Its the Olympics, and I know I shouldn't be feeling blue, but I feel sick... not of the physical variety...
Sick of research... sick of Undergrads knocking on my office door... sick of answering questions about life I don't know the answer too... sick of people... sick of egos... sick of lies... sick of telling myself the glass is half full when I know its half empty... sick of putting on a smile for the world...
Sigh... I need a doctor.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
I-Buds and Bouncy Balls...
I was in a Fast Food restaurant a few days ago... after finishing my meal, I went to throw out the condiments into the garbage, and I noticed that by the trash can, there was one of those mechanical 'toy' dispensers. Basically, it is meant for little kids to put their change in, and out would pop a trinket for them to play with for a few days until they get bored with it.
Of course, when I was a kid, I had collected quite a few of these trinkets. The toys only cost $0.25, and I would end up with a toy car, maybe a candy, or my favorite, a small rubber bouncy ball (yes, I am a simple creature). So you can imagine my surprise when I noticed that the cost had gone up to $2.00, and even more interestingly, you don't get toys out of these machines anymore... for $2.00 kids can now buy earphones for their Ipods... 'Ibuds'!
Now I understand that times are changing, and kids are definitely more tech savvy than when I was a kid, and I was probably more tech saavy as a kid than my parents, and so on and so forth. But seriously? I sometimes wonder if kids even know what it is like to a 'non-virtual' toy, or actually go outside and play 'non-electronic' games. I have noticed that even my students have stopped using paper and pencil... most of them take their notes on a laptop, and 'jot' down information quickly into their cell phones. Perhaps I am getting old and cranky, but for some reason, this kind of worries me...
Keep your Ibuds kids... I prefer my rubber bouncy ball.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Restaurant Review: Stephos Greek Taverna
Stephos Greek Taverna
1124 Davie St
Vancouver, BC
Good food, good friends and good conversation. In my opinion, those three things are the key to a wonderful evening. While you will have to discover the latter two on your own, if you go to Downtown Vancouver, on Davie St, I guarantee you can find the first in plenty.
Stephos is one of Vancouvers most famous restaurants. It has become so legendary that no matter what day you go, you will always find a lineup of at least one hour outside. And believe it or not, it is absolutely worth it. I think Greek food is healthy, balanced and delicious, and at Stephos, this is even more so. The lamb dishes here are known to be the best on the West Coast, and the best part is, that the prices are extrodinarily reasonable. You can have one of the best meals in Vancouver for no more than $15, including a glass of wine. And by the way, I don't think I have ever had a meal in which the house wine complimented the main course so well.
On this occasion, I had a Souvlaki Platter, which consisted of skewered lamb, rice, pita/tzatziki sauce, and a salad, and as I said, the taste is definately the best Greek food in Vancouver. Although I have not yet tried it, I am told the Roast Lamb is heavenly, and I also would recommend you end the meal with a piece of Iki Miki (Baklava).
As for the latter two things I mentioned at the beginning of this review, on that particular evening, I was blessed with having them both in plenty, and although one of them was a bit inebriated, made for a memorable dining experience. ;)
1124 Davie St
Vancouver, BC
Good food, good friends and good conversation. In my opinion, those three things are the key to a wonderful evening. While you will have to discover the latter two on your own, if you go to Downtown Vancouver, on Davie St, I guarantee you can find the first in plenty.
Stephos is one of Vancouvers most famous restaurants. It has become so legendary that no matter what day you go, you will always find a lineup of at least one hour outside. And believe it or not, it is absolutely worth it. I think Greek food is healthy, balanced and delicious, and at Stephos, this is even more so. The lamb dishes here are known to be the best on the West Coast, and the best part is, that the prices are extrodinarily reasonable. You can have one of the best meals in Vancouver for no more than $15, including a glass of wine. And by the way, I don't think I have ever had a meal in which the house wine complimented the main course so well.
On this occasion, I had a Souvlaki Platter, which consisted of skewered lamb, rice, pita/tzatziki sauce, and a salad, and as I said, the taste is definately the best Greek food in Vancouver. Although I have not yet tried it, I am told the Roast Lamb is heavenly, and I also would recommend you end the meal with a piece of Iki Miki (Baklava).
As for the latter two things I mentioned at the beginning of this review, on that particular evening, I was blessed with having them both in plenty, and although one of them was a bit inebriated, made for a memorable dining experience. ;)
Service : 3/5
Ambiance/Location: 4/5
Food: 5/5
Helplessness...
The scenes that I have seen unfolding on the television in Haiti over the past few days have truly been heartwrenching. You cannot help but feel despair when you think about the kind of hell Haitians are being subjected to. I feel a special sense of despair being a Civil Engineer, and that too, one with a good knowledge of structural engineering. It frustrates you when you know that the knowledge to minimize death and destruction due to earthquakes exists, but unfortunately, not the political backbone or the financial resources.
They say an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. While I certainly encourage western governments and people to give wholeheartedly, I think it is time we took an effort to ensure everybody in the world has access to proper, safe infrastructure, as a human right and not a privellage. The west should exercise its influence to minimize corruption and provide the means to do so in countries such as Haiti, rather than just providing bandaid solutions later on. Of course, it is easy to say, and much more difficult to do, but I really hope that someday we develop the will to minimize the fallout from such natural catastrophes, rather than look onwards afterwards as helpless bystanders.
They say an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. While I certainly encourage western governments and people to give wholeheartedly, I think it is time we took an effort to ensure everybody in the world has access to proper, safe infrastructure, as a human right and not a privellage. The west should exercise its influence to minimize corruption and provide the means to do so in countries such as Haiti, rather than just providing bandaid solutions later on. Of course, it is easy to say, and much more difficult to do, but I really hope that someday we develop the will to minimize the fallout from such natural catastrophes, rather than look onwards afterwards as helpless bystanders.
Restaurant Review: The Mongolie Grill
The Mongolie Grill
467 W. Broadway
Vancouver, BC
It has been a looooong break between blogs, so decided to catch up a bit tonite. Firstly is a restaurant review for a place I went to a few weeks ago, 'The Mongolie Grill'.
Mongolian food is quite interesting to eat. Not so much in its taste, but in its preparation. You prepare the meal yourself, and have them cook it for you. So, essentially, the amount, taste, and ingredients are upto you. Which means if you are frugal, you can end up making a heafty sized meal for a low price. Essentially, you are given a bowl which you are allowed to pile up with as much noodles, meats, veggies and sauces as you want/can fit, and then hand it over to the chef, who grills the concoction up right in front of you. The benefit is that you get to see your food being prepared. The drawback is you can't complain if it doesn't taste good. The taste is really highly dependant on the types and amounts of sauces you put into your bowl. This time, I got Akila to make my bowl, so it ended up being scrumpcious. Past experiences have not always been so yummy.
The cost per bowl is $9.95, and with a bit of experience in making a bowl, you will be able to build yourself a tasty, filling meal. The taste is not quite chinese, or japanese, but quite unique. Bewarned however, that there are times when it takes quite a while for the food to reach from the grill to your table when there are alot of customers. So it might be a good idea to go during off-peak hours.
Service: 3/5
Ambiance/Location: 3/5
Food: 3/5
467 W. Broadway
Vancouver, BC
It has been a looooong break between blogs, so decided to catch up a bit tonite. Firstly is a restaurant review for a place I went to a few weeks ago, 'The Mongolie Grill'.
Mongolian food is quite interesting to eat. Not so much in its taste, but in its preparation. You prepare the meal yourself, and have them cook it for you. So, essentially, the amount, taste, and ingredients are upto you. Which means if you are frugal, you can end up making a heafty sized meal for a low price. Essentially, you are given a bowl which you are allowed to pile up with as much noodles, meats, veggies and sauces as you want/can fit, and then hand it over to the chef, who grills the concoction up right in front of you. The benefit is that you get to see your food being prepared. The drawback is you can't complain if it doesn't taste good. The taste is really highly dependant on the types and amounts of sauces you put into your bowl. This time, I got Akila to make my bowl, so it ended up being scrumpcious. Past experiences have not always been so yummy.
The cost per bowl is $9.95, and with a bit of experience in making a bowl, you will be able to build yourself a tasty, filling meal. The taste is not quite chinese, or japanese, but quite unique. Bewarned however, that there are times when it takes quite a while for the food to reach from the grill to your table when there are alot of customers. So it might be a good idea to go during off-peak hours.
Service: 3/5
Ambiance/Location: 3/5
Food: 3/5
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
How do you change an ideology?
Unfortunately I will start off with my first blog of the year on a bit of a depressing note... I suppose the biggest item in the news right now is the renewed emphasis on terrorism due to the bomb scare on the plane that was flying from Amsterdam to Detroit... I am quite thankful that I was able to get all my travelling done in 2009 before this incident. As I understand it, airline security is now absolutely horrendous. No more carry-on luggage, no more blankets, no more in flight location tracking, enhanced screening devices... all in the name of preventing more possible attacks.
But where does this all end? Just how many more measures can we put in place in the name of preventing terrorism? I am sure that at this rate, we will soon see the day where passengers are forcibly strapped to their seats in nothing but their underwear and the only in flight refreshment would be a glass of water which is sipped through a straw in the presence of a AK-47 bearing security officer. Is it really going to solve anything? Just how much more of our liberties do we give away in the name of counter-terrorism? And then what... once we have secured our planes, what about the dozens of other targets which could just as easily be attacked and destroyed by the 'evil doers'...
I suggest we go on the offensive. Not literally by guns and bombs, but by fighting the root cause of the problem. Not the terrorists, but the terrorist IDEOLOGY. I firmly believe that although human beings are naturally a bit crazy, there is always some reason for when we start to do things that are highly irrational, illogical, and dangerous. The way to curb the behavior is to diagnose the reason, or the cause, and not just protect ourselves from the symptoms... to simply blame the person as being crazy and fight with them is in neither individuals best interests... if you really want peace, you have to find out what it is the root cause of the problem and try and solve it. Killing one terrorist is only going to breed 10 more. Rather, you have to kill the terrorist ideology, and not just the terrorist. Generally, terrorism is bred out of poverty and a lack of education... the young men that are boarding these planes with the hopes of blowing them up these days typically are from good homes, with at least a basic level of education. And that is what makes this problem even scarier. Exactly what the grievences are and how you address them is beyond me, but I just feel that it is in the USAs best interest to swallow its pride and at least attempt to figure out just what it is which is causing all this animosity, rather than maintaining its status quo and ignoring the root cause of the problem.
The Obama administration promised to do things differently, and given that this is its first real test with regards to issues of national security, it will be interesting to see whether those words we heard 2 summers ago were just empty promises, or if politics in America has really changed.
But where does this all end? Just how many more measures can we put in place in the name of preventing terrorism? I am sure that at this rate, we will soon see the day where passengers are forcibly strapped to their seats in nothing but their underwear and the only in flight refreshment would be a glass of water which is sipped through a straw in the presence of a AK-47 bearing security officer. Is it really going to solve anything? Just how much more of our liberties do we give away in the name of counter-terrorism? And then what... once we have secured our planes, what about the dozens of other targets which could just as easily be attacked and destroyed by the 'evil doers'...
I suggest we go on the offensive. Not literally by guns and bombs, but by fighting the root cause of the problem. Not the terrorists, but the terrorist IDEOLOGY. I firmly believe that although human beings are naturally a bit crazy, there is always some reason for when we start to do things that are highly irrational, illogical, and dangerous. The way to curb the behavior is to diagnose the reason, or the cause, and not just protect ourselves from the symptoms... to simply blame the person as being crazy and fight with them is in neither individuals best interests... if you really want peace, you have to find out what it is the root cause of the problem and try and solve it. Killing one terrorist is only going to breed 10 more. Rather, you have to kill the terrorist ideology, and not just the terrorist. Generally, terrorism is bred out of poverty and a lack of education... the young men that are boarding these planes with the hopes of blowing them up these days typically are from good homes, with at least a basic level of education. And that is what makes this problem even scarier. Exactly what the grievences are and how you address them is beyond me, but I just feel that it is in the USAs best interest to swallow its pride and at least attempt to figure out just what it is which is causing all this animosity, rather than maintaining its status quo and ignoring the root cause of the problem.
The Obama administration promised to do things differently, and given that this is its first real test with regards to issues of national security, it will be interesting to see whether those words we heard 2 summers ago were just empty promises, or if politics in America has really changed.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Restaurant Review: Green Basil
Green Basil Restaurant
4623 Kingsway
Burnaby, BC
Okay, well, my parents are away, and I have been eating out alot, hence all the restaurant reviews. Back to a favorite, Green Basil Restaurant in Burnaby, located just across from Metrotown. They serve my favorite cuisine, Thai of course.
Green Basil, is very clean, very neat, and the service is excellent. It is (as unfortuantely most Thai places are) a bit on the pricier side, but I guess that is to be expected. Myself, and two of my friends ordered a combo, consisting of chicken skewers, soup, salad, green curry chicken, tiger prawns in a sweet and sour sauce, and chicken in black bean sauce, and ice cream for dessert (my apologies, as I forget the Thai names of all these dishes).
I never speak ill of the taste of Thai food, and this restaurant will live upto your expectations taste wise. The chicken skewers when dipped in peanut sauce are delightful, and I enjoyed the chicken/black bean combination in particular, as I had not tried it before. The soup was a bit bland compared to other Thai restaurants I have visited, but other than that, all the dishes were superb. Its a bit pricy, but still reasonable, compared to other Thai restaurants in greater Vancouver.
Service: 5/5
Ambiance/Location: 4/5
Food: 4/5
4623 Kingsway
Burnaby, BC
Okay, well, my parents are away, and I have been eating out alot, hence all the restaurant reviews. Back to a favorite, Green Basil Restaurant in Burnaby, located just across from Metrotown. They serve my favorite cuisine, Thai of course.
Green Basil, is very clean, very neat, and the service is excellent. It is (as unfortuantely most Thai places are) a bit on the pricier side, but I guess that is to be expected. Myself, and two of my friends ordered a combo, consisting of chicken skewers, soup, salad, green curry chicken, tiger prawns in a sweet and sour sauce, and chicken in black bean sauce, and ice cream for dessert (my apologies, as I forget the Thai names of all these dishes).
I never speak ill of the taste of Thai food, and this restaurant will live upto your expectations taste wise. The chicken skewers when dipped in peanut sauce are delightful, and I enjoyed the chicken/black bean combination in particular, as I had not tried it before. The soup was a bit bland compared to other Thai restaurants I have visited, but other than that, all the dishes were superb. Its a bit pricy, but still reasonable, compared to other Thai restaurants in greater Vancouver.
Service: 5/5
Ambiance/Location: 4/5
Food: 4/5
Monday, December 21, 2009
Restaurant Review: The Eatery
The Eatery
3431 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC
I used to absolutely detest sushi, and made fun of people who ate it... who in their right mind could enjoy raw fish... 3 years later, I am eating my words... I now ravenously consume the stuff, and am an absolute addict.
I got a chance to go out with some friends tonite to a upper-end sushi place, located close to the UBC campus on W. Broadway. 'The Eatery' restaurant, is sort of a funky, high end sushi place, with not quite your typical surroundings/ambiance. In fact, its more of a restaurant which has a club feel. I was not at all impressed with the service though... we had to wait about 45 min for our food to be brought to the table, which I think is unacceptable on a Monday nite.
In keeping with the theme of not quite being your typical sushi place, they offer some not so typical rolls... 'The Eatery' is probably the only place where you will find the 'KFC' (Fried Chicken) Roll, 'Mango' Roll, or the 'Jalapeno Popper' roll. And of course you can get your regular sushi rolls as well. However, all this funkiness comes at a price... the rolls here are quite expensive, starting at no less than $5 per roll, with the fancier ones being upto $8 per roll. So if you come, be prepared to shell out some dough.
I ordered a California roll, a Spicy Tuna roll, and just to fit in, decided to try a 'Jalapeno Popper' roll. No doubt the quality of the sushi is absolutely superb, much better than the cheaper sushi places. Honestly, I wasn't too impressed with the 'Jalapeno Popper roll' and I would have prefered to stick to the regular sushi rolls. Having said that though, my friend raved about his 'KFC' Roll, so perhaps the adventerous types should keep experimenting with the funkier rolls.
The sushi quality found here is superb, but I am still not convinced it is worth the money you pay out. But if you want to try sushi thats a bit 'out of the box', the by all means, stop by 'The Eatery' restaurant.
3431 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC
I used to absolutely detest sushi, and made fun of people who ate it... who in their right mind could enjoy raw fish... 3 years later, I am eating my words... I now ravenously consume the stuff, and am an absolute addict.
I got a chance to go out with some friends tonite to a upper-end sushi place, located close to the UBC campus on W. Broadway. 'The Eatery' restaurant, is sort of a funky, high end sushi place, with not quite your typical surroundings/ambiance. In fact, its more of a restaurant which has a club feel. I was not at all impressed with the service though... we had to wait about 45 min for our food to be brought to the table, which I think is unacceptable on a Monday nite.
In keeping with the theme of not quite being your typical sushi place, they offer some not so typical rolls... 'The Eatery' is probably the only place where you will find the 'KFC' (Fried Chicken) Roll, 'Mango' Roll, or the 'Jalapeno Popper' roll. And of course you can get your regular sushi rolls as well. However, all this funkiness comes at a price... the rolls here are quite expensive, starting at no less than $5 per roll, with the fancier ones being upto $8 per roll. So if you come, be prepared to shell out some dough.
I ordered a California roll, a Spicy Tuna roll, and just to fit in, decided to try a 'Jalapeno Popper' roll. No doubt the quality of the sushi is absolutely superb, much better than the cheaper sushi places. Honestly, I wasn't too impressed with the 'Jalapeno Popper roll' and I would have prefered to stick to the regular sushi rolls. Having said that though, my friend raved about his 'KFC' Roll, so perhaps the adventerous types should keep experimenting with the funkier rolls.
The sushi quality found here is superb, but I am still not convinced it is worth the money you pay out. But if you want to try sushi thats a bit 'out of the box', the by all means, stop by 'The Eatery' restaurant.
Service: 2/5
Ambiance/Location: 4/5
Food: 4/5
Restaurant Review: Thai Terrace
Thai Terrace Restaurant
2872 W. Broadway
Vancouver, BC
As almost everyone knows, my favorite cuisine in the world is Thai... I just love the taste of basil and coconut milk, and I find the food to be far less greasy and oily than other East Asian cuisines while still being flavorful. Which is why it is nice to be able to review a restaurant which is one of the best Thai places in Vancouver... Thai Terrace.
Thai Terrace is in my opinion the best 'Bang for your Buck' Thai restaurant in Vancouver. Located at the corner of W. Broadway and Macdonald, in a very friendly neighborhood and pleasant surroundings, the restaurant itself is very small, and the furnishings are sparse. However, by saving money in this manner, they are able to offer wonderful food and very decent prices. Typically, I go for the dinner combo, which consists of a Salad, Soup, Spring Roll, One Dish, and Rice for $9.25. The taste is at par with most Thai restaurants I have been to, and the portions of food are very reasonable.
This time, I went with some office colleagues to celebrate the promotion of our office manager. As an added bonus, one of my officemates is Thai, and so when we got to the restaurant, we let him do all the ordering, and he did a great job. We started with the House Salad, Tom Yum Koong Soup, Pad Gra-Prow (Chicken sauteed with pepper, onions and basil leaves), Pla Sam Rod (Fish marinated with peppers, mushooms, and basil leaves), and of course, the standard Yellow Curry Chicken.
In fact, all the dishes were superb. I love the dressing they use on the House salad, and I find Thai soups to be far better than Japanese Miso soup. The three main dishes were plentiful, flavorful, and absoultely delightful. The service is also quite prompt. I really don't have anything bad to say about this restaurant, as it is a students delight. Good food at very reasonable prices. Only the ambiance lacks a bit, but for me, it doesnt matter.
2872 W. Broadway
Vancouver, BC
As almost everyone knows, my favorite cuisine in the world is Thai... I just love the taste of basil and coconut milk, and I find the food to be far less greasy and oily than other East Asian cuisines while still being flavorful. Which is why it is nice to be able to review a restaurant which is one of the best Thai places in Vancouver... Thai Terrace.
Thai Terrace is in my opinion the best 'Bang for your Buck' Thai restaurant in Vancouver. Located at the corner of W. Broadway and Macdonald, in a very friendly neighborhood and pleasant surroundings, the restaurant itself is very small, and the furnishings are sparse. However, by saving money in this manner, they are able to offer wonderful food and very decent prices. Typically, I go for the dinner combo, which consists of a Salad, Soup, Spring Roll, One Dish, and Rice for $9.25. The taste is at par with most Thai restaurants I have been to, and the portions of food are very reasonable.
This time, I went with some office colleagues to celebrate the promotion of our office manager. As an added bonus, one of my officemates is Thai, and so when we got to the restaurant, we let him do all the ordering, and he did a great job. We started with the House Salad, Tom Yum Koong Soup, Pad Gra-Prow (Chicken sauteed with pepper, onions and basil leaves), Pla Sam Rod (Fish marinated with peppers, mushooms, and basil leaves), and of course, the standard Yellow Curry Chicken.
In fact, all the dishes were superb. I love the dressing they use on the House salad, and I find Thai soups to be far better than Japanese Miso soup. The three main dishes were plentiful, flavorful, and absoultely delightful. The service is also quite prompt. I really don't have anything bad to say about this restaurant, as it is a students delight. Good food at very reasonable prices. Only the ambiance lacks a bit, but for me, it doesnt matter.
Service: 4/5
Ambiance/Location: 3/5
Food: 5/5
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Dreams...
I have never been much of a sound sleeper... although, as most people who know me, know that I am not a 'morning' person, and would much rather prefer to be under the covers, for some reason, I do not sleep that deeply during the night, and tend to wake up at the slightest disturbance.
Perhaps for that reason, I rarely ever have any dreams... honestly, the topic of dreaming has always been interesting to me. Some people take dreams quite seriously, and go to great extents to analyse and interpret what they have experienced in their sleep. Personally, I find it quite amusing... when I do dream, I rarely have nightmares, and my dreams are usually non-sensical and somewhat comedic in nature.
For the past two months, I am not sure why, but I have been dreaming on almost a nightly basis... some have been lovely reminders... spending time with old friends, and relieving good memories... dreams that I have been disappointed to wake up from. Some have been the usual non-sensical type... leaving me with not much to think about. And on occasion, I have had the terrifying nightmare, where I have literally woken up in a cold sweat.
I am not really sure what to make of the sudden change in my nightly neural activity... not sure if it means anything at all actually. So instead, I would like to pose some questions to the few people who read this blog... what do dreams mean to you? Do you take dreams as some sort of spiritual message, or is it just your brain playing tricks on you? Do you enjoy dreams, or do you just wish that you could get some rest in peace...?
Perhaps for that reason, I rarely ever have any dreams... honestly, the topic of dreaming has always been interesting to me. Some people take dreams quite seriously, and go to great extents to analyse and interpret what they have experienced in their sleep. Personally, I find it quite amusing... when I do dream, I rarely have nightmares, and my dreams are usually non-sensical and somewhat comedic in nature.
For the past two months, I am not sure why, but I have been dreaming on almost a nightly basis... some have been lovely reminders... spending time with old friends, and relieving good memories... dreams that I have been disappointed to wake up from. Some have been the usual non-sensical type... leaving me with not much to think about. And on occasion, I have had the terrifying nightmare, where I have literally woken up in a cold sweat.
I am not really sure what to make of the sudden change in my nightly neural activity... not sure if it means anything at all actually. So instead, I would like to pose some questions to the few people who read this blog... what do dreams mean to you? Do you take dreams as some sort of spiritual message, or is it just your brain playing tricks on you? Do you enjoy dreams, or do you just wish that you could get some rest in peace...?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
