Knowledge is Good

I was kidnapped by Aliens... and have been away from my body since last I post..

noreply@blogger.com (Sarlye ^-^) — Sat, 12 May 2007 06:48:00 +0000

No I am kidding. I have just been crazy BUSY and have just lurked around when I have a free minutes and never sat down long enough to post..

I have a great life.. my many projects allow me to meet so many interesting people.. So Far, I have met two Olympic Gold Medalists, learned some valuable life lessons from a DIVA (and the DIVA is not a woman); created some new business for myself, and help out a few good friends..

Along the way, I learned to weed out negative people and Good people that send me to negative places for my own piece of mind. I was charged with such HAPPY and positive energy for days after just spending one day with a stranger and by the end of the day, we are fast friends..

So many ideas, so many adventures and never enough time to reflect. I just want to put pen to paper (in this case, keyboard to blog) that I am so thankful for the blessings I receive.

Conquering Procrastination.. and trying to declutter

noreply@blogger.com (Sarlye ^-^) — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 22:02:00 +0000

As I stated in my last post, I was going to give up clutter during lent. I did not realize how big a job I have taken on and created.

I was overwhelmed with the amount of clutter I wanted to get rid of..

Kitchen
Dressing Room
Living Room
Re-organizing all to make it more user friendly and effective
Office
Computer Desktop

I didn't know where to start and I created smaller piles of clutter to try to get rid of the bigger piles.

Today, I thought of something that might help me.
I am going to start small.. one step at a time..
This is the shelf on top of my shoes where I usually dump things from my pockets.. and having before and after really help me focus..

Let me know what you think.. (of course this might be the only spot I got to, but its a start)

Fat Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (Sarlye ^-^) — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 02:24:00 +0000

Today is Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras, the day to get all your party-ing done and by tomorrow (Ash Wednesday) all will be forgiven. So we hope.

Most people I know always talk about Fat Tuesday; do you know what it is? Click on the title and you will get the origin of Fat Tuesday.

I like Fat Tuesday; this is a good reminder for me to be reflective and plan for Ash Wednesday - the start of the 40 days of lent. Lent is giving up (or Sacrifice) something for 40 days before Easter. Last year for lent, I gave up 'SHOPPING' which to me is a big sacrifice. This year, there are so many things I want to do and never seems to have time to do it. I was thinking about giving up technology, but I cannot bear to leave my computer alone, therefore, I am going to give up Clutter. For the next 40 days, I will not collect things, I will not buy things that will clutter up my life and I am going to de-clutter my living space starting with my dressing room and office.

I saw a great episode on Oprah today about people living in small spaces. 'Living Small' is the theme of the show. Do we really need all the space - filled with clutter in our lives?

My Love for Cooking

noreply@blogger.com (Sarlye ^-^) — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 06:29:00 +0000

I have been known to buy cookbooks by the suitcase full [I bought 2 suitcases full back from Taiwan and Hong Kong] so I was so happy when my sister pointed me to this fantastic site. I thought I was dedicated but this woman makes me feel like a kindergartener learning to make a cake in my Easy Bake oven.

I am so inspired to try out some of her recipes. Since I only like to cook and hardly eat all my cooking, my poor husband, who is trying to lose his 'Homer Simpson' belly from our trip to Las Vegas is going to need to buy bigger pants. [evil laugh =.= ]

Day about Love...and friendship

noreply@blogger.com (Sarlye ^-^) — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 05:34:00 +0000

Advertisers spend inordinate amount of money promoting today. I remembered I used to sent Valentines to everyone I know. I sent around a small (I thought) heartfelt message to some friends and surprisingly I got some very negative feedbacks.

I used to hate it when some friends used to introduce me as ' my ex-colleague friend'; or 'my long term friend'. I thought that friends is just FRIENDS and that should be it and there shouldn't be categories to sub-categories based on different locations or years of knowledge.

For the past year or so, I realize I have a difficult time distinguishing acquaintances and friends. To me, I think everyone is a friend regardless of when and where I met them.

I like to help and whenever I hear someone is doing something I have had experience with or if I was asked for help or advice; I usually passed on what I learned based on my past knowledge so that they don't need to waste time making the same mistakes I made.

I thought I was being supportive. Unfortunately, my innate need to help usually turns out to be 'bad actions' on my part. When I was trying to be constructive with negative aspects, I was accused of trying to destroy people's dreams; if I tell them about some possible mishaps then I was being negative; or that I am trying to show off that I know more than them and they feel belittled. My intention to HELP got lost in the mix and usually bad feelings occur. Of course, my injured friend always forgot that they asked me for help and I was always the bad person or bad friend.

I have dropped out of touch with a lot of work (9 to 5) friends since I find that I have less and less in common with them. I find it difficult to chit chat about people I no longer work with and the work load is not something I care about anymore. Whenever I talk about my different projects, I can hear in their voices that they are not interested or that I am 'rubbing in' my freestyle time schedule.

I finally realized that I am getting too old to be trying to have everyone like me. I am simple in what I want and I hate to be involved in a lie since I can't keep all the stories straight.

I like spending time at home with my significant other, I like what I do, I like my lifestyle, I like spending time alone doing things I like, I like to shop, I like to learn and I like to know how things work and I like to help people when I can. I care about what happens to people. You can count on me to back you up when you are in trouble; you can count on me to listen to you and you can count on me to be always on your side.

It finally occurred to me, my 'true' friends know where I am coming from even though they like to categorize our friendship and those that don't know me, I APOLOGIZE, I am too old to try to make you all happy.

Dine Out Vancouver - Restaurant 9 and 10 - Ocean 6 Seventeen

noreply@blogger.com (Sarlye ^-^) — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 01:32:00 +0000

This restaurant is SOOOO GOOD we came here twice within the same week!

Restaurant - Ocean 6 Seventeen
Sitting - 6:30pm
Price - $25 and $35
Ambiance - Cozy, Romantic, Waterview
Service - Fantastic and Personable without being pushy
Food we had - Slices of various home made bread with spread [I forgot to write down what it was but it tasted great]

They have both a $25 and $35 menu and both have fantastic food.

Appy:

Scallop with Squash soup, spruce tip syrup [hot soup with grilled Scallop, very flavorful and good on a cold night]
Surf and Turf - Thinly sliced Capaccio Rolled with Crab Meat and Pomme Frit [this was very nicely presented, the capaccio was nice and fresh and the pomme frit was as thin as thread, great chew factor with the soft meat and crunchy pomme frit]
Blue Cheese Tart Salad with Quince [this is my first taste with quince and it takes some getting used to; the cheese tart was huge for an appy]

Entree:

Trout - Pan seared fillet, crab risotto, lemon brown butter [very nice and light and the risotto was rich, full of crab and very flavorful]
Venison - with mushroom mashed potatoes [grilled to order; medium rare; very rich and decadent mashed potatoes with various mushrooms mixed in]
Halibut - Pan seared fillet, herb butter and season medley of squashes [meaty tasting fillet with layers of flavorful squashes]

Dessert:

Warm Ginger Poached Pear and home made Ginger snaps [very lightly poached and not over sweet]
Molten Chocolate Cake served with a scoop of white chocolate ice cream and shavings of white chocolate inside each bite and small slices of apple [decadent, rich but not overly sweet, the cake is a cross between warm chocolate pudding and chocolate syrup]

Additional Comments - with highly competitive restaurants around town, this one stands out with its beautiful food and excellent customer service. Lori - our server/hostess was friendly but not overly pushy. She is very knowledgeable about the menu and how its prepared and answered all our questions patiently. The friends we brought to this restaurant were all impressed.

Dine Out Vancouver - Restaurant 8 - Chartwell at Four Seasons Hotel

noreply@blogger.com (Sarlye ^-^) — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 21:20:00 +0000

This is what fine dining is all about.

Restaurant - Chartwell
Sitting - 7:30pm
Price - $35
Amibance - Colonial Woodwork, real fire place and lots of wood paneling and oil scenic paintings
Service - Impeccable
Food we had - Dinner rolls with lots of bread sticks [very good, light and crunchy bread sticks]
Appy:

Steak Tartare, Moroccan Spice, Hummus [very fresh, greatly seasoned and presented]
Lobster Bisque, Cappuccino [rich, with tidbits of lobster meat, cream foam on top]

Entree:

Duck Breast, Salsify, Polenta, Carrot Sauce [there was 5 nicely medium slices of duck on a bed of polenta, the duck was tender and the polenta was seasoned and delicious]
Halibut, Mushroom Sauce, Brussel Sprouts, Celery Root [this was nicely pan fried; not overdone and have a crispy side, presented nicely, one of the better fish dish I have tried throughout this Dine Out]

Dessert:

Hazelnut Pistachio Dome - upside down pudding cake with delicious pistachio centre [tastes great and looked very interesting]
Grand Marnier Souffle (add on $6) [perfectly risen souffle with creme anglais on the side and a spoonful of orange sorbet]
We were also presented with small brownies and a white chocolate shell hand made candy with a soft white chocolate centre

Additional Comments - other than a very noisy diner next to us (thank goodness they were gone by the first course), this was a perfect meal - great appys, fantastic entree and great dessert. We always walked right by when we are at Pacific Centre, now we will stop and consider dinner here. After Dine Out, they also have a $35 Dine and Dash dinner with similar set up but more choices, and the only rule is you have to be seated by 6:30pm. Not bad if you work downtown and want to have a nice bite.

Dine Out Vancouver - Restaurant 7 - Blue Water Cafe

noreply@blogger.com (Sarlye ^-^) — Sat, 03 Feb 2007 23:53:00 +0000

Restaurant - Blue Water Cafe
Sitting - 7:30pm
Price - $35
Ambiance - Open Kitchen; Modern Layout
Service - Friendly
Food we had - cold dinner rolls with roasted red pepper and chic peas hummus [we would have prefer warm bread and some oil and balsamic vinegar or even butter]
Appy:

Maguro Mizore An Kake - albacore tuna tataki with ponzu sauce, daikon & green onions [nice serving (5 large pieces of tuna) and beautifully presented; simple and tasty; one of our favorite appy so far]
Cannelini Bean Veloute - clams, chorizo sausage, poached organic egg [this is luke warm soup with beans and sausage and not something we normally try; it was good]

Entree:
Arctic Char a la Plancha - organic millet fritter, peashoots, red onions, zucchini, saffron-tomato sauce [this tasted like Salmon with a crispy skin, the millet fritter and the veggies tasted better than the char]

Dessert:
Cinnamon Chocolate Mouse - coconut wafer, Linzer kalamansi cake, Bailey's caramel ice cream [the Linzer cake was very hard and dry; the rest was good but all were bite sized]

Additional Comments - we always run into someone at this restaurant. This time, my friend and her husband who had tried both the Char and the Beef, told us to ordered the Char since the other entree Braised Beef Ragout - carrots, pearl onions, celery, mushrooms, black truffle tagliatelle, was just a few slices of beef on top of pasta. For the restaurant's price point, I think this is a reasonable price for a meal here but from all the different restaurants we have been to, the value was not there.

Dine Out Vancouver - Restaurant 6 - Global Grill and Satay Bar

noreply@blogger.com (Sarlye ^-^) — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 04:03:00 +0000

This is one of my favourite place for lunch. They have a daily Global Express 45 lunch menu that is very reasonable.

Restaurant - Global Grill and Satay Bar
Sitting - Early - 6:00pm
Price $35
Ambiance - Chic, Modern and Comfortable; they provide lap blankets and heat lamps if you want to sit outside
Service - Very friendly
Food we had - Crusty bread with soft centre served with Hummus, Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar, and Herbed Butter

Appy: Duo of Gravlax and BC Dungeness Crab Cake avocado and tomato relish, sweet mustard sauce [Very nicely presented appetizer; bite sized]

Entree: This was in addition to the online menu from the Dine Out site; Surf and Turf - Nice Beef Medallion with herb butter cook to order stacked on top of smooth lump free mashed potatoe and two Giant finger size grilled Prawns [Beautifully plated and the prawns were the largest we had in a long time; the meat was palm size and nicely cooked, everything tasted great]

Dessert - Bittersweet Chocolate Hazelnut Torte; crème chantilly with vanilla bean on Raspberry Coulis [this was surprisingly good since I am not a big fan of bitter chocolate; every bite in the torte has a hazelnut]

Additional Comments - we both ordered the same thing so we didn't try any other items; the food is well prepared and plated and the waiter was very friendly. They were good at informing us that there will be a $2 Hot Water Charge so we weren't surprised at the end when the bill came as we were at Hermitage.

The owners also own Sanafir so the follow up customer service was excellent.

Dine Out Vancouver - Restaurant 5 - Gyu Japanese Teppanaki

noreply@blogger.com (Sarlye ^-^) — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 22:53:00 +0000

The address for this restaurant says Burrard, but the actual entrance is on Alberni Street.

Restaurant - Gyu Japanese Teppanaki Restaurant
Seating - 7:00pm
Price - $25
Ambiance - Nicely separated rooms with flat Teppanaki Grill in front of 6 - 8 people
Service - friendly Teppanaki Chef and efficient wait staff
Food we had -
Appy: Seasonal Greens with Dressing & Lobster Miso Soup [typical fare at most Japanese Restaurant; no lobster in the soup; might have been stewed in Lobster Shells since it smells like lobster]

Entree: Half Live Crab, Shrimp, Squid, Scallop, Filet of Chicken, Thinly Sliced Alberta Ribeye, Assorted Vegetables & Steamed Rice [the chef cooked everything in front of you; he paced it while cooking for others that share the cooktop so that you are not rushed]

Dessert: Green Tea Ice Cream

Additional Comments - the chef makes the meal and ours was quite entertaining. The thinly sliced Alberta Ribeye was cooked to our specification (rare) and wrapped with green onion and toasted garlic chips. The chef also gave us some XO Sauce (spicy hot sauce with heated dried scallop); and introduce us to the various sauce to dip our meat (Ponzu Citrus Sauce, Apple Sesame Sauce, and Tomato Sauce) The value of the meal was very reasonable. The party that was sharing our table and chef opted to choose the regular menu (Dinner Menu A) and it was about 5 dollars more and they had no crab but have some small steak pieces.

Downside - since you are sitting right up to the stove where the chef is cooking, even though the vent was going, you still smell like you have been cooking in an industrial kitchen and you smell oily.

Meet expectation: Yes, good value for food.

Dine Out Vancouver - Restaurant 4 - Westward Ho at UBC Golf Club

noreply@blogger.com (Sarlye ^-^) — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 22:33:00 +0000

We had dinner here on Wednesday and we are still raving about it.

Restaurant - Westward Ho! Bar and Grill at the University Golf Club
Seating - 7:30pm
Price $20 (they had a $15 Menu posted on the Dine Out site but the $20 was just too good to pass up)
Ambiance - Typical Sports Bar, Club House; lots of TV with Sports Chanel on
Service - Friendly wait staff and efficient
Food we had -
Appy: Bowl of various breads in basket [not warmed]

Dungeness Crab Bisque with a Droplet of Devonshire Cream, chives and Crab Claw [Very Rich and Fresh]
Sauteed Scallops on a Potato Garfrette and Wilted Greens Drizzled with Basil Red Chili Oil [3 nice size scallops and slightly spicy oil but great start on a cold night]

Entrees:

Grilled AAA Alberta Beef Tenderloin with Prosciutto Ham and BC Morel Mushroom Sauce; Served with Sauteed Baby Carots and Thyme Roasted Potatoes [Cooked to perfection per order - medium rare; very rich mushroom sauce; might be to salty and strong for some but perfect for me]
Roasted Rack of Lamb brushed with BBQ Sauce and rolled in Crushed Pecans. Served with garlic green beans and turned potatoes; finished with mint au jus [5 ribs of french cut lamb was served; the meat was cook to perfection and very tender and flavorful; quite a big order]

Dessert:
We both chose the Hazelnut/Chocolate Praline Vanilla Ice Cream with Jim Beam Flavored Creme Fraiche [Nice light finish after such an excellent meal]

Additional Comments -
This was a great value for the price we paid. The ambiance is a sports bar so if you are looking for atmosphere, go to Sanafir. For great food at a great price, this was exceptional. They have extended the $15 and $20 menu to February 17, 2007. We took a look at the regular menu, besides the usual burgers, and pub fare, the dinner menu was quite ambitious and price is not too expensive.

Meet Expectation - Absolutely, we will go back again.

Dine Out Vancouver - Restaurant 3 - Provence Marinaside

noreply@blogger.com (Sarlye ^-^) — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 22:17:00 +0000

We went to this restaurant on a rainy Monday.

Restaurant - Provence Marinaside
Seating - Early - 6pm
Price $25 each
Ambiance - Cozy, Stonework with water feature, great view of the water
Service - efficient but not overly friendly
Food we had - Black Olive Tapenade and Crostini [too salty for my taste]
Appy: One Choice of 20 of their Antipasto

- Grilled Calimari [tasty and flavorful, not too chewy at all]
- Grilled Lamb [served in kabobs with roasted peppers]

Entree: We both chose the same thing

- MAHI MAHI AND PRAWNS DUO roasted roma tomato, basmati rice with sauté of zucchini [very tasty and light; Mahi Mahi was slightly undercook but not dry]
- DAUBE D'AGNEAU white wine lamb stew, winter vegetables [The table next to us both had the lamb stew and it smelled phenomenal and they said it tasted great especially on a cold rainy night.]

Dessert: Choice from the menu
- Creme Brulee with raspberry [typical in most higher end restaurant; it was a safe choice]
- Double Chocolate Kahlua Cake with Raspberry Coulis [very rich and decadent]

Additional Comments -
It was good value for the price and the place was hopping with lots of big tables.

Downside - The sound volume was loud and echo-y and it was hard to carry a conversation for two people without yelling.

Meet Expectation - Yes, good place to go.

Dine Out Vancouver - Restaurant 2 - Hermitage

noreply@blogger.com (Sarlye ^-^) — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 21:18:00 +0000

What a difference a day makes...

We visited this restaurant on Saturday - one day after Sanafir...

Restaurant - Hermitage
Seating - Early - 5:30pm
Price $35 each
Ambiance - Oak Furniture and dated family style restaurant
Service - average; twice the waiter almost dropped my plate on my lap
Food we had -
Appy:

Fisherman's Soup with Spicy Rouille Croutons [Red colour broth with no sign of seafood other than that it smells fishy and no taste with small dry french baquette slices with dollaps of mustard]
Duck Rillettes (Country Pate of Duck with Gherkins) [looks like a small can of tuna with mayo serve with dry white baquette slices with tiny pickles on 2 small piece of butter lettuce]

Entree:

Fillet of Red Snapper stuffed with Shrimp Mousse, Dill Butter Sauce [bland and the dill butter neither taste buttery nor dill; very runny white sauce]
Pork Tenderloin Medallions with Honey and Rosemary Caramelized Apples, Madeira Sauce [palatable; sauce was very subtle]

Dessert:

Creme Caramel flavoured with Orange [tasty; typical dessert from most french restaurant]
Souffle Glace Praline with Cappuccino Sauce [tastes like Baci ice cream; very tasty]

Additional Comments - This was supposed to be one of the best?? French restaurants in town?? Its the second time I see a Zaget rated restaurant so misleading. See my review on here for the other; look for the review under sarlye. We were disappointed with the food and service, the decor is nothing special. We thought they were not use to a smaller menu but when we left, we noticed that they listed a 3 course dinner they do regularly for $36; so there is no excuse for what we had.

Have you ever wonder who uses those fancy Bopla Plates; wonder no more. This place does; which does not match with the traditional decor. The charger plate and the appys were served with Bopla and the main and dessert on regular plates.

I was very disappointed that this restaurant charged for hot water ($1.95). Plain hot water in a fancy Bopla cup and saucer. I guess that is how they recover their costs.

The whole dinner lasted 50 minutes, from the moment we set down to when we leave the door, it was not busy and it felt like we went to a drive thru.

If you are looking for good French food, go to Le Crocodile. I have gone there since the early 90's and they were always good. Hermitage, unfortunately is what would turn you off going to Dine Out events in future years.

Dine Out Vancouver - Restaurant 1 - Sanafir

noreply@blogger.com (Sarlye ^-^) — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 03:29:00 +0000

After several year's absence, we decided to book some restaurants for the Dine Out Vancouver Event this Year.

I try to keep to the same format with comments in [] and at the end. Please share your reviews of your experiences.

Restaurant - Sanafir
Seating - Early - 5:30pm
Price $25 each
Ambiance - Chic; Sexy; Cozy with 20ft ceiling; Decadent
Service - Friendly; helpful; really want us to have a good experience
Food we had -

Appy:

Traditional Toasted Bread Salad -Toasted Nann Bread (3-4 small pieces) Mixed with organic greens and vinagarette. [Typical Salad; nothing too fancy]
Moroccan Lentil Soup [Very Tasty Soup with fantastic herbs like Cumin and Curry]
Wine Pairing - Mission Hill Chardonnay [Great, Crisp and perfect with the spices from the soup]

Entree:

Fish Trio - Salmon Tartar/Sear Big Eye Tuna/Tempura Prawn Sushi Roll
[Salmon and Tuna, we have had it at other restaurant before, so its comparable. But the Tempura Prawn Sushi Roll was EXCELLENT; this is not your typical Tempura Roll; You have to try it]
Meat Trio - Beef Oxtail Cappelletti with White Truffle Cream/Crispy Pork Pakora/Chicken Marabella
[The Beef which is like a giant wonton with very flavorful cream sauce and actual truffle shavings was Exquisite, Chicken was next but its just chicken, the Pork is flavorful - if we were directed to eat the trio from lighter flavors to heavier; maybe we can appreciate the chicken more]
Wine Pairing - Sandhill Merlot [not to our taste; doesn't go with either well]

Dessert:

Poached Pear with Stewed Fig and Honey Sauce and Mascapone Black Pepper Mousse
Wine Pairing - Tinhorn Creek Kerner Ice Wine [Excellent Compliment]
[This was not too sweet at all; with each bite of the dessert follow by a sip of the ice wine, the flavor of the ice wine changes (i.e. the pepper from the Mascapone Mousse was very light but once you sip the ice wine, you can taste the bite from the spice along with the wine.)]

Additional Comments -
For an addition $15 per person; we had the wine pairing with the meal, it was 2 oz (1/2 glass of wine) and 1 oz of Ice Wine. This is perfect if you are not a big drinker and want to try out some wine.

We also ordered the Toasted Nann Bread with Hummus, Roasted Garlic and Olives. This was tasty also.

This is a Tapas type menu but for 3 out of 4 of us, we felt full. The other guy is a big guy so he wanted more to eat.

The richness of the various sauces in the dishes was well done. It reminds us of the Iron Chef menus where they serve several courses and each person try a few bites of each course.

The owner was very attentive and wanted to ensure that all our questions were answered and we had a good dining experience. The next day, we got a call from the restaurant to see if we enjoy the meal. Rarely do you hear from restaurant with a follow up call. Very refreshing.

Check out the upstairs, there are the beds that you can be served on a tray and filmy silk canopy provides privacy .

Downside?

The utensils were regular size and the dishes are small size; if you have to cut items, very hard to do so. Best to bring a set of smaller knife and fork or your own chopsticks.
As mentioned above, the server or owner while introducing the dishes we are eating, should suggest which to eat first so that the lighter flavor item doesn't get lost if we ate a heavier sauce item first.

Meet Expectation - Yes, very fun place. Great Food!

Not your typical Vietnamese Food

noreply@blogger.com (Sarlye ^-^) — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 16:23:00 +0000

My friends and I love to eat.. yesterday, we went to a Vietnamese restaurant that I normally would over look if she didn't take me there.

The usual items I ordered were Pho (soup noodles) or Chicken Hot Pot Rice, Vietnamese Spring Rolls and Vietnamese Coffee. Today, we tried something completely different.

The restaurant's name is Thanh Thao; it is located on 1707 Kingsway in Vancouver BC. It is located in a little strip mall by Welwyn and Kingsway beside a car repair shop.

The items we ordered were as follows:
#57 - Bauh Xeo Rau Song
Fried Crepe with Shrimp, Pork, Bean Sprouts and various veggies
This is the thinnest savory crepe I have ever eaten; you have a choice to eat it plain or put it inside a lettuce leaf. Tasty and crunchy and not too oily. You can eat the whole thing as a meal.

#67 - Banh Hoi Nem Nuong Chao Tom Rau Song
Shrimp with Sugar Cane, Grilled Minced Pork Meatballs in skewers, Tiny Vermicelli Patties served with a large platter of lettuce, Thai Basil, Mint, Cucumber, Pickled Radish and Carrots and some other herbs I couldn't name.

So how you eat #67 is take a lettuce leaf, put in the meatball or part of the shrimp meat from the sugar cane skewer, tiny vermicelli, whichever herb you want to try, add pickles if you wish and fold it together and eat it. I sometimes put in the fish sauce provided but it was good with and without.

We finished with Vietnamese Coffee for me and my friend had an Avocado Milkshake. The Avocado milkshake was very smooth and it tasted like whipped avocado lightly sweetened to taste.

This place also serve the traditional Pho and it tastes ok according to my friend but try the above, you will enjoy it.

Learning to use Picasa and Scary Movie under the Sea

noreply@blogger.com (Sarlye ^-^) — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 00:45:00 +0000

This is from the Siam Sea World in Bangkok. They build a tunnel inside the aquarium so that it feels like you are walking with the fishes around you and you don't need any Scuba gear.

This is my favorite as I was looking up from the glass tunnel. Guess what this is! Send me your answers by posting in the comments

Making a Connection and Pursuit of Happiness

noreply@blogger.com (Sarlye ^-^) — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 23:48:00 +0000

No this is not for a dating site but I do have some single friends that I am keeping my eyes open for ;)

During the many personal growth seminars and from chats with various friends; I have come to the conclusion that we ALL Want to be HAPPY!!! Do you actually know someone that do not want that?? It makes me happy that I can help someone; I am not looking for the thank yous but if I can help in any small part even if it does not work out, at least I try.

Today, after lunch, I dropped into the Choices Supermarket with a friend. I stopped at a counter where someone is promoting a product. Initially I stopped because there was no one there and I felt bad for the guy. (I have done what he did at one of my many assignments several life times ago so I know how he feels when people avoid eye contact and walk away.)

I am glad I stopped, it was an interesting product, he was giving out good samples (rice crispy bar and nicely packaged Salba Shots) and it was an interesting story. Check out their site www.sourcesalba.com . Turns out he is one of the owners and the staff he hired quit after he set up all the product promotion so he decided to man the booth himself. Initially, I thought of my friend who is in Adventure Racing that might benefit from the use of the product. As I was asking more questions, turns out that he did not have a West Coast publicist for his product promotion, and it just happens that I work with a publicist. How cool was that? Now a connection is made.

I enjoyed that a lot, matching things up. It doesn't matter if things work out or not, at least I make an effort to connect them. It makes me happy.

I am working on some other things that make me happy like spending time with baby A and let her mom have a rest and breather.. maybe next week when all our schedule gel together.

What makes you happy? It doesn't have to be big things, just small gestures that makes you smile. I still remember my cousin's little son's rendition of 'We Wish You a Merry Christmas'. When he got to '..and a happy new year!' His Happy is HAP-PEEEEEEE, Hap-peeeeee, HAP-PEEEEEEEEE New Year! Every time I think of that when I am low or just want a good thought, it makes me smile and that makes me HAPP-PPEEEE!

After your holidays... declutter continues

noreply@blogger.com (Sarlye ^-^) — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 00:54:00 +0000

If you stayed at a hotel when you have been away on holidays, did you pick up the complimentary soaps and shampoos and bring them home?

I have done so many times and I am sure most of you have also. What have you done with those small neat, cute little bottles that you were going to use when you get home? For me, I have been saving them in a few drawers for my next trip; of course, I never take them on my trips and they are still in the drawers.

I came across an email from my friend's Choir and they asked for donation of small soaps, etc. for the Lookout Shelter. Eureka! I can now finally unload all my collection to a good cause and also declutter my drawers. This was before my Christmas trip to Las Vegas, so when I was there, I asked the maid service (wth a daily $5 tip) to give me some extra sets of shampoos, soaps, etc and I carted them all home.

Go through your medicine cabinet, small drawers in your bathrooms, do you have any samples of soap from the store, small hotel shampoos, lotions, etc. ? If they have been used, just top up the bottle with what you have at home.

Gather them all up and bring them to the shelter, I am sure they will appreciate it.

Here's a list of items they will take. Click on the link below.
http://www.lookoutsociety.bc.ca/Donate-In-Kind.html

Weather and Small Talk

noreply@blogger.com (Sarlye ^-^) — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 00:23:00 +0000

Were you ever in a situation that you are standing in front of a complete stranger and you need to chit chat to 1) keep the line moving? 2) wait till your friend comes back? 3) stuck on a blind date?

Usually I always fall back on the weather, especially with the ever changing ones we have been having for the past few months. I actually receive mocking emails from friends back east. Partly is my fault though, I usually send them sunny picture postcards from our balmy November when they have reported snow storms. Or 'we are still wearing shorts' email, bad for me - I know; but it was fun.

Back to the Small World Theory.. what goes around, comes around. If I hadn't been so callus and mocking, would we still have bad weather? That is usually how I try to incorporate in my small talk of the Weather.

I like talking about the weather, its the most basic knowledge everyone have an experience with and have a knowledge of. And further down the conversation, they will say something like..'back when I was in Alberta, Hong Kong, Bangalore... the weather was ...' That just leads to more topics to chat about.

Next time if you are at a loss of topics, give weather a try.

Impatient and Efficiency

noreply@blogger.com (Sarlye ^-^) — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 22:41:00 +0000

A good friend recently pointed out that I am very efficient in all the things I do. In the next breath, he said that I have to control my impatient nature; otherwise I might overlook something.

Personally, I believe I am a very efficient person with a very detailed obsession. But his point was that when it comes to work, I am great with that. But in life, have I taken the time to appreciate all that I have or just rush through to the next thing.

Reflecting on his statement, it is true. I am very impatient when it comes to people not doing things efficiently or I notice someone might take 3 trips to get something that can be done in one trip. But this is my problem, I get impatient. Not their problem!

Being raised in an environment where Time is Money! then the more time you waste, the more money you lose. Where do you draw the balance in a very competitive world?

Some people sees that if you are slow, then you are lazy. If you are hardworking, then you are fast. Being fast does not mean everything gets done correctly; then you become inefficient since you need to have someone go back and correct all the mistakes.

I need to work on my patience. It finally clicked this morning when I was doing some weight training at the gym. I noticed 2 persons in front of me with their trainer, they were both working on their biceps curls. One was lifting very fast and counted off and continue on the next arm and the other took his time and slowly raised his arms for the curls. The trainer was telling them that there are times that need to go fast and your muscle will just contract but to best train the muscle, you have to go slow and work every nuance in the muscle.

I need to work on my patient muscle - I think in time of stress, it will give me time to think before I incur the 'foot in mouth' disease or other ailments that might be associated with impatience. I realize that when I am impatient, it is very easy for people to take advantage of it and I might make Rash decisions. (Like jumping off a plane on a dare, or enter myself in a beauty contest - luckily both turned out ok)

It took me a long time to recognize this and decide to change, I would appreciate any inputs as to how I can be re-trained to be more patient.

Happy 2007 !

noreply@blogger.com (Sarlye ^-^) — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 09:16:00 +0000

So 2006 had just flown by, did you follow through on the projects you set out to do last year? This is the time of year when most people reflect and set new goals and resolutions.

A few friends of mine get together and set our individual goals every year and usually at the end of the year, we have accomplished most of it. We try to meet every month to give each other support and accountability for the goals we set. We find this way really helps in keeping each of us focus.

What have you decided to do for 2007?

2006 was a BLUR?? and you made it. Maybe for 2007, you can try to write down and set some goals for yourself and do the same for the family. Once things are written down, it magically gets done. Talk is cheap. Action - writing it down and doing it, speaks louder.

In case you think your New Year's Resolution is too vague. Following are some guidelines my friends and I put together and it works for us. Here are some categories to get you started. Each category can be one line or one paragraph, its up to you if you want to be specific. For a business major, I set mine up like a small contract to myself; set it up to the way that suits you.

***********************************************************************************************
For 2007; I (insert Name), will do and improve on the following:

Personal Goals - i.e. what you want to work on for yourself, personal growth or any interest you want to explore;
Physical Goals - i.e. what kind of exercise I will do per day/week/month to maintain physical health;
Financial Goals - i.e.save to purchase a new ??/ Save at least $$/month; use money to purchase rental property?? pay down your debt?
Business Goals / School Achievement Goals - i.e. research on business opportunity / job to move to? get at least B in whatever subjects in school;
Project Goals - i.e. this is where home improvement, cleanup, maintenance schedules are set;
Fun Goals - i.e. research on a place you want to go to - Paris? or Disneyland, etc., Plan for the activity or travel. Make time for FUN per week?!
Relationship Goals / Communication Goals - i.e. what you hope to achieve in the coming year, the level of commitment and communication you are willing to commit to the people around you; less screaming and more hugging? talk about solutions and not on the symptoms;
Spiritual Goals - i.e. for traditional faiths, i.e. pray more per day - you sending a message from God / read a passage from the bible and reflect on what God is trying to tell me - we are catholics but insert your own here..

Sign and Date your goals.

After you have sign and date your goals, you can share it with others (keeps you accountable to your goals) or keep it to yourself. Look at it once in a while to remind you.

On September 1, or whatever date you decide, we use Sep 1 so you still have 3 months to get things done. You will be surprise how much you have accomplished.

Most importantly, DO IT NOW!! don't wait for a nice day, don't wait for better mood, don't wait for anything, the more you wait, the more you procrastinate.

Have a surprising and fantastic 2007 and I look forward to hearing about your adventures.

Curse of the Golden Flower

noreply@blogger.com (Sarlye ^-^) — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 00:09:00 +0000

Upon another friend's glowing recommendation and after watching the beautifully done trailer, we went to see this movie.

This is a Visually Stunning Film based in the Tang Dynasty - the most decadent dynasty in Chinese history. If you are looking for lots of Kung Fu stuff like Crouching Tiger or Hero, then you might be disappointed. This is more a dramatic story with a lot of internal stuggles and acting. The Action at the end if you are patient for it is a good pay off but if you are impatient, (like myself) then you might think the movie was a little slow.

Gong Li is director Zhang Yimou's muse since 1987 - 1995, this is the first movie that they are in together since their break up. She was absolutely amazing in her acting. I thought she was good in Raised the Red Lantern and Ju Dou but this is the best collaboration I have ever seen.

Apparently, every able body you see in this movie is real and not CGI. Once you realize that, the movie is now an EPIC.

For a holiday movie, it might not be what you are looking for. For being in the theatres in time for Award season, this is a good candidate.

Change is Good

noreply@blogger.com (Sarlye ^-^) — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 00:04:00 +0000

I have finally converted to the new version of Blogger. I have updated most of my older posts with related labels and added some a d s on the sidebar. Please c l i c k on them to support this site. If you right c l i c k and open in a new window then you can still continue to read the blogs.

I have decided to keep the look for now. Let me know if you have any suggestions.

Land of the Shrimp Buffets

noreply@blogger.com (Sarlye ^-^) — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 07:44:00 +0000

Here's the rundown of the Buffet I went to in the past week; all have shrimp and crab legs with the exception of Flamingo's :

Bellagio - $$$$ - Wait Time: 1.5 Hours - Dinner
Memorable Item: Finger size peeled Shrimp; No lumps Mashed Potato
Disappointed by the hype: YES! they advertised Game Meats like Venison, Buffalo, Rabbit, Duck, and Kobe Beef etc. - only had the Buffalo Roast available and it was OLD!

Bally's - $$ - Wait Time: 5 minutes - Brunch
Memorable Item: Good Omelete Station; Corned Beef Hash; Crispy Bacon; great servers, fruit that you can take with you
Disappointed by the hype: No; didn't expect much but surpass by enthusiastic Ethiopian waiter that only has been in Vegas for 12 days

Stratasphere - $$ - Wait Time: 10 minutes - Dinner
Memorable Item: Oyster on the half shell; Spanish Rice
Disappointed by the hype: No; great price for the value of food

Sahara - $$ - Wait Time: 5 minutes - Brunch
Memorable Item: Biscuits with Country Gravy; Omelete Station; good California Roll
Disappointed by the hype: No; great price for the food served

Golden Nugget - $$ - Wait Time: 15 minutes - Brunch
Memorable Item: Oysters on the Half Shell, Excellent Dessert Island, Sashimi if you asked for it; Brand New renovated Kitchen
Disappointed by the hype: No; great price for the food served

Rio - Carnival of the World - $$$ - Wait Time: 40 minutes - Linner (between Lunch and Dinner)
Memorable Item: All GOOD; Noodle station for fresh soup noodles, teppanyaki station that will grill you a steak if you ask; great drinks specials (3 Heineken for $9; large 2 for 1 Mohitos)
Disappointed by the hype: No

Bally's - $$ - Wait Time: 55 minutes - Dinner
Memorable Item: Shrimp Kabobs (avg. 8 sticks each with 5 on each stick); Wild Rice; Breyers Ice Cream; Lamb Chops (very tasty)
Disappointed by the hype: No

Flamingo - $$ - Wait Time: 5 minutes - Brunch
Memorable Item: Good Omelete Station and made to order Crepe Station; Crispy Bacon;
Disappointed by the hype: No; slow servers

Most places if you sign up to the Players/Total Rewards Club, they will give you coupons for $5 - $10 off your buffets, etc. It will lower your food cost down significantly.

We also went to the Deli beside the Village Buffet in Paris Hotel. The wait for that buffet was estimated to be 2 - 3 hours at 11am in the morning. We went to the deli next door and the 'Croque Monsieur - Ham and Cheese heated' was delicious. We also tried the Turkey and it was great. Price $6 for Croque and $11 for the Turkey Wrap Combo which includes Clam Chowder and a drink.

We tried to go to a restaurant but the food was unbelievably expensive. Average Appetizer/Salad $12 - $18; Main $28 - $45; Desserts $9 - $15. Prix Fix Dinner at the Eiffle Tower Restaurant $98 per person - cheapest of the Prix Fix that I can find. (They will give you a free tour to the restaurant and the view is great but they have a dress code for dinner and runner and casual is not allowed) Several Bellagio restaurant 3 course meal over $120 per person.

Another place that a fellow tourist told us about but we ran out of time and couldn't go. It is the Prime Rib Dinner at the Barbary Coast for $13.99; the restaurant was quite nice.

The Las Vegas 'Experience'

noreply@blogger.com (Sarlye ^-^) — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 06:55:00 +0000

I find that lately, the buzz word around town is "... Experience" which was prevalent when I was in Las Vegas.

We were at the Star Trek Unveiled: the Behind the Scene Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton; the American Superstars Experience at the Stratosphere; "M" Lost in Vegas Experience at the M&M World; the Penn & Teller Experience at the Rio Suites.

If you are a fan of Star Trek and all the different spin off series; the Behind the Scene Experience was worth every cent. We bought the package that included the 2 rides - Borg Invasion 4D; and Klingon Encounter; Entrance to the Museum; the Behind the Scene Tour; Pictures on the Star Trek Next Generation Enterprise Bridge and the Borg Regeneration Chamber. Even after the tour, we were still thrilled by the rides and have a better understanding of all the items displayed in the museum.

The American Superstars is the typical impersonators tribute show. Elvis, MJ and the back up dancers were good, Britney Spears, Madonna need to learn their lyrics and dance moves.

"M" lost in Vegas was the only free show. It was quite good. We resisted not buying anything in any of the 4 floors of super cute M&M products and candy store. I was impressed of the will power we had.

Penn & Teller was the only show we had reservations for and they do not disappoint. If you like their type of no BS magic, this is a great show.

All in all, we had a great 'Experience' in Las Vegas!