Wow. This is f-ing awesome

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1103024--kmart-layaway-accounts-paid-off-by-mysterious-donors

What a brave soul .. this is touching.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdkNn3Ei-Lg

Iowa's House of Representatives is planning an amendment to repeal marriage equity in the state.
This young man's speech is very touching. I know that at 19, I would certainly have loved to had his character - kudos to him for speaking out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=FSQQK2Vuf9Q

Food Algebra - Dumplings

So we ventured into new territory and tried to cook something out of our comfort zone (pasta, steak, general gwai-lo food).

Him: What are we having for dinner?
Me: I want to try something new!
Him: Uhh .. ok .. (worried look)
Me: DUMPLINGS!

It was actually really fun! Honest. I had scoured for dumpling recipes, combing through the websites with the nicest looking dumpling pictures (biased, I know) and seeing what combination of ingredients we would use. We settled for the following (mainly because it was whatever was in the fridge)

- store bought dumpling wrappers (too risky to mess up if made from scratch)
- lean ground pork
- green onion
- shittake mushrooms
- egg wash (for the wrapper edges)
- sesame oil
- soy sauce
- chicken broth
- salt
- 5 spice powder
- black pepper

I kind of wanted to document the process, but he's not exactly one of those ppl who snap pictures of food on a minutely basis like me so I ended up snapping a few photos (read:took 3 pics in total) of the process. In the process I came up with ... FOOD ALGEBRA! Lo and behold, my brain child creation. Mash 2 things together and end up with an end result:




How did they turn out? Not bad, for a first try. But a few things to change up for next time:
- Cornstarch. Or flour. The filling ended up too dry
- Seasoning. More. Lots more. Salt really does do wonders, no matter how much I try to erase it from my diet. Could have used a bit more of everything
- Better proportion. We couldn't really taste the veggies. It should be like, 2 parts veggie and 1 part meat! That, and you don't want to taste all meat and no wrapper. Need to half the amount of filling per dumpling. A few were really beefy (well, porky)

Early on we realized that assembly line formation would be the best way to do this. He would plop the filling in and grease the edges, and I would fold. My origami skills from way back seem to have paid a helping hand, since they looked pretty presentable. It was a fun couple-y experience!


A side note: My Photoshop skills are pretty lame. But I get around. The above Food Algebra pic was put together with Photoshop 6 (yup, ancient stuff). Pics were taken with my Canon P&S and the background was created by DragonArtz (based on their Creative Commons License)

Uhhhh ..

There's something seriously wrong with this.

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1095633--afghan-president-pardons-woman-serving-time-for-being-raped

I love this pic

This is touching. Who says karma's a bitch?

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1088632--winnipeg-man-reunites-with-u-s-woman-who-saved-his-life?bn=1

You know you have an amazing boyfriend when ..

.. you are having the bitchiest day ever and all you want to do is explode at someone (namely him even tho he's not at fault), and when he sees you, he gives you a kiss on the forehead and surprises you with your favourite dessert.

<3 you

:)

Jeebus. This story broke my heart.

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1059479--disabled-pickering-boy-took-his-own-life-after-he-was-mugged-and-bullied

RIP Mitchell ..

I am so angry right now. My blood is boiling and there is nothing more I want to do than sit in the shower and cry. That, and break a 2x4 in half.

I had taped the funeral for Jack Layton from yesterday and just watched it now. I don't know how his wife kept so calm and composed but kudos to her for giving everyone else support. Even I cried a lot just watching the service on TV.

I'm glad he wanted his funeral to be a celebration of life, not of mourning and sorrow. If only he could see how he brought so many Canadians together.

Transcript of eulogies from the Toronto Star

RIP Jack. See you on the other side.

RIP Jack Layton .. you will be missed dearly by Canadians.

Read his letter to Canadians here

"Love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world."
- Jack Layton

My condolences to Olivia Chow and the Layton family.

You know you have a good boyfriend when ..
.. he tells you everyday that you're beautiful
.. he always drives you home, even if you're in the opposite direction or out of the way
.. he surprises you with your favourite dessert after a miserable day at work
.. he lets you drain his phone battery playing games
.. he lets you rant about your day even though his day was 10x worse
.. he always makes sure your needs are taken care of before his
.. he lets you take the first bite of a donut and the first sip of coffee
.. he waits patiently for you even when you're the one who's making both of you late
.. he somehow sees the silver lining in the worst possible situation
.. he goes out of his way to take you to your favourite restaurant
.. to be continued ..

You know you have an amazing boyfriend when ..
.. all of the above

<3 you
:)

“Killing is the biggest sin to commit,” he says. “There’s no honour in killing. So why use that term?”

He's right.

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1035512--domestic-violence-or-honour-killing?bn=1

In the end, no one wins .. although, an eye for an eye does sound justified at its moments

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1032995--blinded-iranian-rejects-eye-for-eye-punishment-of-attacker?bn=1

Amaaaazing weekend. He surprised (well, almost surprised) me with a weekend out of the city. Had a great time!!

Thanks hunnie .. love you :)

I hope Oslo heals .. you are never alone.

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1032455--the-survivors-the-victims-a-shooter-and-his-manifesto-how-the-norway-tragedy-unfolded?bn=1

My first birdie! Ever! Whoot! :)

Sorry.

I said I was tired but I was actually tired and a bit disappointed. Maybe disappointed isn't the right word. Saddened? Not indifferent? It will probably blow over in my head tomorrow or next week but it will probably play again in the back of my head later on. I can't help it.

Is it wrong to feel sad, feel a twinge of disappointment when you hear things that are different than what you had hoped? If so, I'm guilty.

I guess things will happen for a reason when the time comes.

RIP Betty .. say hi to Mike for me
See you on the other side ..

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1014992--brutal-assault-on-ubc-student-just-one-of-thousands-in-south-asia

It really saddens me to hear about this stuff. I don't deny that it still happens in the 21st century but it just makes me feel so weak and powerless reading about it.

Foodie Blog: Canoe

Canoe
66 Wellington St W, TD Tower
Toronto, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Western
Date visited: May 2011

I've always wanted to try Canoe. This place is impossible to get reservations for Winter/Summerlicious so the bf decided to "surprise" me by taking me there for my birthday. Well, not quite surprise .. I kind of knew it was coming .. plus he asked me if going there a week later than my birthday was ok since the place was all booked up :)

Food: 4.75/5
When you come to Canoe, you order what your heart desires. And my heart (and stomach) wanted Mozzarella! I had the bufala mozzarella and the bf had woodland mushrooms. The woodland mushrooms were fantastic!! It came in a small ramekin but there was actually quite a decent portion. My cheese portion was quite large for an appetizer. It was tasty, not overpowering. I think if the portion was cut in half (and the price :)) then it would be better. I was getting sick of it near the end of it. For our mains, I ordered sturgeon and he had the deep sea char. Both came with pureed potato (his mixed with water cress, that was delish), but mine came in a an absolutely fantastic sauce! Both our fish was wonderfully cooked. The only thing I didn't like was the small chunk of braised beef my dish came with on the side. For dessert we ordered the Niagara apple cake. It was definitely something different. Not sure if I'd order it again tho.

Service: 4.25/5
Service here was great. There was a "main" waiter for your table, and other people who refill your bread and water, take away your empty plates, bring your dishes, etc. Our waiter came at sporadic times. Sometimes I wouldn't see him for 20 minutes, sometimes only a few minutes in between. My biggest gripe is the wait for our entree. Probably over an hour! Fortunately we milked our appetizers for a while.

Atmosphere: 5/5
On the 54th floor of the TD Tower, you get a spectacular view of downtown Toronto. And it being dinner, I saw the most beautiful sunset ever. Beside the CN Tower and Lake Ontario, there was this pink, half sun that was setting over Toronto. Gorgeous. There's a glass view on most parts, depending on where you're sitting. We were lucky and got the GREAT view. The seats were nice and cushy, the table was spacious and the atmosphere was great. An open kitchen lets you see what the chefs are up to. Washrooms are standard TD Tower ones.

Price/Value: 4.5/5
No where else (other than the CN Tower) can you get such a view and fantastic food. I have to admit it's quite over my budget (bf paid .. thanks hunnie .. love you), but I don't go to these kinds of restaurants that often. The total damage was over $150 for 2 people: appetizers, entrees, dessert and a beer.

Overall dining experience: 4.5/5
Everything was worth it here. Especially the view. And the food. Service is great too. Would I come back? Not every day, week or month. Maybe once a year. When I can afford it. But I can be sure that I will have a wonderful time.

Foodie Blog: Le Papillon

Le Papillon
169 Front Street E
Toronto, Ontario
Cuisine(s): French
Date visited: March 2011

We went (read:forced him) to watch Bugs Bunny at the Symphony when it was in town. It was a great show and since we were all pretty and dressed up, decided to go somewhere nice nearby. I've always wanted to try Le Papillon out since I pass by it everyday, so we went!

Food: 4/5
I was feeling a bit extravagant and wanted an appetizer to start. Bf wasn't really feelin' it but I convinced him to get a bowl of mussels. Mmm mm whee were they good! Bf ordered the meat pie and I got the chicken crepe. We both didn't really like the meat pie but my crepe was really good! I'm sure all the crepes on the menu were good. Too bad it didn't come with waffles instead :)

Service: 3.5/5
Service here was com si come sa. Our waiter started off attentive to begin with but then he kind of lagged later on throughout our meal. But, he did top off our water right when it was hitting low. The food came out in decent time (15-20 minutes) after we ordered. Nothing special about the service.

Atmosphere: 3.5/5
We got smushed in the corner of the restaurant, right near the door. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I was seated in the middle of the place. I actually don't remember too much about the decor or the atmosphere. Very high ceilings and lots of floor space, that's about it. Didn't try the restrooms.

Price/Value: 3.75/5
I think if the bf's meat pie was better, I would have given this place 4+ stars on the food. The mussels were really good, as was my chicken crepe. But there was something about the meat pie that really set my rating lower .. I think it was a bit dry and lacking flavour. But overall, $15-$20 for a Francais place? Not bad. I think our total damage was $75 for 2 people.

Overall dining experience: 4/5
Nice French place to go to. Not sure if I'd go back but the crepe was really good. If we do we'd definitely order another crepe, maybe even 2! Didn't find anything particularly special or amazing that I liked, except for the mussels. But, it's a convenient, posh place to hit up if you're nearby the Sony Center.

Foodie Blog: Casa Imperial Fine Chinese Cuisine

Casa Imperial Fine Chinese Cuisine
4125 Steeles Ave E
Scarborough, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Chinese
Date visited: April 2011

Mom complains that we don't take her out to dim sum. So I decided to take them to Casa Imperial. We tried to go once but the wait for dim sum was ridiculously long. But this day, we went early, a little before 10 and there was lots of parking space and tables!

Food: 5/5
If this place doesn't constitute as the best dim sum ever, I don't know what does (well, with exception of the wicked place my Aunt took me to in HK. THAT was rockin 5/5 stars). Everything came on sparking white plates, beautifully arranged and mm mm good. I think we had 7 dishes. The usual .. har gow, mini bbq pork buns, fried squid, shrimp spring rolls, deep fried tofu, chicken feet, etc.

Service: 5/5
Service here is great. They pay attention to minor details, like clearing your plates should you have scraps on it; checking if your tea pots are filled up; promptly removing empty plates. There's no loud clanging of dishes like at other smaller dim sum places. Our dishes came out exceptionally fast (it's one of those places where you have to mark it down on paper), maybe 5 minutes after we ordered it.

Atmosphere: 3.5/5
This place used to be an Italian restaurant, which explains the old Victorian style everything in the place. I don't like going up stairs to get to my seat, and I had to walk up a flight for our table. The decor was fancy but I wasn't particularly fond of it. Thing is, you could TELL everyone around you was a bit well off; this place wasn't cheap and you're not gonna find loud cheap people here so it was nice and relaxing. Didn't hit up the restroom but Mom heard rumours that it's haunted (boo!)

Price/Value: 4.25/5
There's no denying: this place is not cheap. But, the food and service certainly do not disappoint. I have to say this is the best dim sum place I've had in Canada. I may not be able to tell the difference between this place and something better, but I can definitely tell the difference between this place and our usual place. Surprisingly, the damage for 4 people was only $55 + tips. Quite reasonable, I would think. Dinner may be another story tho.

Overall dining experience: 4.25/5
I have to admit, damn good food and good service. Had a splendid time here with my family and I would like to go back. Not all the time, but maybe for special occasions. Good luck paying the bill for those who have their wedding here .. we saw $800-$1800/table wedding packages here ;)

I just read Derek Miller's last post.

I cried :(

So I was cleaning up some stuff in my room and came across an old paper that had a list of badminton rankings from waaaay back when. I was ranked 16th one year in the city in my age and gender group! Incredible ..

Went through some old OFSAA stuff I kept around .. brings back so many memories. After (some failed) googling to try to find an online version of some stats, I came across an article that said Roger Wallis and his wife were retiring from coaching badminton. So sad, they were such wonderful people. I met Roger a few times in my tournaments in high school and he was always such a great person to talk to. I remember I went to the Toronto District Championships in my last year for OFSAA qualifiers .. he spotted me easily and exclaimed how fat my racket handle was (I put like, 2 wads of grip on it). Wished me good luck and I ended up winning it that year. Good times.

Have fun in your retirement Roger, you deserve it! Hope our paths will cross again one day.

I was donating to Steve's annual Becel Ride for Heart event, and for some reason my old high school shop and computer science teacher came to mind. I had found out only after some years that he had passed away and I was very saddened by it. If I knew of his passing I would have attended the funeral services.

He had a knack for making sure people didn't fuck around with him. He'd yell a lot, call idiots in the class obscene body parts but still making it legal. My first encounter with him was in Grade 9 shop class. I was only 1 of 3 girls in that class. He made sure we were well looked after and always answered our questions first. Sexist? You betcha. But he was one of my favourite teachers. I ended up with the only 90 in that class and I was ecstatic (I DID earn it tho .. those drawings were hard).

I had him again for Grade 10 Computers. Granted his teaching ways weren't always the best, but if you asked, he always told you what you needed to do to get high marks. And that I did. Only a handful of us asked what we needed to do for the 10 page essay. He said just write about ANYTHING. Pictures are good too. So we did that, and 100% we got.

I remember he always smelled of coffee. He'd always be sipping some from his mug. He told me why the ink on the papers I submitted had lines running through them. He told me the difference between good and crappy pencil lead. He's also the one who said I should scream like a crazy maniac instead of keeping quiet should I ever saw my finger off in shop.

3 teachers in class have ever made me blush real hard, and he was one of them.

RIP Mr. Silzer .. you will always be remembered.

His obituary.

Product Reveiw: JVC HAEB75 Sports Clip Headphones

In the past 3 years I've owned a few sets of earphones. The standard iPod earphones that came with my iPod are about 3 years old now and still working. They aren't really that bad, but I say that only because my ears are small and encasing it in those foamy covers help keep them in my ear. I bought 2 pairs of earphones in Hong Kong last year for ridiculous prices. $8 for a pair of Sony in-ear earphones, which I use at work to prevent coworkers from hearing my obnoxious music (and fit quite comfortably for my small ears) and $15 for a pair of Bose in-ear earphones (which retail for $100+ here!). The Bose ones are VERY nice and I bought them on recommendation from a friend. I bought a 2nd pair for the bf and he really likes them.

But no matter which pair of earbuds I have bought so far, they will not stay in my ear while working out. My left ear is just .. deformed?? Ok maybe not deformed but let's just say that no earbud will firmly stay in my ear while I'm moving. The iPod earphones have fared the best so far, since all the foam covers I plaster on it help keep them in my ear. But needless to say, after about 2 minutes of running, the left one will eventually wiggle out and I'll have to pop it back it in. The Sony and Bose ones, while good for sitting (and good for people with "normal" ears), pop out of my ear while WALKING, so forget trying to exercise with them.

I don't know how I endured this for so long but eventually one day I thought maybe I should invest in something different. I chose to search on Amazon because I find they have more customer reviews than other websites (i.e FutureShop/BestBuy) .. and I find them more accurate and helpful. The funny thing is that there are NO reviews on the Amazon.ca site but the Amazon.com site has many reviews for the same product! I guess it's just a bit of a hassle trying to figure out which earphones are good and also checking to see if it's available on the Canadian website.

It was either between this pair or the Philips SHS3200 earphones. These were cheaper so in the cart it went. It arrived about 2 weeks after I ordered it.

Comfort/Fit: 4/5
The ear pieces have a simple adjustable piece to fit all ears, which is kind of nice. I had my first run with it today, and it was fantastic not having to shove the earpiece back in my ear every 3 minutes! I didn't have to adjust it once (I habitually kept nudging it to make sure it was there ..). The earbud itself has a little plastic ridge on it (I guess to help keep it in your ear?). After a period of wearing it (1hr+ for me), you do feel a bit of ear pain .. but that seems to be the only downside of it so far. I'd rather take this but not have to adjust my earphones all the time!

Durability/quality: N/A
I've only had these for a few days so I can't really comment yet. I'm not one of those people who excessively sweat and so hopefully no short circuiting should occur. I frequently catch the cord on random things like chairs and it causes a tug on the cord so hopefully these will hold up. The cord is average length .. good enough for me.

Sound quality: 4/5
The sound quality on these earphones are decent! Comparable to my Bose ones, actually. My music has average treble/bass (although I've heard of some distortion happening with bass-heavy music). My rock music fares pretty well on it (and anything treble-heavy). I don't adjust any of my AV settings on my player and the sound comes out quite clear.

Overall rating (so far): 4/5
For $20, I find these earphones to be a bang for their buck so far. Granted I haven't had them for very long but so far they're exceeding my expectations. I was willing to plunk down $50 for a decent pair. These fit my ears and stay on my ears while working out. They're relatively comfortable and look decent (not the best looking pair but let's not nit-pick now). The sound quality is pretty good (for my music) too.

News articles like these always give me chills. But I always read them for some reason ..
I really wish that the justice system worked in an "eye for an eye" fashion in these cases. So the jerk off who did this would get to experience the cruelty of his own crimes.

I hope he burns in hell.

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/962101--911-call-recorded-attack-as-woman-sexually-assaulted-strangled?bn=1

Vegas 2011: Tips to share

Vegas 2011 was my (and every one else's) first visit to Sin City. Here are some tips:

- Plan. At least a bit. Like which hotels/areas you'll hit up each day and how you'll get there. You'd be surprised at how quickly time flies by

- Transportation. If you're lucky (and rich), your hotel is smack in the middle of the strip. We, on the other hand, were at the bottom end of the Strip. The Strip is about 5 miles long and walking it is a pretty long way. The Deuce/Express bus is a good (read:cheap) option to get from bottom to top, and so is the monorail.

- Cab rides are not cheap. Some are there to rip you off. If you are further north than Tropicana, it's cheaper to take a shuttle bus to your hotel from the airport.

- Budget. Food costs money. Gambling costs money. Beer costs money. Transportation cost money. Everything costs money. Goes hand in hand with planning. Figure out what places you'll blow your $ on .. and try not to bet your first born kid and your house.

- Beer is cheap in the little beer/souvenir stores on the Strip. Yes, it is real beer. Yes, it is cheap, and YES you can drink it on the street! Double your beer intake by buying it in the store and not in the hotels.

- Stamps are a rip off at the hotel concierge. They charge you double, as I've found out. I found a beer/souvenir shop that has a stamp vending machine!

- Forget the north end of the strip. Like anything near Circus Circus/Sahara (which is closing down)/Riviera/Trump. They are lame and time-wasting.

- Go to the Las Vegas Premium outlet mall and buy craploads of clothes! (and don't waste your time at the outlet center at the bottom of the strip)

- Watch the Bellagio fountains at night (try not to fall in if you're drunk). If possible, watch it from the Eiffel Tower in Paris hotel.

- Eat at Bouchon in Venetian. Don't get the french toast (not so great), but get the chicken and waffles and a cup of coffee (excellent food).

- Best bathrooms are in Palazzo

- Be serenaded in a gondola in the Venetian ($16/person)

- Eat a dessert or bakery item from Jean Philippe Patisserie. And drool at the fondue fountain!

- Visit Freemont St at night time. It's pretty cool and free.

- Buffets at Wynn/Bellagio are expensive and overrated. But try at least one.

- The nicer the hotel, the less smoke smell you'll find in the lobby/casino area. For example, Bellagio has a soapy scent while New York New York reeks of smoke.

- Best indoor areas (casino/shopping/lobby) are Paris, Venetian, Palazzo, Bellagio, Mirage and Cosmo. Nods also to Luxor, Aria, and Mandalay Bay.

- If your flight is quite a while after check out, most hotels let you leave your luggage with them for free. Just don't gamble or lose your luggage ticket!

- DO NOT FORGET TO BRING YOUR ID.

- If you get a chance, go visit Red Rock Canyon and Grand Canyon. Something to see at least once in your lifetime.

Vegas 2011: The Detailed Itinerary

Recently, the 4 of us hit up Vegas to check out the sights. When you go completely ad hoc I think you waste a lot more time and money, so we did our research (and budgeting). Here's what we came up with (sched updated from what was planned to what was actually done):

Date	Activities for the day	Food $	Activity $
Saturday	- Check into hotel	$0	Cab ride: $26 Total food: $0
Sunday	- M&M’s World - Visit Excalibur & Luxor - Shark Reef Aquarium @ Mandalay Bay - Bellagio Fountains - Pick up water and snacks for roadtrips @ Walgreens	Breakfast: $5 @ La Salsa Cantina Lunch: $10 @ Sandwich place Dinner: $40 Bellagio Buffet dinner	Casino: $50 Shark Reef: $16 Water and snacks: $20 Total food: $75
Monday	- Pick up car - Hoover Dam - Red Rock Canyon - Ethel M Chocolate Factory	Breakfast: $10 @ diner Lunch: $10 @ In n Out Burger Dinner: $25 @ Il Fornaio (New York New York)	Hoover Dam parking: $7/car Red Rock Canyon: $13/car Total food: $45
Tuesday	- Grand Canyon	Breakfast: $5 @ McD's Lunch: $15 @ local food court Dinner: $10 for 50 nuggets @ McD's	Entrance fee: $25/car Total food: $20
Wednesday	- Las Vegas Premium Outlet - Las Vegas Outlet Ctr - Come back to hotel	Brunch: $15 @ IHOP Dinner: $30 @ Trevi (Cesars Palace)	Total food: $45
Thursday	- Return car - Take the Deuce/Express bus to Stratosphere - Bonanza Gifts - World’s largest Circus @ Circus Circus - Visit Riviera & Sahara hotels - Pensky Wynn Ferrari & Maserati @ Wynn - Sirens @ TI - Freemont St	Breakfast: $10 @ diner Lunch: $10 Dinner: $45 buffet dinner @ Wynn ($34.95 + tax/tips)	Casino: $50 Deuce fare: $7 for all day pass Maserati Entrance fee: $10 Total food: $60
Friday	- Visit Venetian, Harrah’s, Casino Royale, Imperial Palace, Palazzo - Visit the Fashion Mall - Wildlife Habitat @ Flamingo - Return to hotel to change into nice clothes - Cirque @ 9:30pm	Breakfast: $5 @ cafe Lunch: $15 @ CheeseCake Factory (Cesars Palace) Dinner: $50 @ Julian Serrano (Aria)	Casino: $50 Total food: $65
Saturday	- Check out at 11am - Mirage Volcano - Coca cola store - Visit Mirage, Bellagio, Aria, Cosmopolitan, - Eiffel Tower @ Paris hotel - Flight home	Brunch: $25 @ Bouchon (Venetian) Dinner: $25 @ Jevos (Cosmopolitan)	Casino: $50 Eiffel Tower: $11 Total food: $50 Taxi to the airport $14

A summary of each day:

Saturday
- We got ripped off by a cabbie. He took the long way to our hotel and made some big spiel about tipping the cabbie. Everyone wanted to shoot him and stuff him in his trunk and blow the cab up. Don't mention it to the others again or they'll just shake their heads and get started on it. I hope he burns in hell.

Sunday
- La Salsa Cantina has a cheap $4 breakfast which consists of eggs, bacon/sausage, home fries and 2 tortillas. Unfortunately it didn't taste too great. The water had some serious chlorine issues with the taste, the egg tasted watered down or tasted like egg substitue, and the corn tortillas were eh (maybe flour tortillas taste better) and the sausage was oily (but expected). The only DECENT thing we had was the side of Texas toast that we ordered.
- M&M's world is cool. 4 levels of ... M&M's related stuff.
- There is a tram between Excalibur, Luxor and Mandalay Bay. Make use of it.
- There is a patisserie called Jean Philippe Patisserie and they have locations in a few hotels. The desserts are mouthwatering and they have a wide selection of bakery items. If you get a chance, grab a dessert here and buy some bakery items home!
- The "shark reef aquarium" at Mandalay Bay is nice but not really worth $16. We took about 45 minutes to walk through it and we were walking pretty slow and spent a good 15-20 minutes at the sting ray interactive exhibit (you get to touch sting rays and other aquatic animals). The glass tunnel at the end was cool tho - you see all the fish swim about. We spent a good 5-10 minutes sitting here and staring at the fish.
- Bellagio fountains are pretty to watch during the day but even more beautiful to watch at night.
- Bellagio buffet dinner is nice but overrated.
- There are Walgreens and CVS pharmacies on the strip. It's good (and cheaper) if you need to buy snacks/food.

Monday
- In n Out Burger is overrated. But cheap. Fries and shakes are decent.
- Hoover Dam is nice to see. But it is just a dam .. good thing it's only 45 min away.
- Red Rock Canyon is beautiful. Do make the trip out to see it!
- We missed all the production in Ethel M chocolate factory because we got there right at closing. Would have been cool to see chocolate moving along the conveyor belt. Had some friends try the chocolate, they say it tastes like any other chocolate so not sure if you want to fork over $ to buy chocolate there.
- Food in Il Fornaio in New York New York was TERRIBLE. It's got to be some of the worst Italian food I've ever had. The guys thought it was decent because they were starving but I thought it was pretty bad .. comparable to Sbarro (never eating there again either). Portions were small, the tomato sauce on our spaghetti was watery and tasteless, cannelloni was sloppily put together and too cheesy (maybe it's like that?).

Tuesday
- Grand Canyon is quite a sight to see. Go see if you have a chance. We went to the south rim on advice from the car rental lady at the hotel. Heard that the west rim is owned by the Indians and they may restrict you on what you can do. But also heard that the general sights at south rim are more spectacular. Make sure you make good use of the free bus rides to different view points. I would suggest you get there early to go to as many points as possible.

Wednesday
- IHOP has pretty good breakfasts, I have to admit. My first and only time there and it did not disappoint. I had a giant omelet that came with pancakes. Other ordered waffles, and strawberry pancakes and everyone enjoyed their food. Way better than Denny's.
- Las Vegas Premium Outlet mall (near Freemont st) trumps Las Vegas Outlet mall any day. The premium outlet mall is like Shops of Don Mills - all the shops are outdoors and in a nice complex. It was a beautiful day for us so it made the experience that much better. You could seriously spend a whole day here shopping and prices were dirt cheap so allocate a day here!
- Trevi @ Cesars was decent Italian food. Definitely better than Il Fornaio.

Thursday
- Deuce/Express bus that runs along Las Vegas Blvd is a very nicely run transit system. $5 for 2 hrs or $7 for all day (week/month options available too). Runs frequently and there are informational things at the stops that shows which one stops at which stops. Cheap way to get to the north end of the Strip or to go to Freemont St/Premium outlet.
- Bonanza Gifts is a tacky souvenir store. Great if you want cliche or tacky or gag souvenirs. Not good if you want nice meaningful souvenirs. It is a huge store tho .. you could spend a good amount of time laughing at the gag souvenirs.
- Circus Circus, Riviera and Sahara are LAME hotels, Circus Circus being the lamest of them all. I don't know how this place continues to stay in business but I wouldn't waste money returning to this place if I ever come back to Vegas.
- Pensky Ferrari & Maserati has NICE cars. OBVIOUSLY. But for $10 to see 2 dozen nice cars but not be allowed to take pictures, not sure if it's worth it. That and everything in the gift shop is absurdly priced - $50 for a TSHIRT. REALLY? $20,000 for a model car. REALLY?
- Sirens of TI is .. ok? It's a free show that lasts about 20 minutes and has fireworks and big booms so it wasn't that bad (much better than the lame shows at Cesars).
- Wynn buffet dinner is also overrated. And overpriced. Similar selection as Bellagio but food here tasted better. AND they had a better dessert area. But still .. $35 + tax/tips is kinda pricey. Unless you can eat like 20 pounds of snow crab.
- Freemont St is kinda cool. Take the Deuce/Express bus up. Takes about 45 min from the bottom of the strip but it's worth the ride. It's cool seeing the lighted ceiling and there's a lot of random stores/restaurants/sights to see.

Friday
- Venetian and the Palazzo are NICE hotels. Mirage is nice too. Others are meh. But visit them anyways .. what else are you going to do besides blow your RRSP's at the tables?
- Go visit Jean Philippe Patisserie again for dessert. It's worth it.
- Wildlife Habitat @ Flamingo is a lot smaller than we thought it was. But it's free, so go check it out anyways.
- Fashion Mall is a good place to go shopping, especially if you're not able to hit up the outlets. You could easily spend half a day in there.
- Julian Serrano was really good. At least, I liked it. Our waitress was really nice and helpful. Food was delicious.
- Cirque was .. weird? Saw Ka and it was a random collection of acrobatics, acting and cool special stage effects. No storyline whatsoever. See a different show instead.

Saturday
- Had lunch at Bouchon in Venetian. Got to be the best brunch we've ever had. I ordered french toast and didn't like it too much but their chicken and waffles is FAB (never heard of chicken/waffles til now. Seen it many times in menus). Their coffee is also FAB and I bought a bag of grind home (their cappuccino, not so much).
- Mirage volcano is a cool sight. It's free, so check it out
- Coca Cola store is cool, check it out. You can get a picture with the polie bear lol
- Cosmopolitan is quite a nice hotel. Check it out. Other hotels are quite nice, but I think Mandarin Oriental is only a hotel (while all the others have a casino and shops).
- Eiffel Tower is worth the money, especially if you go at night. You can see the entire strip lit up, and if you're lucky you can catch the Bellagio fountain show. If you're even more lucky you'll get to see a proposal in the works! While we were there a guy proposed to his gf and it was a cute sight to see. We waited about 10-15 min line and there were not that many ppl in front of us. Potential to be a long wait so make sure you're not tight on time when you visit (or you can buy the "priority" ticket which gives you first access to the single elevator (which can fit like 11 ppl), but it's more expensive.

Foodie Blog: Sakura Sushi Japanese Restaurant

An additional comment to the Sakura Sushi Japanese Restaurant from my post last year:

We went here yesterday and ordered volcano rolls. It was DELICIOUSSSSSSSS! It is pretty much cucumber roll with a giant blob of spicy crab and tobiko on top. It's a bit pricey at around $15-16 for the maki roll (you get 8 pieces but sometimes they're really generous and give you 10, as we've found out with some other rolls). If you go here, make sure you order it, it is definitely worth the money.

Foodie Blog: Ga Bin Korean Restaurant

Ga Bin Korean Restaurant
633 Silver Star Blvd
Scarborough, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Korean
Date visited: March 2011

We had just finished a movie and it was kind of late (9:30). The places that are usually open late are asian places. We hadn't been along Silver Star Blvd for a while so we decided to hit up that area again. We narrowed it down to either Ga Bin or LemonGrass. Guess who won.

Food: 4.25/5
Since it was kind of late and we weren't absolutely starving, we ordered some soup dishes. Well first we asked for an order of steamed dumplings. This was before we were brought a set of mini appetizers that's so traditional of Korean cuisine. D'oh! I polished off the japchae instantly and we ate from most of the dishes (except for the seaweed .. I wasn't fond of it and neither was the bf). Our dumplings came .. on a plain white plate but placed eloquently. I ordered gamjatang and the bf ordered a hot and spicy soup. They came out on sizzling hot stone bowls some 10 minutes later (his looked like boiling lava .. seriously). I really enjoyed my soup. It was very flavourful and a tad spicy but there was soooo much meat I think I only ate less than half. The bf really enjoyed his soup but I found it too spicy. The portion size was good too.

Service: 3.75/5
Our waiter was nice but after we ordered he didn't come by to refill our tea (it came in tiny cups!!) except to give us our dumplings and soup.

Atmosphere: 3/5
Don't expect much decor from this place. It's pretty plain and white, with a dozen tables set up. There are 2 large tv's mounted on opposite sides of the wall. At least it was clean. OH the placemats had 'learn Korean' phrases on it. I thought that was kind of cool! There was Korean/Chinese/English translations (Korean does look a bit complicated).

Price/Value: 4.5/5
We were pretty full after our appetizer and 2 soups. Add on top the free mini appetizers they give you (about 6-7 dishes). Total damage was $22 for 2 people. Tips was $25. Pretty good for dinner.

Overall dining experience: 4/5
We were quite impressed with the soups we ordered. I remember coming here almost a year back and ordered bibimbap and bulgogi and it was good too. The server was quiet and polite and the food was decent. I didn't care too much about the decor and didn't get a chance to see the washroom. Food came promptly and the value was good. They had japchae (eeeee!!!!) so it looks like we will be coming back!!

Foodie Blog: 5th Elementt

5th Elementt
506 Queen Street West
Toronto, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Indian, Eclectic
Date visited: February 2011

My coworker went here with her s.o for Valentine's day and had a wonderful time. We decided to team up and do a double date since there was a promo going on - $29.95 for a 3 course prix fix menu for 2 people!

Food: 4.5/5
For appetizer, there was choice of: Rack of Lamb (with creamy potato salad and lamb jus), Salmon Wrapped Scallops (with tomato salsa and soy glaze), Masala Fried Basa Fillet (with chipotle sauce and mint chutney), Mango & Clementine (with feta cheese and masala dressing), Potato Pappri Chaat (with yogurt mint chutney and tamarind chutney), and Vegetable Samosa Melt (with mozzarella Cheese and basil tomato sauce). I got the Vegetable Samosa and it was fab. It was wonderfully spiced, the spiciness was perfect and the portion was very generous. Bf got the seared scallops and it was good too (but not as good as mine :) )

For entree, there was choice of: Pan Grilled Atlantic Salmon (with bengali curry sauce), Kaima Stuffed Tandoori Chicken Supreme (with creamy butter chicken sauce), Braised Lamb Shank (with garam masala infused tomato lamb sauce), Baseball Steak 8 oz (with vindaloo sauce/fries), Truffle Infused Stuffed Mushroom Korma (with saag paneer and daal makhani). I got the grilled salmon and it was very tender and moist inside. sauce was a different touch but very good. I'd have to say it was one of the better tasting fish meals I've had. Bf got the steak (surprise surprise!) but he thought it was quite nicely done. Vindaloo sauce was quite the kick and I didn't have much since it pushed my heat button. Fries were very tasty (and a generous portion not to mention).

For dessert there was choice of: Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake, Carrot Halwa with Raspberry Sorbet, and Blueberry Cheese Tart. I got the cheese tart. It was ok, didn't blow me away and I don't think I ended up finishing it because it was very rich. Bf got the peanut butter cake (surprise surprise!) and it was really sweet (maybe too sweet).

My appetizer blew me away and my entree was very delicious, so this place gets a good food standing in my books.

Service: 3.75/5
Our waiter was nice but nothing stood out about him. Didn't come by too often but we didn't need to top off our water either.

Atmosphere: 3.5/5
For the four of us, we got seated in a tight fitting booth. Since it was winter time, we had our jackets and the bf and I also had a small bag with us, so stacking all of our stuff in the corner made the roominess very close. There's not much room between the table and the seat so you're quite squished. I'm a small person so I didn't have a problem, but for someone bigger, they would need to a seat at a different table. I found it VERY dark in there and it wouldn't hurt to give more light. Atmosphere was nice and casual, not too loud or mousey quiet. Didn't visit the bathrooms.

Price/Value: 4.5/5
I'm giving this a good review because of the $29.95 for 2 people deal. I don't know how much a meal like this would have cost but it's an even better deal than Winterlicious (they used to be on this I think). The food was delicious and was a good bang for your buck.

Overall dining experience: 4/5
The food was great but it was a bit dark. I didn't have to yell across the table to talk to others and that's definitely a plus. I was quite squished in the limited booth space, but if it was summer it'd be a lot easier minus the jackets taking up space. If they can repeat the food quality and if it was summer time, I'd like to come back and see what else is on their menu (or try to score another deal!)

Foodie Blog: Hopper Hut

Hopper Hut
880 Ellesmere Rd
Toronto, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Sri Lankan, Indian
Date visited: February 2011

So after much nagging to try some of his soul food, I convinced the bf to go to Hopper Hut for dinner. We thought it was take out only but turns out there's a dining area tucked in the back!

Food: 3.5/5
Staring at the menu was a challenge. Everything was new to me and all I could do was point to the pictures and ask "what's that? Is it good?" I wanted to try something I've never had, so no biryani. We started off with mango lassi, ulunthu vadai (a mini donut flour-y thing), cutlet (a veggie blob that tastes kind of fried?), patties (mini meat dumpling things) and a milk hopper. The hopper was quite good, and I really enjoyed the cutlet. We ordered one pittu with mutton curry and another with shrimp curry. The mutton curry was good (spicy!!!) but the shrimp not so much (the shrimp was barely warm). The pittu was an interesting new concept to me. Good but it was kind of hard to eat! Wasn't very soft. I ate with my hands the entire time! Me so proud .. :). Overall I thought the food was ok .. wasn't great (but the appetizers were yummy!). The bf on the other hand, thought the food was sub-par and did not want to return.

Service: 2.75/5
Although the people who came by our table were nice enough, their visits were infrequent and we always had to flag them down. Bf ordered in Tamil so I have no idea what was said lol.

Atmosphere: 3.5/5
The dining area was hidden away but it's actually bigger than I thought. There were maybe 10 tables, some big and some small. Our table was quite luxurious that could seat 4. Didn't use the washroom but there's a small sink area where you could just wash your hands. I thought the cutlery was quite nice.

Price/Value: 4/5
You get a pretty good bang for your buck here I guess. With all the appetizers, mango lassi's (they only charged us one but gave us two), and the 2 main pittu dishes, we paid $30. I was beyond stuffed and the 2nd pittu dish was really pushing us to the edge. If we ordered more appetizers then just the one pittu would have sufficed.

Overall dining experience: 3.25/5
So I have to give bf the upper hand here. He did not enjoy the food here. I, meanwhile, thought it was ok and wouldn't mind trying it again but I don't think that will be happening. The only problem is that we can't find other Sri Lankan restaurants that have dine in and not just take out. I guess we'll have to keep looking or else I'll just have to come get my appetizers to go.

Foodie Blog: Jean's Vegetarian Kitchen

Jean's Vegetarian Kitchen
1262 Danforth Ave
Toronto, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Vegetarian Chinese, Thai
Date visited: February 2011

I read a review about this restaurant in the Toronto Star a few months back and wanted to try it. It's not exactly in our usual spots of splat in the middle of downtown or in the east end so it had better be well worth the drive. Fortunately the bf was willing to try it .. yay!

Food: 3.75/5
We started off with a pumpkin soup because I heard a good review about it. And wow, was it ever good! Distinct taste of coconut (so I knew this wasn't going to be good for my health). I ordered a red curry with vegetables (mock meat options available) and the bf ordered some kind of noodle dish. The food came lightning fast .. my first thought was that the portions were TINY. I mean, the bowls they came in were small. My curry was a little more watery than I enjoy it but there was lots of veggies and tofu to go with it. Bf's dish came with an abundance of veggies but looking at it at first glance I didn't even know there were noodles hiding underneath. In fact there wasn't a lot of noodle. But at the end we were actually quite full. I guess you could say these were "normal" sized portions, compared with the insanely large portions you're usually used to. Also ordered tapioca pudding for dessert. I think it's the first time I've EVER ordered this and it was reeeeally good!

Service: 4/5
Service here was quite decent. There were 3 different people who tended to us. The first guy I think is the owner and while nice, didn't give us the super friendly vibe as the waitress who took our plates. The other guy was quite polite too. They were quick to bring us our food, drinks and the bill.

Atmosphere: 3.75/5
This place is nice and quaint. Very small, maybe a dozen small tables, if even that. I wasn't too fond of the steep staircase to go to the washroom but I have to admit that the washroom was decent (although one of the unisex stalls spewed out freezing cold water, the bf reported). Decor was nice - we sat right by the cashier and they had some cool statues. The restaurant had a clean, quaint feeling. But I found that with all the "stuff" on our table made it very cluttered - individual (oversized) plates, our dishes, water, teapot, tea cups, cutlery.

Price/Value: 3.75/5
The food was decently priced, and even tho I was full after the meal, the portion size did not settle too well. It just seemed small! We ended up paying around .. $35 for 2 people for a soup, 2 mains and dessert, which is quite reasonable.

Overall dining experience: 3.75/5
The food here was good despite the small portions. I really feel that the noodle dish could have used more noodles! I was really impressed with the soup and the tapioca pudding. We found that parking was a BIIITCH here. The closest green P (public) parking is a good 5-10 minute walk to the restaurant. The day we went was bitterly cold and we managed to squeak onto street parking. I think I'd like to give this place another chance (but, maybe when it's warmer and we can walk from the public lot!)

Foodie Blog: Queen Mother Cafe

Queen Mother Cafe
208 Queen Street West
Toronto, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Laos, Thai
Date visited: January 2011
www.queenmothercafe.ca

So after our India Palace stint, we saw some restaurants along Queen that looked good to try out. I chowhound-ed what places were good to eat and there were some recommendations on Queen Mother Cafe. I have to admit I was a bit skeptical after looking at their menu as it contains many different ethnic foods (including pasta, roti and meat loaf??) but we gave it a shot anyways.

Food: 4.5/5
I read that the Ping Gai was fantastic. And boy I have to vouch for it. I really think it's THE best chicken I've ever had. It is unbelievably tender and it came with a really nice spinach salad. The pyramid of rice was less than appetizing and the rice pyramid of Giza remained on my plate mostly untouched. The bf got Bah Me Hang and wow were these noodles really good! The flavour of the entire dish was really good and it had a nice kick to it too. The desserts in the dessert window looked mouthwatering but we passed up on it (the portions are also HUGE. The couple beside us got a slice of cake and it was a monstrosity).

Service: 3/5
We got seated near the door .. which means that you get forgotten a lot. I had to remind the waiter for hot water 3 times. To his credit he seemed genuinely busy and was really apologetic about not getting it the time before. But it kind of sucks when you're sitting right beside a window on the coldest day of the year without hot water. He didn't come by very often but when he did he was really enthusiastic.

Atmosphere: 3.75/5
This place does have a cafe feel to it (if you're sitting more "inside"). But it was a bit dark and it was bloody cold by the window (the bf was sitting over a heating vent so his butt was nice and toasty, as I was told). I think if we had gotten a booth or somewhere further in I would have rated it a bit better.

Price/Value: 3.5/5
The food here is a touch pricier than I had hoped. My Ping Gai chicken was $17 and bf's noodle dish was $14. Granted the food was delicious but it does border on the expensive side for us. The portions were quite decent and we were pretty stuffed after our meals (no appetizers).

Overall dining experience: 3.75/5
The food was really good but it was the service and the fact that I was freezing the entire time that I had to ding points off. Unfortunately we got seated by the giant window which will obviously be colder. Waiter could have been more frequent in tending to us and remembering our drinks. However I'd like to give this place another chance. Also unfortunately, India Palace sits right across from here so when I'm eating at one of these 2 places I'll be staring out the window looking at the other place :)

Foodie Blog: India Palace

India Palace
257 Queen Street West
Toronto, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Indian
Date visited: January 2011

So I was craving Indian food and thought we might deviate from our usual spot of Little India. There's a small cluster of Indian restaurants around the area so we decided to check out the menus of a few of them. This one caught our eye with the $2 salad lol.

Food: 4.5/5
The food was YUM. We started off with 2 salads (way too much in addition to the mains). Quite a decent sized plate of salad for $2! I don't remember what I ordered for my main but it was kind of a buttery paneer dish. By jove was it delicious! I like eating something in between butter chicken and vindaloo and this really hit the spot. The bf ended up getting a really nice spicy chicken curry and it was really good as well. The naan was hot and fresh (if you plan to order 2, order 1 at first and when you're near finishing, ask for another. Nothing beats eating piping hot naan). I had to order rice of course and you get a pretty generous portion. I ended up doggie bagging the rest of mine. The second time we went I think he got something he didn't quite like (it was too "sweet"). I ordered a masala chai and was not a fan. But my paneer did not disappoint.

Service: 4.5/5
I find that the service here is a tad better than at Little India. The waiters are a bit friendlier and are quite quick to tend to your needs.

Atmosphere: 4.5/5
India Palace has a nice Indian feel to it (I should hope so). The place is rather small (expected), but everything from the chairs to the table cloths to the colours to the dishware are very Indian like. The tables can get rather crowded with all the food you order! A table for 2 can baaaarely fit your water/beer, a plate of rice, two plates, two curries, and a basket of naan. But I guess that's just the nature of the food .. prob the same thing happens at a Chinese restaurant too where you might share dishes or have separate plates for this and that. I don't remember using the washroom but I think it is downstairs.

Price/Value: 4/5
The food here is reasonably priced (at least, compared with the other Indian places on King st). It's about $10 for a dish of curry and then another $2-3 for naan or rice. . Throw in a beer and it's about $40 for two people, which is quite reasonable. The portions look small but after you get through half of it you realize that the small little bowl of curry is more than enough.

Overall dining experience: 4/5
I really enjoyed my paneer dish (it's the only thing I get at Indian restaurants). The second time we went back I had to get it. The decor is nice and the staff are friendly. They're good at topping your water and quick to notice if something needs to be taken away from your table. We've already returned and I think we'll be returning again!

Linkin Park

WHOOOOO LINKIN PARK ROCKSSSSSS.

Went to the concert at ACC last night and it was fucking amazing! Saw them with my closest friends .. wouldn't trade it for anything :)

Setlist:
01. The Requiem
02. Papercut (Savio Intro)
03. Lying From You
04. Given Up
05. What I’ve Done
06. Empty Spaces
07. When They Come For Me
08. No More Sorrow
09. Jornada Del Muerto
10. Waiting For The End
11. Burning In The Skies
12. Numb
13. The Radiance (Live Version)
14. Breaking The Habit
15. Fallout
16. The Catalyst
17. Crawling
18. Faint
19. One Step Closer
—————————
20. Wisdom, Justice & Love
21. Iridescent
22. Shadow Of The Day (Happy Bday Phx afterward)
23. New Divide
24. In The End
25. Bleed It Out (APFMH over bridge)


I SWEAR they played Figure 09 in there somewhere .. it was fuckin awesome, I love that song!!!