yesterday as a matter of fact). What is important (and certainly connects to the issue of urban sustainability) is that the movie touches upon the thorny issue of land-use and real estate.
Lex Luthor (many people’s favourite villain, played by Kevin Spacey in this version and pitted against Brandon Routh’s Superman) is in the real-estate business, and is conspiring to build a new continent using Krypton’s advanced technology. He’ll destroy many continents, killing many people, and then he will sellhis land (never mind that the actual ‘crystal-grown land’ looks horrible and arid).
The issue here is to remember that while for many people, land is a resource we need, for many others it is business. How to make land use a sustainable activity (equitable, just, accessible) … quite an interesting challenge….
Well, I picked up today my badge and registration package for the III World Urban Forum that will take place in Vancouver from June 19th to 23rd.
Given my interest in urban sustainability and the politics of environmental regulation, water sanitation, patterns of land use and zoning, it is fitting that this event is taking place in the city where I live now. Lucky me! I was unfortunately away from Mexico when the 4th World Water Forum took place (too bad, since water policy is one of my research interests). But at least I got to attend one megaconference in 2006.
But there is one substantial difference between WUF3 and 4WWF (that’s how they like to be called, really!) is that WUF3 was 100% free. Gratis. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Whereas, to ensure participation in the 4WWF you would have had to shell out in the realm of $ 600.00 US (six hundred US dollars). Now, quite obviously WUF will have substantial participation from NGOs, academia and the general public, simply because it is taking place here and it is entirely free!
The Georgia Straight has a full issue devoted to the World Urban Forum, which you can check out if you click here. Note that this link may disappear after WUF, but hopefully you will be able to search the GS archives. The actual website of WUF is really neat, and I am sure that there will be lots of things to be said and discussed there.
I’ll be posting some of my thoughts on WUF3 throughout the week. Besides, it is a great opportunity to network 🙂
The 12th International Symposium on Society and Natural Resource Management is currently taking place at The University of British Columbia. Co-organized by Simon Fraser University’s School of Resource and Environmental Management, this symposium takes place from June 3rd to the 8th, 2006.
Many of my good friends and colleagues are currently visiting Vancouver because they are presenting their research here. Therefore, I was very pleased to have had the opportunity to take a group of them for dinner to Enigma, on 10th Avenue and Tolmie.
Enigma is a wonderful place that is very much not what people might think at first glance. The place is decorated with sophisticated furniture, high chairs and tables and a nice outdoor patio. However, despite the ‘posh’ factor that might lead you to believe that it will be a pricey place, it is surprisingly inexpensive, and the food is amazing. The portions are generous and the taste is really good. I would highly recommend it. It is the kind of place where you would take a date, or an out-of-towner and where you could be sure that the person you are inviting will have a wonderful experience. The owners are there to check on every detail, so you feel very much at home. I have been there for dinner, breakfast (I haven’t been there for lunch however).
Overall, a wonderful experience. Six marvelous academics at a table and we all had a great time… what else can I ask for?
I had the amazing opportunity today to go and listen to Mr. Al Gore, former Vice-President of the United States of America, speak about climate change, the future of Earth and the challenges ahead. It was a great talk. Mr. Gore is a very articulate speaker and he can galvanize the hell out of you. By the time his speech was over, I felt recharged and empowered to effect change. Yes, we can succeed in facing the sustainability challenge (at least that’s the message Mr. Gore is trying to get across). He was unbelievable, and even though I’m very stressed and overwhelmed with work, I wouldn’t have traded this opportunity ever. He talked at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at The University of British Columbia. Dr. Martha Piper, the (out-going) President of UBC was there to deliver her last official speech and present Mr. Gore. It was an awesome evening altogether. Now, back to the grind 🙂
