Stampede Time

A few weeks ago, I went to visit some old friends in 'Cowtown', AKA, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. One of my good friends had just moved there, I had a free ticket, and accommodation and food paid for, so it was a no brainer. On top of that, it was time for the Calgary Stampede, which is one of the truly Canadian Events that I have heard a lot about, but had never been to.

Calgary is basically a city in development. Given the proximity to abundant energy resources, it is just a matter of time before the infrastructure/population develops to the point where it becomes a major international destination. Unfortunately, there are very few social activities for people to partake in, other than the Stampede. Basically, it is a chance for Calgaryites to let themselves loose, and pretend like they are back in the old west. There is a huge fair put on at the stampede grounds, with a mainly agriculture theme. I don't think I have ever seen so many farm animals in one place at once. Lots of usual amusement park kind of things, like games, rides, and plenty of junk food. There are modern 'saloons' serving alcohol which are set up in tents around the ground which seemed pretty rowdy.

The main events which go on during the stampede everyday are the afternoon rodeo, and the evening chuckwagon race, followed by a stageshow and fireworks. While we missed out on the rodeo, we did get tickets for the race and evening show.

In all honesty, the chuckwagon race got a bit dull... essentially four horses are hitched to the front of a wagon and raced around the track at high speeds. It gets a bit repetitive after a while. Rather, we enjoyed the show/fireworks which followed. The show was a bit like 'Cirque de Soleil', with acrobats performing truly phenomenal physical feats, and even the fireworks were pretty good. All in all, it was a good day. :)

Bachelorlife Timings

Just some amusing timings I have noticed about myself, and are probably applicable to any single guy living alone.

When will he go out to buy household supplies?

When he is out of toilet paper...

When will he do his laundry?

When he is out of clean underwear...

When will he cook something?

When the fridge is completely empty.

When will he clean his place?

When he knows a pretty girl will be coming over.

Restaurant Review: Anatolias Gate

Anatolia's Gate Restaurant
7084 Kingsway
Burnaby, BC

Anatolias Gate is a Turkish Restaurant located in Burnaby. It had been recommended to me by a friend of mine, so when the opportunity came this past weekend to go there for another friends birthday celebration, I decided not to miss it.

Turkish food is somewhat of a fusion between Middle Eastern, and Mediterranean cuisines. You get spicy meat kebabs, and oven roasted breads combined with interesting uses of vegetables, and delightful desserts.

I ordered a Lamb Shish Kebab plate, which came with roasted Lamb Shish Kebab, Lavash Bread, Side Salad, Rice and Yogurt. Before this we had also ordered a unique type of appetizer, which basically was a vegetable casserole. I hadn't expected this, and must say it was done quite well.

The food was made fresh, and promptly, and I had no complaints. The portions were adequate, as we had out bellies filled. For dessert we rounded off with Baklava and Turkish Tea. The ambiance leaves a bit to be desired, as it isn't exactly an Arabian wonderland type of setting.

Location: 2.5/5
Service/Ambiance: 3/5
Food: 3.5/5

How adult are our parents?

Was watching the movie 'Delhi Belly' last weekend. For those of you who have not seen it, Delhi Belly is Bollywood Comedy, but what makes it unique is that it is one of the first mainstream Bollywood Movies which has humor which is truly 'Adult'. The characters speak in profanity laden sentences, and the humor is generally crude, dirty, and often related to sex. This is unlike 99% of Bollywood Movies which are generally family friendly entertainers. The movie is definitely pathbreaking, but won't be getting laughs from everyone.

Having been previously warned about the content matter, I decided to watch this movie a bit later at night, after my parents had gone to sleep. Unfortunately, the movie had me in stitches, and I was laughing quite loudly. My mom woke up, and walked into the living room only to be greeted by a scene where one of the main characters was engaged in an act which left him in an 'interesting' position, to say the least.

Mom was a bit shocked, and asked me what the heck I was watching... I sheepishly told her that this was an 'Adult' movie and that she probably wouldn't enjoy it... she gave me a bemused look, and I kind of realised that she technically IS an adult, just somewhere along the line, I seem to have forgotten that!

Sometimes we forget, our parents are 'Adults' too! They are much more mature, understanding, and generally better able to compromise than us, but sometimes we forget this. I am still not going to be comfortable watching 'Delhi Belly' with my parents, but its not because they are not 'Adult' enough, just that there is a generation gap, and my sense of humor is actually probably not as 'Adult' as theirs...