Blubbering

At some point yesterday, I guess I just could not hold it in any more. The tears just started to flow non-stop. They say it's suppose to help you feel better. When the crying finally stopped, I didn't feel any better.

I think I've pretty much hit rock bottom right now. Might take some time to climb out of this. Don't know how long...

It still hurts

It really hurts when someone so special decides that his heart is not there any more. Then he leaves with a part of yours when he took his away. Is this what heartbreak like? Well, I don't like it.

Ditched

So, for the 2nd time in my life I've been ditched from a long term relationship. Both times it was due to another woman. What the hell is wrong with me?

Buffet Gluttony

DesMoinesRegister.com
Is this the current state of some people's attitudes? I hope not. At least some of the reader's comments side with the restaurant!It seems that more and more people have the attitude, "Well, I paid for this. I should be able to do whatever I want." :-(

Trip to London: Day 2

Day 2 (March 22)
We started off the day with the big English breakfast. Today we decided to make good use of the Big Bus Tour ticket.
The idea with the Big Bus Tour is that you can "hop on/hop off" any number of stops they make. This is quite convenient when you want to spend some time at any number of London's attractions.
We decided to get advanced tickets for the tower of London. We purchased them from the Big Bus Tour agent at the stop. We hopped on and went for a ride.
We decided to hop off at the National Gallery first. Having a need for coffee we took a quick spin around Trafalgar Square there thinking we can find a Starbucks (and there were quite a few in London). But amazingly we couldn't find any! Oh well.
One thing any tourist or local should appreciate is the fact that just about all the British museums and galleries charge no admission fee. They do kindly ask that you do give some sort of donation to help maintain the museums. If the museum had a special exhibit, it might charge an admission for that exhibit.
At the National Gallery, we perused some of the halls on the main level. After about an hour or 2 we were starting to get a bit pooped from walking around the museum. Time to go back out into the brisk cold weather (it was sunny but nippy!).
We went back to the bus stop and caught the next bus. Next stop: Tower of London.
It was recommended that we partake in the free tour given by one of the Wardens/Yeoman at the Tower of London. So we did. And I thought it was well worth it as the Warden was quite animated and funny to listen to. He related some interesting and at times bloody history of the Tower of London.
With the close proximity of the bird flu to the UK at the time, all of the ravens were put away in a more protected area. So, we didn't get to see them. :-(
After visiting the various buildings on the grounds, we were starting to get a bit hungry. Again, after that big breakfast we were good until about mid-afternoon.
There were some eateries not far from the Tower of London. We found one that served fish & chips! So fish & chips is what we had. It was pretty good actually.
We caught the next bus back, which turned out to be one of the last buses on that route (thank goodness!). We got off by Marble Arch and walked back to the hotel.
That evening, as we weren't too famished after having that late lunch, we went to a pub around the corner. The Charles Dickens I think. The food really wasn't that great, but at least the brew was okay.
Thus ended day 2.

Trip to London

Well, it's been a few weeks since we got back from London. All I can say is that it was expensive and that it was typical spring weather: cold, damp and windy. But that is not to say that it was a miserable trip! On the contrary, we made the most of the week we were there, rainy weather or not! :-)
Day 1:
We landed at Heathrow just a little after 7AM local time. We managed to get through immigration/customs with minimal fuss (except for some comments about my Brazilian visa). Got our tickets for the Heathrow Express and away we go!
We got into Paddington around 9AM and found our hotel with very little trouble. The hostess of the hotel asked if we were hungry and sent us down to the dining room for our first taste of a traditional English Breakfast! How sweet!
After filling our jet-lagged tummies we checked in and made our way to our room. We dropped our stuff on the floor and promptly laid our heads down for a quick nap.
Around 11:00 we made ourselves get up. Any longer of a nap and our jetlag would just be worse! So, after refreshing ourselves, we made our way to the Big Bus Tour bus stop that was just around the corner from the hotel. We bought our tickets (good for 48 hours!) and made our way to the upper (exposed) deck of the bus.
Okay, we really did not realize just how chilly the weather was until we got underway on the bus! This is the blue route of the bus tour. This took us to many of the major attractions. At some point after we went by Victoria station, we knew we just had to get off somewhere and warm up. By now it sometime in the middle of the afternoon. That breakfast had kept us satiated until now.
So, we decided to get off at the stop next to Harrod's. We made our way into the famed department store and headed straight into the food hall.
After wandering around for a bit, we settled on a sushi bar. We got ourselves some green tea, miso soup and a plate of nigiri sushi to split between ourselves. Needless to say that was a rather expensive late lunch, but heck, when you gotta eat, you gotta eat! ;-)
next we decided to just roam around the department store to see what all the hub-bub was about the place.
Well, the only thing I can say about Harrod's is that it does offer much in the way of high-end designer goods. At the same time it also provides a certain amount of kitsch to the whole experience. Also throw in some snobbery such as having to carry packs in your hand instead of over your shoulder. :-p
After we thoroughly warmed up and had enough of Harrod's we figure it was a good time to head back to the hotel. We decided to walk back since we were just on the other side of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens.
The walk through the park was okay. There was a cold stiff breeze blowing. :-p
We got back. Rested. Then we decided to head over to the Royal Exchange pub which was a 5 minute walk away. There we had a nice filling meal and some brew. Thus the end of day 1.

Spring on the way?

Well, after some days of really frigid weather, it seems that the more typical March weather has arrived. The days are getting warmer, but the nights are still on the nippy side. My other half has decided to start hitting the road with his bike now that the road conditions are less treachorous.

Work has been "eh". I'm just coutning down the days until I'm off on vacation for about a week. I'm looking forward to this small break.

Meanwhile, I have been trying to make an effort to "plan" for the week's dinners. Last week, it turned out pretty good. I took about an hour on Saturday to come up with dinner ideas for the week and created a grocery list based on it. For Sunday dinner, I tried a recipe for beef ribs. On Saturday, we had gone to the butchers. They didn't have beef ribs, but they did have pork baby-back ribs. So that's what we got. Using the blacking spice mix I found from foodtv.ca's "Crash My Kitchen", I followed their recipe for the ribs. They turned out pretty good!

One of the other dishes I had planned that week is for a mediterranean stew done in a slow cooker. There was some prep work beforehand, but in the end, the idea is that you come home to some delicious aromas.

What else did I make last week?
Peanut Ginger Soba Noodles with Ponzu Shrimp
Thai red curry fish (will try to find link to recipe)

This week, I also tried to do some planning as well. For Sunday, I made Classic Italian Lasagne. It turned out okay, but I still have a small problem with excess liquid from the spinach.

On Monday, I made chicken-katsu for dinner. I used panko breadcrumbs to bread the chicken and pan-fried them. After letting them drain briefly on some paper towels, I sliced them up and served them on top of some rice. For seasoning/sauce, just used some Kikkoman's Tonkatsu Sauce. Then serve with some japanese pickles on the side. :-)

Yesterday, I was just a bit too tired and lazy to cook, so we ended ordering souvlaki pitas and a pikilia to share. I think I can still taste the garlic from the tzatziki!

Tonight, I might make the Japanese chicken curry using the Glico curry mix ("hot"). I don't know what shape the potatoes are in, but I've got carrots I can use in the curry. This will be delicious on rice served with pickled ginger. :-)

This past weekend, we had also made a trip to this cute little bakery called Yuki's. We picked up some rugelach, rapsberry meringue kisses, and 4 indivudual cheesecakes. YUMMMMM! :-)

OK, nuff food talk for now. I'm starting to get hungry!!!

The Return of Winter

Well, it seems that the mild weather of January is no more. Winter has returned. The temps for the past week has been closer to what we usually have during January with overnight lows of about -19C and daytime highs of about -10C. Today, however, it has warmed up slightly. We started off the day with some snow which eventually melted when the temps climbed to about +4C. Tomorrow, more snow and then the temps dip again for the weekend. Bleah. :-p

In the meantime, with the sudden dip in temps last week, I somehow managed to catch a cold. It started in the back of my throat on Tuesday. I tried to fight it off, but by Friday, I knew it wanted to stay. I took Monday off from work to rest up a bit, but was back in the office yesterday. Today, I'm feeling much better, but still have a lingering cough and some congestion. Well, better to get the cold out of the way now and hope not to catch another one before vacation!

In other news, we recently received our municiple tax bills. Bloody buggers! My tax went up by about $200 this year! :-p However, it can't be as bad as the folks who live in the recently de-merged boroughs. They got TWO tax bills: one from the city and one from their borough. They are supposed to add up properly apparently. Still, I don't like the idea of receiving two tax bills for the same thing... :-p

Happy Chinese New Year!

Okay, so I'm a day late. :-)

Yesterday was Chinese New Year. It's the year of the dog. Since I was born and raised in North America, any traditions I've learned or picked up, I did so from my Mom. Thanks, Mom! :-)

On Saturday, for New Year's Eve dinner, I planned a hot pot dinner and invited a few friends over to enjoy a nice meal. The previous week I had picked up a shabu-shabu pot that I figure would do the trip for such hot pot meals! However, it wasn't realized until we put the pot to use that there were certain limitations...

We were using a burner normally used for fondue. As a result, the flame from this burner was aimed in one area. Unfortunately, this area happened to be the middle of the pot. This resulted in a sort of chimney/volcano effect. Needless to say, the broth in the pot did not get hot enough to cook the foods quickly.

Solution? We brought out a regular saucepan large enough to hold the broth and accomodate all diners. Soon enough, the broth was simmering away and we were eating like kings!

Ingredients used for this hot pot: thin slices of beef, tofu cut into cubes, napa cabbage, shrimp, pork shaped into balls, snow peas, and mushrooms. As a side, I prepared some gyoza (frozen pre-cooked) and some lo bock gow (made from scratch!). Wash it all down with your choice of beverage! :-)

Afterwards, we had green tea ice cream and some cake that one of our guests brought. All in all, it was quite filling and satisfying. :-)

Okay... Note to self.. Never write or talk about food just before dinner...

Hump Day

I started to go through the Rough Guide to London. Let's face it, there's just way too many different sites and stuff to check out in London. It might prove to be difficult to decide on the must-sees. Maybe this weekend we'll take some time to discuss what we really want to see.

The weather this winter has been rather erratic and very atypical. The winter season started off with a 41cm dumping of the nice white stuff, but soon after the usual winter weather took a bit of a nosedive.

During the holiday break, the weather became mild and the frigid cold at the start of the New Year. Since then, the weather has been bouncing back and forth between +10 and -10 (give or take). Tomorrow, for example, the temps are going to dip to about -16 overnight. Then, for the weekend, the temps will climb back up to about +3. Bleah!

Minority Government (again)

Well, as the polls predicted, the Conservative Party were elected into office. However, since they did not get the majority of seats, they are considered a minority government. The Liberals, I think, will be the official opposition. The Bloc came in 3rd and the NDP 4th.

Overall, I think the Bloc lost a couple of seats. The NDP, on the other hand, managed to gain quite a few more seats since the last Federal election.

OK, so enough politics.

I got my copy of The Rough Guide to London from Amazon.com. I've just started to go through it for ideas on an itinerary. I'm still waiting for the latest edition of Lonely Planet London to be shipped. It looks like they are preparing it for shipping. If I'm lucky I should receive it next week.

We still have not decided on accomodations. I think this needs to be resolved soon to avoid missing the boat on any preferred places.

Ideally, it would be a good idea to put together a list of must-sees and then work from there. Decide what can be done in the time we have. Perhaps save a few as a "Plan B" in the event something happens.

In any case, the research continues...

Civic Duty

And so, on January 23rd, I performed my civic duty as a Canadian citizen and cast my vote. The candidates were ery difficult to decide on as it seems that each at least the major ones) had some issues that bothered me. Nevertheless, I went to the polling station right after work. This may have been a mistake as I hit the the post-work and dinner-time rush of voters. In all, I think I stood in line for at least an hour just so I can cast my vote.

Whom did I vote for? That will remain private information. As the major candidates weren't too appealing, I decided to make my choice based on which of them were considered the "lesser of the evils". Perhaps not the best way to decide, but then again, better to vote than not to.

I have not yet checked the news to see what the outcome was. I suspect that it would end up being a minority government again with the Conservatives in charge. The opposition will most likely be led by the Liberals.

I've never really been big on politics. In recent elections, both in the US and Canada, I have yet to see any truly innovative, intelligent or exciting candidates. None seem to have that spark that would inspire citizens to rally to their side and give them full support on decisions made. For example, I found on one website the approvals ratings of the US Presidents. Clinton had the highest approval rating at something like 65%. George Dubyah was somewhere around 43%. What does that say to you?

UK Bound

I decided I needed a break from work. Since our planned, big vacation was not until sometime around October, I felt I needed a smaller break along the way just to maintain some sanity. Sooooo, we're bound for the UK in March.

Why the UK? Well, the Caribbean could have been a nice destination if it weren't so expensive. Plus, around the period I was thinking of taking vacation, I think a lot of the destinations would have been crawling with Spring Break-ers. Uhm, no. I don't think I want to deal with that.

Another reason is that I do have a friend who lives out there now. At least it's a good excuse to go visit the country as well as see friends. :-)

OK, so the weather might not be sh*t-hot there, but that's to be expected there anyway.

In any case, the tickets have been bought. We just need to tighten up some details in the itinerary. :-)

False Allegations

Pinched from Dragonflypurity:

If you read this, if your eyes are passing over this right now, (even if we don't speak often or don't really know each other) please post a comment with a COMPLETELY MADE UP AND FICTIONAL memory of you and me. It can be anything you want - good or bad - BUT IT HAS TO BE FAKE. When you're finished, post this little paragraph on your blog and be surprised (or mortified) about what people DON'T ACTUALLY remember about you!

Change of Scenery

Sometimes I get bored with something and require some change. In this case, I decided to change the look of the blog. Of course, silly me, I forgot to copy down some of the extra HTML from the old template to insert into the new one. No matter, I managed to at least re-insert the weather pixie and the counter. Let's see how long before I get tired of this one! ;-)

In other matters, it's Friday! Thank goodness. This past week has been somewhat slow since it seems that a good number of people are still on holiday. I think things will be back to normal on Monday.

I think I need a vacation. Not a terribly long one, but maybe a week off somewhere. I've looked into the cost of a Caribbean vacation, but it's so costly for 1 week of doing next to nothing. Maybe I should look into a different type of destination? Maybe a week in London or something? Something to think about nonetheless.

I've been working a a small project at home recently. I have these movie clips (mpeg) I took when we visited Japan last spring. Since the clips were done in 640x480 resolution, the sharpness really isn't that great. I managed to splice together all the video and audio (after spending some time to figure out how to demux the mpeg files!) using iMovie on the Mac. Then I used iDVD to create a DVD img file that could be burned to disc. I burned the current results of this endeavor into a re-writable disc. On the TV, it's not that bad, but you can see artifacts and a certain amount of pixelation. It's worse on a computer screen. I think, if I have time this weekend, I will see if it's possible to improve the picture quality. If not, then I might just see if I can add extra features and stuff to make the resulting movie more easy to watch! :-)

Happy New Year!

Well, another year has come and gone. And being the non-party type, we more or less slept through it.

New Restos:
Recently a couple of new places opened up in the neighborhood. I think they are owned and operated by the same people as they two restaurants are right next to each other. One is called Maxi Nouilles and the other Maxi Pho.

The noodle place was the first to open so we tried it their first weekend at the end of October. In general, the decor was modern, contemporary, not like some of the other more established asian food joints in the area. The menu was somewhat extensive, with the main focus on noodle dishes, of course.

Not sure what to order, we decided on one of their lunch specials which included soup, main entree, egg roll and rice. I ordered the singapore noodles and D ordered a rice noodle dish. Now something to take note of: why serve rice with noodles? Starch plus starch? It might be a good idea to subsititute the rice with something else. On top of that, D's rice noodles were not all cooked through. Service was very spotty as it seems that the wait staff were all over the place. I noticed that some people were not given menus once they were seated. Service needs to be more attentive and better organized.

A couple weeks ago we tried the Maxi Pho place which opened some time after Maxi Nouilles. Again, similar decor and menu with different soups and sides. We each ordered pho: D had the beef and I had a dac biet type pho. Again, the service was quite spotty. We saw a few people who wanted to pay and had trouble flagging down someone to pay. Again, people not getting menus soon after being seated. As for the food, the pho we had was pretty standard. I did not find anything special about it.

In summary, both places can stand a huge improvement in service. I'm not sure what sort of clientele they're trying to attract in the area, but if the service is not great, then don't expect too many returning diners of any kind!

Cool Weather

Today, the skies were mostly cloudy and it was rather windy. It made for a relatively cool day. The sun did peek out at some point early in the afternoon, but it did not last.

We went around the open-air market to check out what's new. I picked up some silver earrings as gifts. I also picked up another batik piece. It was one of a toucan and a parrot. I think it's a nice piece. :-)

Tomorrow, I think we will head over the Iguatemi Shopping mall. There are some nice shops and boutiques there.

One more week to go...

Yin/Yang

  Now isn't this just cute?
 

Views from the hotel

 Another shot from the hotel. Many of the apartments here have an additional shutter on the outside. This is to keep the heat of the sun from warming up the apartments. Believe me, it does get quite warm here during the day!
 

Girl from Ipanema

When people heard I was heading down to Brazil for 4 weeks for work they all thought I was going to have a great time and spend a lot of time at the beaches. Well, guess what? We're a few hours from any beaches. And it's been work, work, work and more work.

The past 2 weekends we spent trying to recover from work and late dinners. It's our only chance to really get a full night's sleep! It's not that we're partying (and we're not!). It's that by the time the shuttle drops us off at our stop it's about 6:00PM. There's really not a whole lot of time to unwind before thinking about dinner. Some nights, supper is fairly light washed down with a glass of beer (which seems to be cheap and plentiful here).

So this trip is half over. I am really looking forward to flying back home to zero-degree weather.