up and down the mountain

One of the things I've realized about myself this past week is my lack of foresight. I'm a natural procrastinator with nearly all things (you know I'm really really really serious about something when I'm doing things way ahead of time), and lately, that's kinda bit me in the ass. I'm a weird type of procrastinator though - I get things done, and I get them done well for the most part. I don't forget things easily - it's just sometimes, I remember a little too late for comfort. And I'm learning these days that when something surprises me (such as something I've been procrastinating about, subsequently forgot, and remembered too close to the deadline), that I just have to relinquish my stupidity and recover as best as I can. Let's look at yesterday, for example.

9:00 - woke up a little later than usual due to extra tiredness, proceeded to cook breakfast, eat it, get ready, and assemble stuff for school

10:30 - drove to the park and ride, parked the car, walked a block to cambie stop for the 410

10:45 - while on the 410, I realize I forgot to print my assignment (which I totally finished the day before but got lazy and didn't proofread + print). I get off right away, take bus on the other side of the street.

11:00 - drove back home to proofread + print + curse at myself. I really wanted to catch my prof's office hours so I drove to school. (thus defeating my latest awesome mostly car-free streak)

I was pretty bummed out when I got to school due to the stress and my stupidity...but I was quickly cheered up by a surprise A and catching my prof five minutes before we had to start heading to class (thus solving my essay writing woes). The real moment of transition for me from "bummed out" to "normal" was hearing billie jean being blasted outside my prof's office while I was trying to tell him about how progressive the vietnamese legal system was in the early modern era. I had to stop and laugh, and he did too.

How I Met Your Mother - Barney's Bro Code

One of my favourite shows from recent years (which has not died, thank you very much) is the hilariously...wait for it...AWESOME "How I met your mother". The show is narrated by a guy named Ted, who's telling his kids (in 2030) about how he met their mother (with the action taking place in our current time). The show is a strange combination of The Wonder Years and Friends - except smarter and plays around a lot with time and continuity. The easiest comparison is to Friends - given the 20-something/early 30s cast and the NYC setting, but I have to say that HIMYM has a kind of heart that's always been lacking for me on Friends. Sure, Friends was hilarious at times, but it always felt sitcom-ny. I never cared for the characters (perhaps it's the years of Ross/Rachel stupidity), and it never felt grounded in any kind of emotional reality. Where Friends failed, HIMYM succeeds. Other than pure wise-cracking hilarity (as demonstrated in this clip), it also has the groundedness of the Lily/Marshall relationship (one of the most functional marriages seen on TV, really), Robyn and Ted's ultimately failed relationship (but successful friendship), and Ted's continuing quest for love - which has plenty of endearing bumps along the way. Check out this show on Monday nights if you haven't had the chance - it's virtually impossible to dislike. :) (Did I mention it features a Canadian character?)

seri malaysia - food porn

I had heard of seri malaysia many a time, but haven't had a proper excuse to eat all the way at hastings and nanaimo until krusty came to town. she has never had malaysian food - and if I remember correctly, this was her favourite meal out of all our meals in vancouver.

by the way, the restaurant has no ambience whatsoever. there was no music (which scared us a little bit), but once we tasted the food - it all became worthwhile. to demonstrate this: there were a couple of guys who entered the restaurant, and then clearly had second thoughts after not seeing any wait staff (there was one waitress total). they then proceeded to leave - but krusty and I "yelled" at them from our table: "don't go! the food is AWESOME!". and they stayed. :)

the owner (who is the chef) came to chat us up later too - I'll definitely be back to eat more.

onto the food porn:


mee goreng (with seafood)


beef rendang


kacang boncis (french beans cooked with prawn paste) - or better known as crack beans


chicken satay


roti canai (the best one I've had...EVER. flaky and light. oh my - i'm drooling.)

fat worms are delightful creatures

dear dad,
so you might not love this public letter-writing thing that I'm doing (don't worry, not that many people read this blog), but the reason I am publishing this online is because I want to encourage others to do something...which they'll find out about at the end of this entry.

this all started when I was digging through your mail - sorting out various house-related affairs - and I found a stack of old letters chocolate ball and I wrote you when we were younger. you were still working in hong kong at the time, and we were living in montreal. although I vaguely remember writing you, the memory of these letters didn't hit me until I physically touched them yesterday. being a huge marshmallow, and a nostalgic one at that, I obviously read through them all.

I sent you compositions about how I was marie curie's #1 fan (yes, those exact words...you remember my chemistry phase right?) and I wrote an entire mini-series in english based on the ever popular TVB series 刑事偵緝檔案. Of course, chocolate ball was an evil villain and I was the brilliant crime-stopping detective.

I laughed (yes, even out loud) and shook my head many a time while reading most of the letters...but a particular one just made me cry. I told you how much I missed you; how much our family felt incomplete without you in montreal, and asked for you to come home as soon as you could. I was struck by my own decade-old words...mostly because I realized how much I loved you at the time. That doesn't mean I don't love you now - of course I do - but it's a different kind of love. As an adult, I've grown to know you as a human being - weaknesses and all. You are no longer my superhero dad on a pedestal - and I'm so thankful to be able to know you in a very real (sometimes too real) way.

Reading those letters reminded me what a privilege it is to be your daughter - to have loved you for your superhero-like status as a child, and to love you for the loyal and kind friend that you are now, in my adulthood. through all this time, you have been my father - a father who has stood by me despite all my iniquities - and for that I thank you with my whole heart. I love you, Dad.

And for those reading this, here's your assignment - take some time to think about how your relationship with your dad has grown over the years... and maybe like me, you might want to tell him you love him too. :)

caffe medina

my friend krusty was in town for four days and clearly, it was a eating saga sequel!
after picking strawberries on her first afternoon here (see post below), we kicked off the next day with brunch at medina. it was a really fresh and delicious start to the day...I have yet to be disappointed by the brunch there.

*btw, all photos were taken by krusty. wormball kidnapped my camera for her trip.


why hello there! such a sexy sign.


still outside - waffles galore (speaking of which, their offering is mediocre. I much prefer patisserie lebeau on 2nd!)


gorgeous interior - the edge of the bar - lots of folks come in just to get a takeout coffee and/or waffle


more gorgeous interior - I love the colour combination of the space - and I love the tiles. I think the design is a big plus here.


cappucino (I had an americano...but it's not really photo-worthy.


oeufs cocotte - baked eggs on smoked black cod, asparagus, lemon roasted potatoes, and goat cheese, wuith shaved fennel and onion salad and grilled focaccia


la sante - soft boiled egg, heirloom tomato, avocado, prosciutto, extra virgin olive oil, and grilled focaccia


close-up of delicious prosciutto

Your Hand in Mine

This is one of those spur of the moment blog entries where I write because I was suddenly and spuriously inspired while driving on the highway, listening to the radio. There was some discussion about this local rock instrumental band (the Precious Fathers)...and how some of their fans are not so happy with the fact that there are no lyrics to their songs. And if you think about it, this is a rather strange complaint to make considering we don't say that about bach, mozart, or coltrane...

ANYWAYS. it's really the rock genre that's at issue. nobody writes instrumental rock, the commentators said, and true enough - there's not a lot of instrumental rock out there. but as they were lamenting this hole in the grand universe of music, I thought - EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY! they are this fantastic texan band that writes guitar riffs like no other...and I remember reading once - if you played their stuff loud enough, even the most mundane of tasks (like wallpapering) would be life-altering. That is the best description of their music I have ever heard.

And here they are, for your auditory pleasure, because great music (even without lyrics) is meant to be shared. I've chosen a live track as to prove to you they are FOR REALS.

strawberry fields forever