Clip-on hair extensions

My friend just got hair extensions and they looked so fabulous. She told me she was wearing clip-on hair extensions which she purchased in Burnaby from Abantu. She told me she paid around $200. Two days later I went and bought some myself. The saleslady was quite helpful and told me the ones that don't have the clips sewn in yet are better quality hair,and also less expensive but I'd have to do some sewing and cutting as it just comes on one super wide piece called a "weft". The weft is basically a long piece of "ribbon" with hair attached to it. Like a very wide beaded curtain, but you need to cut the width to match your doorway. But I was too chicken to sew them and cut the pieces myself, as I didn't know how wide to make each one and so on and so forth. So I got the 18" seven piece clip on set. The total I paid was $180.80. I absolutely loved them. So now that I could use my set as a "pattern" I decided to buy the unclipped hair and make another set myself, but this time a shorter length, so instead of going to Abantu where the unclipped hair is $90 and each clip is $2 (you need 17 clips to make a seven piece set) I decided to drive down to Sally's beauty supply in Bellingham. The hair there is $74 (real human hair) and the clips are three for $1.99. The clips they sell at Abantu for $2 each are actually better, but the Sally's ones do the trick. I decided with this second set, I would cut the hair short. Big mistake that was. I thought it would be easy to cut, but easy it is not. I think I'm going to have to take them into my hairdresser to fix this botch job.

This is my friend's hair:


Anyways, the extensions are a lot of fun to wear, as they don't damage your real hair, and in five minutes you can really change your look. I think the long extensions I got were a little too long as it's difficult to "blend" my real hair into the fake hair, I do one of those half hair up type hairdos, so it makes it look a lot more real. I've only worn them out in public once, and I got tons of compliments on my hair.

North Face sample sale in Richmond, H&M in Coquitlam Centre

I finally checked out the North Face sample sale in Richmond. The sample sale goes on about twice a year, and it's next to the Brick on Alderbridge. Everything is 50% off of regular price. They are sample sizes, so it's basically mostly medium sizes. I'm not really a big fan of North Face, so to me, even if it was 75% off I probably wouldn't be that interested, but my friend went crazy and dropped a few hundred buying some outdoorsy gear. What I found interesting was that they sold some dresses, like the kind you might see at Express or Banana Republic. I thought that was a little strange. Kind of like Express selling thermal underwear or Banana Republic selling sleeping bags.

While I waited for my friend to comb the racks, I was just observing how some people get at these sales, this one family literally hoarded a bunch of coats, and the whole time I was there, they would not give any of them up and kept trying them on MULTIPLE times and hogged the one mirror in the store.


So checked out H&M in Coquitlam Centre on Saturday. IT WAS NUTS. It's my second time going. Each time it's cause a friend was visiting from out of town and wanted to check it out. The line up to try clothes on is literally an hour. To buy, the lines are long, but they move fast. But if you plan on going there, wear a tank underneath, and if possible, wear a skirt or something so you can try on pants in the lingerie section instead of lining up for soo long. Or better yet, go on a weekday. There was some outdoor concert in the parking lot on Saturday so they blocked off about 80 parking spots, so I was literally circling for 15 minutes trying to get parking, then someone STOLE my spot. Then in the mall, it was so crowded, and everyone was so grumpy so I ended up getting grumpy too. At H&M it just got too busy, so I decided to walk around the mall while my friend lined up to try stuff on. Apparently I was moving too slowly for some cow at Jacob (there was people in front of me, so it's not like I'm going to plow them down). Anyways, as she walked past me, she said, "GAWD", really rudely. I was feeling bitchy, so I loudly asked, EXCUSE ME? and she ignored me and walked into the dressing room. That kind of put me in a worse mood.

If you are interested in getting Christian Louboutin, the shoes with the sexy red sole, but don't want to pay the hefty price tag, Le Chateau has some look alikes for around $69.

Saltlik on Alberni

I came here on the labour day long weekend for a quick drink with some friends. At 9pm, there was only two other tables. The other customers were a table of asian exchange students and a caucasian couple. The decor is very nice here. I only had a vodka soda, not too hard to screw that up and a couple shots of Van Gogh Espresso vodka (YUM). Despite the fact it was not busy at all, when the couple left, they got no thanks, they were completely ignored by the staff. Our service was good though, but because it was so quiet in here, I doubt I would go back again. The bathrooms are upstairs. It's quite nice looking inside, and the staff are good-looking.

My understanding is that it's owned by Earl's, and it's an experiment to see how well they do with a higher end restsaurant. If it does well, they plan to open more.

Goldfish in Yaletown

Back in June we walked past Goldfish in Yaletown and after taking a look at it from outside, we decided we wanted to go back to check it out. So in July we tried to make reservations but was told it was fully booked. I then tried again the week after that and was again told it was fully booked. So I asked the hostess what's up with that, and she told me they only book half the restaurant since they just opened and they want to get more organized before booking more than half the restaurant. Two weeks ago I tried to make reserations for six people for Saturday night and it was no problem. So I thought, they're organized. After making the reservation and letting the rest of the party know, I went on to dinehere and read these bad reviews. I thought to myself, well, give it a chance. So my friends also raed dinehere, so we decided to eat an early dinner elsewhere first, just so we don't drop $60 on food alone. We all ordered either appys or dessert or both at Goldfish. And of course some drinks. The appy's I had were overpriced and unappetizing. Six non-fresh slightly stinky oysters for $19. The wine and drink selection is mediocre at best. The ambiance is nice, and the outdoor patio area in the back is also really nice. The staff are nice and friendly, but the service is slow. The manager/maitre'd was walking around just talking/socializing, but not actually helping the waitstaff so that was annoying. I mean, I know it's tough to make small talk with random strangers, but it was frustrating because the service was so slow and there was obviously problems getting food and drink and taking orders in a timely manner, yet he didn't seem to have any sense of urgency.

Someone wrote in one of the reviews it is a place to be seen, but I really don't think so, there were a lot of tourists, and I saw two tables of seniors.

The decor is definitely impressive. It does not quite feel like you're in Vancouver. In the bathrooms instead of paper towels, they have terry handtowels, but they were cheap old ones that you can pick up at the dollar store at three for a dollar. They should use the thick paper towels instead.

We'd probably go back there for a drink, but I think I would prefer to go to George, they have a better selection of wines and cocktails.

CDs to listen to on long road trips

I love road trips! Besides the company and destination, the third most important thing to me is music. Normally I make mix CDs that pretty much run the gamut from Dolly Parton to Snoop Dogg, or I just bring my IPod (if it's actually charged) but if you don't have the time to make mix cds and can't play your IPod in the car, then check out some of these cds.
I hate when I buy a CD and there's only two or three good songs on there, so the following CDs have AT LEAST four good songs on there. Oh, and I'm not going to list the standards that everyone already knows you should have, like, Bob Marley's Legend or Led Zeppelin's Disc 2.

The Carnival - Wyclef Jean, what a great CD, I can actually listen to the whole thing without skipping any songs. There's so much scratches on my CD, I'm going to have to buy another one.

Back to Basics - Christina Aguilera, no I'm not a teeny-bopper, but this album is good, and there's some fun songs to listen to. I really love track 10!


Greatest Hits - Beach Boys-is this an obvious one? anyways, I have so much fun singing along in the car, and it's a great way to keep you awake by singing out loud!

The Sound of Music soundtrack-I love singing along to this, my friends think I'm crazy cause I know every song by heart. I've had a few guy passengers that knew all the words too. So much fun.

M.I.A. - Kala

Madeleine Peyroux - Careless Love, A jazzy bluesy album. She sounds a lot like Billy Holiday. I like her cover of Elliot Smith's Between the bars.

80s albums like Chicago's greatest hits, George Michael and Pet Shop Boys and Madonna's True Blue album

Breakaway - Kelly Clarkson. I repeat, I'm not a teenybopper. but singing to "Since you've been gone" is fun!

I also like listening to books on CDs. The last one I listened to is "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil". But I find the recording is too low, so I'm alwasys straining to hear.

Paul Potts

Wow, so, I was just browing through Youtube's top rated videos and came across Paul Potts audition on "Britain's Got Talent"
His audition made me cry it was so beautiful. Pavarotti may be better skilled, but the emotion which Paul conveys during his performance is so poignant and beautiful it is just as moving if not more than Pavarotti's performance. Give Paul some time, and he can and probably will be our generation's Pavarotti.

Paul Potts singing Opera

Paul Potts

If you are just getting into opera, check out The Number 1 Classical Album 2006. Or if you just want to download some songs, and you liked Nessun Dorma, check out these classic favorites:
O Mio Babbino Caro
Flower Duet/Lakme
Vissi D'Arte
Che Gelida Manina
and then there's of course Con te Partiro (time to say goodbye)

Kedah House on Marine Drive

Had an early dinner at Kedah House on Marine Drive a few days ago. This was my first visit there since they moved from the original Fraser and 41st location. Like their former location, the décor is still tacky. Think pink Pepto-Bismal walls. It feels like you’re in the basement dining area of a Vancouver Special fused with a mom and pop travel agency. The sign out front showed they were having a 9.95 all you can eat, but once we were seated, were told they weren’t doing the buffet. There seemed to be only one server. She was the hostess, cashier, waiter, AND bus person. I noticed several people standing at the cashier waiting to pay for their bill while we ate. Once in a while, you would see two other people helping out the server, but despite several people lined up to pay the bill, or order, or get their food brought to them, there was no sense of urgency amongst the staff.

We ordered the Roti Canai $5 (pronounced Chanai), mee goreng, a curry dish (which I didn’t try) and beef and broccoli. Within ten minutes, the server brought us two of our dishes. After poking it with my fork, the server came back and told us it wasn’t ours, and brought it to the next table. Yikes.

Our “correct” food arrived a few minutes later and it was pretty good albeit a bit too salty for my taste. It was then that she informed us they were out of beef for the beef and broccoli dish. But they could make chicken and broccoli . So we said, fine, literally one minute later, she brought it out to us. Which makes me think they screwed up, so they just said that about the beef so we would order the mistake. The fact that she didn’t tell us they were out of beef when we made our order or immediately after she put in the order confirms my suspicion. Gosh, I sound like Inspector Holmes. The meal came to around $33 before drinks. Unfortunately, it took awhile to pay. It sounded like they were playing Disney Princess music, but it still would not cover the loud sound of their air conditioning or fan.

Their service is too laid-back, which is not good when most people are in a hurry or are on their way to something else. Their former location was well-known for closing whenever they felt like despite their posted restaurant hours or not opening at all that day. I think the former location was much cleaner. Here are some reviews from other diners. Most are not so favorable. Despite my review, I think I would go back there if I had a leisurely day.
1652 SE Marine Dr, 604.325.9771
If you decide to check it out, ask for the bill mid-meal and make sure to bring cash in different denominations so there’s no need to wait for change.

If you don’t mind the drive, check out Tamarind Hill in New Westminster. The ambiance is nice, décor is beautiful right down to the small details, service is good, and most importantly, very clean and downright delicious! Oh, and the prices are similar to Kedah House, and I think the menu selection and drink selection is top-notch at Tamarind Hill.

George Bar in Yaletown, Cactus Club in Yaletown

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2007 Miss Universe Riyo Mori

I was surprised to watch a taped 2007 Miss Universe this evening. It’s changed over the years. The ladies are much sexier, thinner and taller. Some of the contestants looked like the ladies in the ads in the back of the paper, or in those “pamphlets” they give out on the strip in Vegas. The bathing suit montage that was taped earlier in various locations looked like some late night commercial for those pay per minute chat lines complete with wet girl in front of fountain doing sexy poses.

What’s with the ungracious way 2006 Miss Universe gave up her crown to the new Miss Universe. They didn’t even hug, or do the cheek air-kiss.

I don’t think Miss Japan should have won. She was not pretty, looked a little village, and the way she spoke was unclassy. The 2006 Miss Japan contestant (pictured below) deserved to win, not 2007’s. The contest is about looks, and I think the other finalists were much prettier. Like Miss Venezuela. Miss Korea and Japan both speak English well so there’s no reason they needed a translator. If anything, it’s unfair to the other contestants as it gives them more time to think of an answer, and if they answer with run on sentences or bad wording, the translator will not translate that. By the way, Miss Japan lived in Saanich, BC for a couple years while attending high school.

I really liked Miss Tanzania, she was gorgeous, and not many women can pull off bald and beautiful the way she did. I felt bad for Miss USA when everyone was booing during her interview question. Especially after she had her nasty fall in the evening gown competition. Oh, and she looks just like Emmy Rossum.

What was with Miss Canada’s national costume?? A hockey uniform? Give me a break! Even SHE looked embarrassed.

One of the prizes include a crown worth over $200,000 but it’s like, where would you wear that to? And it’s not like there’s a high demand on ebay for these crowns. I’d rather get a necklace of the same value. I guess she can get it remade by a jeweler. I always think about weird stuff.

I didn't like Slater before, and I like him even less now. He seems so full of himself. And to think he may be a possible candidate to replace Bob Barker on the Price is Right. Say it ain't so!

May 28 Police Concert and cheap parking by GM Place

The moment Ticketmaster was selling Police concert tickets, I was on their website repeatedly hitting the refresh button and getting the "sold out" message. After numerous attempts, I got the option of buying row 30 Gold Premium floor seats for a mere $425 each with only a minute to make my decision. In the frenzy of the moment, I ended up buying them. Of course I regretted it after entering in my billing info. I mean, what the heck was I thinking? I could go to Vegas, catch a concert and fly back for that price.

So when they added the second show, I bought two reasonably priced tickets at around $111 each with the intent of selling the floor seats for face value. Well, imagine my surprise when my friend was able to buy floor tickets for $225. In Row 19. Closer than my pricier seats. It turns out my tix cost $425 because they were Gold seats, which essentially means you get some kind of Police memorabilia. Oh, the memorabilia we got was a fanny pack. ?!?

Fast forward to a couple weeks ago, I post my tickets on Craigslist a little less than face value. No response. So a few days before the concert, I post them for half price. Not. one. response. So we ended up going yesterday. It was a great concert but not worth $425 a ticket. And they were saying it was sold out, but it wasn't. I ran into some friends that were sitting in row 36 on the floor, they told me they were sitting in the nosebleeds and an usher asked them if they wanted to move to the floor, so he gave them some Comp floor seat stubs. After they moved down to the floor, basically everyone sitting around them was all giddy because they also got the free upgrade. So basically they are just trying to make it look sold out, because it looks strange to look out on the floor and see tons of empty space.
Oh, we saw scalpers outside selling tickets for ten bucks. And, I saw tickets selling on Ebay for $25.

As for the concert, Sting sounded amazing, and he looked amazing. He looked so serene and relaxed up on stage, and he looked genuinely happy. His physique is WOW. Put it this way, I signed up for yoga today.
Apparently Pearl Jam was at the concert.
Anyways, I'm pretty pissed I spent so much for this concert, and about the way they sell the tickets. I guess it's all about the concert promoters making the most amount of money. But come on, charging an extra $200 to sit further back for a vinyl fanny pack? that thing is going in the garbage anyways, taking up more space in a land fill.

Tip: If you're going to any concerts or events at GM Place in the evening, park in the International Mall on Keefer Street. It's $2.50 for the entire evening and most people don't know about it so it's not too busy. It's much better than paying upwards of $15 for parking and have a hard time getting out when the concert/event ends.
Also, instead of getting the pricey food at GM Place, walk across the street to Costco, and get a hotdog and drink for $2. If you want to splurge, get their fries too.

Bosa Supermarket and Grocery Shopping in Vancouver

I noticed Bosa Foods several times from Highway 1 by the Cassiar Tunnel and finally got a chance to check it out. The original location is on Victoria Drive, but they opened up this big store in Burnaby on Kootenay Drive. It is an Italian supermarket. If you're going northbound on Boundary, you want to make a left after 1st avenue where ICI paints is.
The supermarket is quite nice, it sort of reminds me of Whole Foods in North Vancouver. The deli has a great selection, especially the olives. I tried a grilled sandwich which was delicious.
They don't have a big produce section but they more then make up for it with their good selection of olive oils, cheeses, fine meats, kitchen supplies, breads from Pane Formaggio and of course pastas. Definitely worth checking out. I will be coming back for their cheeses and deli items.

Grocery shopping
I do most of my veggie shopping at Kin's. (you should go on the website just to hear the cheesy music..) Aside from the price of the avocados, I find their prices good and the produce to be good quality and selection. Plus they always have specials going on, and if you look in some of the free local papers like the Courier, they often have coupons for free stuff, or purchase a minimum of $5 and get a free bag of onions. Depending on the location you go to, they have a good selection of organic items (Park Royal location=good, Champlain Mall=not so good). I have two complaints about Kin's. The music they play in the stores, the other day I heard "My Heart will go on" from the Titanic but done music box style. Also, if the line up is long, they open up a second cash register, but they don't ask for the next in line. They just serve whoever runs up there the fastest. And if you ever go to the Champlain mall location, some of their customers know that, so as soon as they see a long line up, they sort of hang around the other register knowing they'll open it up. Annoying!


I'm super picky and selective when it comes to food shopping. I'm the person in the supermarket aisles inspecting a bunch of cans.. That being said, I think I can offer a few tips on buying produce:

-For most fruits, eg orange, take turns holding a few of the same sized oranges, and buy the heaviest one.

-Try to pick the medium sized, or medium to small sized fruits. Bigger does not necessarily equal better.

-People like to squeeze to find produce that yields to slight pressure, but after several people are squeezing the produce, it's most likely to get soft anyways, so this is not always a good test.

-Fruits from afar have to travel so much further so it's been picked way before they are ripe. Melons need to ripen on the vine, much like stone fruits. Once picked, they only get softer, not any sweeter. I like to buy local produce.
Sniff the stem end of the fruit. It should smell good. If no scent, it's probably dry.

-I love tomatoes, but it's hard to find good tomatoes in the supermarket. Unlike stone fruits, tomatoes ripen after picking, so when you bring them home, keep them in a paper bag to slow down the ripening. Also, don't store tomatoes in the fridge as it ruins the taste.

I try to buy organic, but sometimes, price is a factor, as is limited selection. And to be perfectly honest, I hardly eat any fruit..

Online sites that ship to Canada

Online shopping sites that ship to Canada

Revolve clothing, FREE shipping to Canada
Shopbop.com
Bluefly.com orders up to $300 are $34, over $300 is $45
Sephora.com (not fashion, but how can I not mention Sephora)
Victoriassecret.com (starts at $11.95) http://www.victoriassecret.com/
Activeendeavors.com Shipping is FREE to Canada!
Neimanmarcus.com, not really online shopping because you need to call to make an order, 1.888.888.4757
and of course EBay. A lot of sellers will say US only, but if you contact them, they are often willing to send to Canada. It’s actually not expensive for them to ship to Canada at all.
If you really want something from Zappo’s, you can always order through myus.com, which is a mail forwarding service so you can shop from any online store that ships to the US, but it ain’t cheap. It’s $35 set up fee, then a $132 for annual membership. These are the shipping charges for air. Each 100 grams up to 1 kg $2.20, each 100 grams over 1 kg is $1.45
Mail Network also does the same thing, but it’s more pricey for the annual membership, however, the shipping charges are cheaper.

Personally, I opened up a PO Box in Blaine. I found it to be much cheaper, and I used to go to the US about once a week so it made sense. Now I don’t go as often.

Martini's on Broadway

I haven't been here in ages, so I was surprised when I went this weekend that the place looks a lot better than before. It sort of reminds me of an upscale pub. But like in the past, they seem understaffed, however, the waitress we got was excellent. And our food was quick, she was attentive, came at all the right times. The food is still mediocre, but their reasonably priced drink menu makes up for it. Martinis for 5.45. I had a Tropical Breeze and it was pretty yummy. Monday nights they are less than 4 bucks. I remember coming here a lot because it was open late, and they served liquor late and I remember the service was really bad back then. The clientele when I went this weekend was very mixed. Some very young people, or senior citizen types. The food they have is like a pizza/greek joint. Souvlaki, pizza, pastas, kalamari, you get the picture. I think it's still an okay place to go to for a drink or some late night food.
151 W Broadway (across from Mountain Equipment Co-op)

Teaworks on Victoria Drive
This is a bubble tea restaurant in East Vancouver close to London Drugs (Victoria and 41st). This place can get really busy, a lot of young student types. The menu is pretty cheap, and the food and drinks aren't bad, but the service is not that great. Some of the waitstaff seem inexperienced and they are definitely understaffed.. I've only been twice though so maybe I went on off nights.
The last time I was there, we were seated before a group of four guys. We kept trying to flag the waitress to order. It took a while for the server to come around, and when she did, she served the four guys first. What was annoying was, those four guys KNEW we were there first, AND they saw us trying to flag down the waitress, but they had no sense of courtesy to say something to the waitress. What was even more annoying was, the guy that started ordering looked almost smug cause he knew they were getting served first, acting like he was some VIP. I think most people would say, "i think they were here first". Anyways, they were right next to us, so she took our order next, so I told the waitress we were here first, "and those guys know that we were here first AND that we were trying to order, but they were too rude to let you know". The waitress apologized, glanced at the guys and looked uncomfortable, and she ended up bringing our order first. The four guys started whispering to each other, probably plotting what they'll say, but think they realized they are assholes. Anyways, the tables are very close together, and it's a super busy environment, and the temperature is very cool in here. So bring a sweater, and be prepared to be in a noisy non-relaxing environment. In that part of Vancouver, there's not that many restaurants open late that are good except maybe Neighbour's restaurant, but the food is very mediocre there.. Oh, and there's Mui Garden, but after my last experience there with a very strange smelling dessert I will not go back there again.

Seto Restaurant in Richmond
I was here a few days ago, and I was pleasantly surprised. It's a little bit pricey I think for what it looks like, but the food is good and quite authentic. In fact, I saw a couple Japan Airlines flight attendants that made their way out here, perhaps on the way from the airport to their hotel in downtown. (They were not in uniform, but I know a flight attendant when I see one)
They have a good selection of sake too. One thing that was a bit funny was, there is a poster for some Japanese girl pageant in Vancouver. There's a picture of five girls (probably the finalists) I think, and it's autographed by all the girls. I just thought that was funny for some reason. If I come back again (which I'm sure I will), I'll take a pic of it if it's still up.
Service is average.

Beauty Product Reviews

Jergen's Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer

I bought this a couple weeks ago (the one for pale skin), after about five applications, there's a noticeable difference in my legs. I only applied it below my knees because I wanted to test it out, and usually the only skin I show on my lower half is below the knee anyways. Someone actually asked me yesterday if I've been tanning cause my legs looked tan. So I guess it works well. I definitely like this product, the scent isn't bad either. Normally self tanner smells pretty horrible. Also, because it develops so gradually, there is hardly any streaking.

Softsoap Vanilla Brown Sugar

Not really a beauty product, but I had to include this cause I was just thinking of it. I bought one of those soap pump dispensers and I fill it with dishwashing liquid and keep it in the bathroom. But it makes my hands really dry, and it's too soapy. I hate using bar soap to wash my hands, and I'm too cheap to buy the liquid hand soap, so when I was at the dollar store and saw Softsoap Vanilla Brown Sugar hand soap, I had to buy it. Also, I love the scent of Vanilla as long as it doesn't smell like hot chocolate. Well, this stuff actually smells like vanilla and tobacco. seriously. I thought it smelled like tobacoo, and I thought it was just me, but someone actually told me I smelled like cigarettes. (I quit smoking a few months ago, so they thought I started again). Anyways, for some weird reason I like the scent, but I don't think I'll be buying it again.

Philosophy 3-in-1 Waffle Cone shower gel

I LOVE the scent of this. It does not have that cheap fake smell like some other body washes. It seriously smells good enough to eat. It's $16 US at Sephora, and it's totally worth it. It's a 3-in-1 because it's a shampoo, soap, and shower gel. However, I don't really like using it as a shampoo because it makes my hair a bit dry, and it made my hair colour (my hair's coloured) a little bit brassy. If you see it in the store, you must buy it. You will smell delicious enough to eat.

MAC brush cleanser



I'm pretty cheap, I used to wash my makeup brushes with shampoo and thought it was good enough. Well, a couple years ago I splurged and bought this and I couldn't believe how well it worked. I put a little in a plastic cup and add a little water, and just push my brush around in there and all this makeup comes off even though my brushes look clean. This product is very easy to use, it disinfects and conditions your brushes, and it's safe for use on high quality brushes. This is well worth the splurge, it's $11, and it lasts a long time. I actually keep a couple bottles of these. My skin breaks out easily, so I try to wash my brushes regularly. I've seen makeup artists put some in a spritzer bottle mixed with water, and spray their brushes after each use. I haven't tried this yet, but thinking of doing this to keep my brushes clean.

Recent restaurant visits

Toshi's in Vancouver
I've been here six times, and five out of six times I lined up over 30 minutes (the one time I didn't line up was on a Tuesday or Thursday night during a Canucks game). All I know is, never again will I step foot in this place. First off, if I get really crappy service, I will complain to the manager. Unfortunately, complaining at most Asian restaurants for lousy service will pretty much get you nowhere, and most likely nothing will really get resolved unless they feel like their restaurant may possibly be fined or shut down for uncleanliness. But bad service? Pshaw! And for a place like Toshi's I didn't even bother. Some of the waitresses there have really let the lineups get to their head, as if people are lining up to be served by them. People are lining up because that's pretty much the only restaurant in the area serving "authentic" Japanese food with "nonauthentic" Japanese restaurant prices. This is one of those restaurants where it's, sit down, order, eat your food and leave, don't linger around when there's like 16 pairs of eyes willing you to hurry up. But of course this restaurant boasts some really obnoxious customers, like these three ladies I've seen there three of the six times I've been there. Each time that I saw them, they were already seated, and pretty much finished eating, but half an hour later while I'm still waiting, they're still sitting there, and when I finally get to sit down, after I pay the bill and leave, they are still there (two of the three times anyways). Why don't they just go around the corner to Bellagio's and have some ice cream or go to Denny's and spend all night there??

My chief complaints and observations during my six visits
-2 of the six times, the bill was incorrect, once over billed, once under billed
-1 of the six times, I received the incorrect amount of change. so basically half the time they screw up the bill
-the table next to me complained they never got something that was charged on their bill, and the waitress argued with them about it.
-the young waitress with bob length hair has a really irritating tone of voice
-they will keep calling names all night, even if after calling it three or four times the party is not there. If not being there after being called twice, they should lose their spot.
-if you are a table of 3-4, you will never get a table, they will keep putting couples and singles ahead of you, but if they went in the correct order, you would have sat down long ago, eg, tables A, B, and C. Each table seats two. Table A opens up, so they seat one couple. Then table B opens up, so they seat another couple. Meanwhile the party of four that has been waiting way before the other two couples could have sat down. And it's not like when Table A left, Table B was still eating, table B is also waiting for their bill.

Anyways, I'm not going back there because one of the waitresses is such a friggin bag. If I ever seen her again, I may handle it like an adult and only punch her in the face.

If you decide to check this place out, make sure there is only one or two of you. Otherwise you're in for a long wait.


Nu restaurant
After a recommendation from a friend who went during the first week of opening, I decided to check this place out. I didn't like it. The service was great (at least from our waiter), the dishes ranged from horrible to good. I did like the butternut squash soup and caesar salad a lot, but I wouldn't go back there for it. And I just didn't like the decor. It looks too trendy, and something that will require a serious update in about 15 months. And I don't know what my friend is talking about, and I certainly don't know what En Route magaine is talking about, "#1 best new restaurant in Canada"?? And trendy and cool clientele?? At least not the day I was there. The only thing I liked about the restaurant was the ample and free parking. The night we were there, it appeared there was a restaurant critic there, (not anonymously) and he and his group were getting the royal treatment. Maybe if you say you're a restaurant critic, you get the better food too? When I spend $70 for just the meal portion, I think I deserve to have fare better than Cactus Club.


The Main on Main
I used to come here when it first opened quite a few years ago, and I really liked the ambiance and food and easygoing attitude of the staff. I was recently here, and the service was so bad. And it's not like they are rude, they are just soo friggin slow. After it felt like it was taking forever just to order, I checked my watch. Twenty minutes later (after checking my watch), the waitress finally came around. There were two waitresses that night, and only 6 tables. Both of them were chatting and flirting with some guys that were seated outside.. Meanwhile, the owner was sitting at the bar talking to some guy and wasn't doing anything about it. The food was good, but I won't be returning here again. If I'm in this area, I'd much rather go to Locus or the Reef. I have yet to check out Hawker's, but I think they keep weird hours.

It's a good thing Vancouver has a never ending supply of restaurants. Cause I just added three more restaurants to my list of restaurants not to go to.


Feenie's
I love this place. I've been here five times and each time it's been great. The food and desserts are good, and the prices decent. The drink menu is great, and my drinks have always been made nicely. The service is great, although I have to admit it was a lot better back when the tall bartender still worked there. My only beef is, I don't really like the lighting and setup in the dining area. It feels very cramped. I prefer to come here for appies and drinks in the bar area, better lighting and ambiance. I had a squid ink pasta which isn't part of their regular menu that was simply fab. I've even ordered the Feenie's Weenie once, which I regretted ordering the minute I got it. My friends were picking at their charcuterie plates and seared tuna, while I'm biting into a hot dog with ketchup and mustard is dripping onto my shirt. All whilst wearing my stilettos. Ahhh, glamorous. flossy flossy.

Nobody Knows - True story, The Affair of the Abandoned Children

Just watched this film based on a true story about a mother that leaves her four children for weeks at a time while she goes off to party and meet men until she finally abandons them altogether. The movie is definitely worth watching. For the good acting (the boy who plays Akira won the 2004 Cannes Film Festival best actor award), beautiful cinematography and imagery. Actually, Ella Taylor of the LA Weekly sums it up perfectly, "Nobody Knows unfolds with such leisurely, terrible beauty, it takes a while to realize that what we are witnessing is the children’s long slide into beggary, exacerbated by the slow torture of faint hope."

The horrifying thing is, the real life story is much more horrible than the movie version. I'm trying to find out more about the story, but all I keep finding is this Wikipedia article which indicates there were five children, one of them died of malnutrition so the mom wrapped her up in plastic and hid her in the closet and another was killed by one of the kids' friend. All other sites basically refer to the same Wiki article, or offer the exact same information. Apparently it was big news in the 80's in Japan, but none of my Japanese friends seem to know any specifics about this story. I want to know what ended up happening to the four children, and what happened to the mother. Apparently she only went to jail for two years.

Yaletown

Okay, so I was in Yaletown the other day, and for those of you that don't know Yaletown, it's described as Vancouver's "trendy and upscale renovated warehouse district". Personally, I don't like Yaletown at night, or even much during the day for that matter. As much as I like a lot of restaurants and bars in Yaletown, I find on the weekends the parking is horrendous, and the one-way traffic in the narrow two main streets is not enjoyable, and everytime I think I found a parking spot, it's "reserved" for a garbage receptacle.
What I don't like about it besides the parking is some of the people that hang out there trying to be cool. If you go in some of the boutiques, you'll see the girls that look at a top that costs about $430 try to look really bored, touch the fabric with their acrylic nails, and say something like, 'oh, it looks okay I guess, but I don't really like the colour". Yeah, right. Meanwhile she's wearing a Sirens top with a fake horsebit-Gucci bag.
Quick story, my handsome male friend met some girls in Glowbal, they said they live close in downtown by Burrard. Anyways, end of the night, he ends up going home with one of them, and she actually lives on Hastings and Gilmore area close to Burnaby..

If you go there during the day however, there's plenty of parking (all paid meter parking of course). I think cause the shopping albeit funky and some cutting-edge stuff, there's just not that many stores, and it's pretty spendy. I checked out Basquiat which is owned by Trevor Linden's wife. It's a nice store, but tops run about $500, but they do have some cool designer ware and some nice jeans too. I'm wondering, how come they can name their store Basquiat and there's no problem, and DeNiro's restaurant had to change their name because Robert De Niro threatened to sue. They changed their name to Section 3 (Tuesday highballs are $3.95)

Anwyays, I'll have to go back to Basquiat when I start making more money..

Good deals

In Tuesday's Vancouver Sun's Style section there's a $30 off coupon at Wear Else which expires April 30. The great thing about this coupon is, it's not one of those, spend at least $100. As long as the item's over $30, you can use it. So you can buy a $40 item for $10. Doh.

www.beancoffeeshop.com
Get $12 off your first order for new customers. I'm not a coffee drinker so I've never tried their coffees, but they appear to have a pretty good clientele.
Looks like no minimum order.

Cheerios select cereals has a free adult admission movie pass inside!

Canadian Tire online, free shipping for any order over $49. Use this promo code SPRING316


:)

Craigslist Vancouver

I sold my car within TWO HOURS! I posted my ad on Craigslist, and within 45 minutes I got THREE replies. An hour and forty five minutes later we are meeting up in a sketchy parking lot and I'm receiving a $100 deposit. A few months ago I posted an ad (which I paid good money for) on another website and I didn't even get one response, and it was a better deal too.

Now I gotta buy a car. Groan. I find it so stressful, but what can you do, I am not a public transportation kind of gal. I just can't get up early enough to catch a bus. I literally wake up 35 minutes before work starts, get ready within 15 (including a shower) roll into work one minute before I start with my Mighty Leaf African Nectar tea in hand and my Vancouver Sun (actually, just the page with the crossword puzzle - the easier one, not the New York Times crossword)

Joey's on Broadway, George in Yaletown, Kyung Bok Palace

Joey's

I finally had a chance to check out Joey's on Broadway. They don't take reservations and we ended up waiting about 40 minutes (there were five of us). We were really hungry so it helped that they gave out samples of food and drink (non-alcoholic) while you wait!
I ordered the Forbidden Fruit martini which did not taste good (it's way better at the Joey's in Coquitlam). Too much lime. I had the ahi tuna tacos, which was decent, but I wouldn't order it again. Maybe it was an off night, but I think the Joey's in Coquitlam is a lot better. On the other hand our waitress was fantastic! Despite how busy it was, she was attentive, helpful, and just an all round great server. The hostesses were nice enough, but a couple of them seemed like they were just there to chat with each other which comes across unprofessional. I had a couple other drinks including the pomegranate mojito which is nothing to write home about, (but I guess blog-worthy).
Although the food and drink wasn't exceptional, I would go back again for the ambiance. I'm not a big fan of having to take the stairs to go to the bathroom, but it was a pretty cool bathroom. I love the paper towels they provide, and the oil paintings in the bathroom stalls is a nice touch.
It's pretty much a Cactus Club atmosphere, so as for dress code anything goes.


George Bar in Yaletown

I went last week and the drinks are very good. I especially like the Old-Fashioned (bourbon, brown sugar and some citrus) which I think is the very first thing on the vast drink menu. Tried some appies as well which were equally impressive. I thought I saw Gary Busey there. The cocktails range from $8-12.
If you haven't been, you can just walk in and sit wherever which anyone can probably figure out, except we stood at the door waiting to be seated.. We got there about 9 so pretty much 90% of the seats were full. Around ten the place was really happening. I did not like the bathrooms which is shared with Capone's restaurant out in the hallway.
I'd come here again, but next time I'll make sure I'm wearing some stiletto heels and a smaller top to fit in with all the other beautiful people. Oh, and ladies, there are definitely more guys than girls here.


Kyung Bok Palace

This Korean restaurant in North Vancouver has gotten a couple of awards for best Korean restaurant. In addition, numerous Koreans have recommended this place, so I went quite a few times until they opened a second location in Richmond (Lansdowne Mall) which is actually more convenient for me. I happened to be in North Vancouver recently so I went in for lunch but was I ever disappointed. First of all the service was horrible (it used to be decent), when we asked for extra bowls for the soup, she brought us plates (?!?) and on top of that, one of them had kimchi looking red spice specks all over it and the other one had brown sauce on it. To top it off, the waitresses hands were dripping wet! and she was holding the plates with her thumb on the middle of the plate dripping water onto it. It was not very busy, and when she wasn't serving (which was hardly ever), she sat at a table eating food and watching TV.. The waitresses never came around to refill tea, and I never got my drink order on top of that. The menu pages were stuck together which is so gross. I worked at a restaurant before and when it wasn't busy, we were wiping menu pages.
The tea was lukewarm and tasted like they used the same leaves all day. The noodles were overcooked, but the side dishes and bibimbap still rocked.
The waitress was only attentive when it came time to pay and she stood there to see the tip. How utterly tacky.
It seems like the majority of Korean restaurants in Vancouver are hit or miss and if it's a hit, it's often inconsistent. The only place that's been consistent everytime is Kyung Bok Palace in Lansdowne and a restaurant in Coquitlam but I don't know the name. There's one on broadway that's good but the name escapes me.
Other than that, the best Korean restaurants in North America seem to be in Cali or New York.
I haven't been to many Coquitlam Korean restaurants, if you know any good ones, let me know! I love kimchi, seafood pancakes and kalbi.

Victoria Beckham fashion

How come she always looks so good? I always thought obvious fake breasts look so tacky, but she somehow manages to make it look fashionable.
I like this outfit, it's simple yet chic yet sexy. I need to recreate this look minus the big breasteses. oh.. and I guess my legs aren't this skinny either.


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Rude drivers in Vancouver

Why are there are so many rude (and shitty) drivers in Vancouver.
The other day I was at Champlain Mall circling for parking. The driver in front of me stopped his car and it appeared he was talking to his passenger. About twenty seconds later (meanwhile traffic is building up behind me and there's no way to go around him) the passenger gets out, I guess so she wouldn't have to walk all the way from a parked car to the store. It wasn't even raining AND she was a healthy fit person in her 20s. Once she got out, you'd think she'd walk immediately to the store. Nope, they continue their conversation. Car stopped, all while blocking traffic. So I honked. The girl turned around, gave me a look and continued talking. I layed on the horn (for a continuous 5-6 seconds), started opening my window to say something and she turned around and gave me the finger then finally walks towards the store. I was so fuming mad, and as luck would have it, there were two parking spaces that opened up and the guy that dropped of his passenger parked in one, and I parked right next to him. He took one look at me, saw how mad I was, he reversed and took off..

Vancouver shopping

I guess I've been too busy going south to do my shopping and haven't yet had a chance to check out Urban Outfitters in Vancouver which opened up on Granville and Robson. I wonder if there's any comparison to the Seattle location.
I love their stuff, but I think it's a little overpriced.

Vancouver restaurants

I haven't had a chance to check out Joey's on Broadway yet but apparently they had to change their "Diva Salad" name because Diva at the Met threatened to sue them. What a joke. I understand if it was called, "Diva at the Met Salad" but come on, "DIVA"?

I just found out Tojo's moved across the street from Toys R Us on Broadway about a month ago. Tojo-san bought the building.. And now the minimum price for Omakase is $120 when it used to be around $40.

Koji Restaurant on Hornby closed down a few weeks ago. All these cheap Japanese restaurants opening up is making some of the pricier restaurants close down. Too bad, because Koji had a really good menu as well as good food.

Lately I've been getting my sushi fix at Toshi's on 16th. The lineup can be long, but it's worth the wait. Make sure to get their early, and as soon as you go in, go to the front by the sushi counter and have your name written down. Try the negitoro roll, house special roll, and the soft shell crab. I always get those and just try other new things. My only beef is that they don't have red wine.

Dragon Boys Review

A two part miniseries airing today and tomorrow on CBC. It’s about a Chinese Canadian RCMP gang squad officer and westcoast Asian gangs.
When I read about it in the paper I expected it to be another bad Canadian production. Well, I watched it tonight and it was not as bad as I expected it to be. In fact, it was entertaining and there were talented actors, but nevertheless there was still a very Canadian production element.

The warning indicates, “Disturbing, realistic portrayal..” umm, the following scenes were very disturbing, and gave it a low-budget look. *Warning-Spoilers*

-The Caucasian girl in the yellow sportscar with a 1991 spiral perm drinking a bubble tea and smoking a cigarette. They should have saved her $8 extra wage and used it to buy some tea pots for the restaurant scenes, which brings us to:
-Jason working in his parent’s restaurant walking around with a pitcher of ice water. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a Chinese restaurant in Vancouver where the waiter/ess walks around with a pitcher of water.
-The hairstyle of “Movie Star”. It looks like a mullet. Horrible haircut. “Movie Star” actually has a handome face, but that stringy mullet is so distracting it takes away from the show.
-Movie Star in his black silk robe screaming at the girl on the couch to “Take a shower!”. That whole scene was just so bad.
-Why is it that Movie Star has an accent, but his brother Linkoln has no accent. “…we’re in this togedder”
-What is the point of the stripper and the RCMP officer having a sexual relationship. It adds no value to the show.
-Vancouver is known for having very good looking strippers. Why do they have to use one that looks so old??
-The soundtrack..
-At the crime scene when Willy gets shot, all the neighbours are outside the yellow tape. More than half of the spectators are Caucasian. Come on, it’s Richmond.
-The scene where “Movie Star” beats up the white guy outside his car for no reason.
-When the Cambodian model goes shopping with the big guy with tattooed tears, they’re obviously in some Asian mall store but there’s a white guy working there. That’s like an impossibility. And what’s with the strange dancing in front of the panda.
The OUTFITS on the younger actors
-The red fur coat on Jason’s friend, I saw it twice on the show, each time cringe-worthy
-Black thickly knitted sweater with shiny leather coat, cheap sunglasses, thick gold chain and fancy mullet on “Movie Star”. Come on now, Asians, and Asian gangsters dress really well. They don’t wear cheap ass International Clothier clothing.
-The supposed junkie white girl that assists in the home invasion, aside from her hair, she looks so healthy and fit.
-Tommy’s (RCMP guy) and Jason’s bitterness about Asian stereotypes.
-it seems like the junkie girl and Jason take a pretty long bus trip and stay in a motel (with sliding glass doors?!?) anyways, Jason goes to pick up some food, and during the time that he’s gone, junkie girl calls her boyfriend and he’s already at the motel.

I actually felt kind of embarrassed in some of the above scenes.

On the other hand, these features were really good.
Majority of the actors, especially:
-RCMP officer Tommy – Byron Mann
-Willy the duck – Eric Tsang
-The lady playing Willy’s wife
-one of the guys in high school, he really looked gangster, one of the three guys that go to the restaurant grand opening. The guy on the very right. NOT the albino with the blonde hair.
The sets they used, houses, condos, massage parlor and restaurant.

If they got rid of the scenes I mentioned earlier, it would have been sooo soo much better. And I don’t know why, but I really liked the scene where the guy comes out of the Casino.

I think if “Movie Star” had a normal haircut, the show would have been so much better. Or maybe Movie Star and Linkoln should have traded roles. I found Jason’s role (the son of the restaurant guy that gets involved in the home invasion) really annoying. In fact, I was hoping he would get beat up.

I thought it was cast well, but I think it might have been more interesting if Linkoln was the RCMP guy, Tommy was the "movie star", and "movie star" had a haircut.
Anyways, I’ll be tuning in tomorrow to watch the conclusion. I feel they jammed too much in during tonight’s show. They could easily spread it out over 8 hours instead and developed some of the side stories.

The Departed

I finally watched the Departed. Now I have questions. Warning! *Spoilers*
-What happens to the first envelope Leo gives the psychologist chick? The manila envelope. I see her open up the letter that gets mailed to Damon but not the manila envelope. I felt like I was just left hanging.
-How does Marky Mark find out about Damon?
I guess I'm supposed to conclude the shrink gives the manila envelope to Mark.
-I didn't think Jack Nicholson was a good pick for this role. He didn't seem very Boston to me either. A better replacement doesn't come to mind right now. I do think Seamus O'Reily (Kevin Conway) from Oz should have had a role as one of his men.
-I think Damon, Leo and Marky Mark were fantastic in this movie. I wonder if it would have been better if Damon and Leo had switched roles.
-A lot of times they make gangster life seem so glam in movies, but not this one.
-If someone told me this move was filmed 7 years ago, I would have believed them. The hairstyle and makeup of the shrink and some of the styles people were wearing looked really dated.
-Damon did such a good job at playing a hateable character. I find often in movies, even the bad guys, you can't help but like them or feel sorry for them, but not Damon. Joaquin Phoenix is also good at playing a hateable character (e.g. his role in Gladiator).

Rating out of five: 3.5
Would I buy the DVD: Yes. if it was under $10
Would I watch it again. Yes, but only for Leo.
Scariest scene: When Jack is in the theater with MD and pulls out a you-know-what.
Favorite scene: When MD and the shrink are having dinner and he asks her if he actually thinks he likes her.
The Departed is a remake of a Chinese movie titled Infernal Affairs.

Burglarized. Job postings.

Hee hee, this makes me laugh.

A few weeks ago, my place got burglarized. No one was home except for the cat. The idiot(s) busted down the basement door and took all valuables. On top of that, they watched some television and left urine on the toilet seat and floor. Of course we had no insurance which is really dumb because the insurance would have been less than $400/year.

Anyways, the cop we talk to tells us there is no point in the police coming to investigate. And that it’s okay to clean up the mess that was left behind. Two days later, some officers show up. (these guys were great, I wish one of them was assigned to the case) To take fingerprints and DNA of the urine. They tell me the guy I talked to made a mistake. Whatever. I then later find out my neighbor got robbed a week prior but they were home and they beat the wife unconscious. Nice neighborhood.

A half-assed cop story.
A girl in my old neighborhood got into a huge fight with her boyfriend outside his house. Because of all the yelling, some people came out to watch. She gets into her car, and rams her car into his car THREE times, plus hits another neighbor’s car in the process. Then she comes out of the car holding a pie and just stands outside her car crying. The cops come, The neighbor that got his car hit and myself tell the cop about the fight and what happened. The officer talks to Ms Crazy, and she tells him they were not fighting. She says something was wrong with her gas pedal, and that’s why she hit the two cars. The pathetic boyfriend actually backs her story up. The cop actually BELIEVES her. He writes some stuff in his notebook and leaves after like five minutes. Any moron can see she hit his car three different times.. How can it be a mechanical problem?? He just didn’t want to do the paperwork. Okay, I realize no one got hurt here, and there are more serious crimes like rape and murder, but why the heck should ICBC pay for this. In the end, everyone’s rates goes up. This girl obviously has issues. I’m sure if the guy was outside his house she would have rammed her car into him.

On New Year’s Eve, there was a huge accident in front of my friend’s house. It actually involved a very drunk driver hitting FOUR parked cars. The impact was so hard, his airbag went off, and one of the cars’ tire actually came off. The police were called, and although it was obvious he was drunk, they didn’t bother doing a breathalyzer. They just got his car towed and the drunk guy’s friend came to pick him up. They had already left before the tow truck driver came.

I know there’s some really good cops out there. But it seems they are understaffed and overworked. It’s unfortunate because most people don’t really have anything too nice to say about the police here. Like any business, there is always the handful of bad employees, but I think it has more to do with just not enough resources. Some people actually asked me why I even bothered filing a report about the burglary.
On that note, if you don’t want to be invited to any more house parties, apparently the Vancouver police is doing a lot of hiring right now. If you are a female, AND you are a minority, you have an even better chance of getting in. Please don’t apply because you like the power a gun provides..

Eating out and supermarkets

I haven't cooked a meal since the 14th of December. Every meal I've eaten (including breakfasts) has been in a restaurant, fast food establishment, delivered to my door, or take out. It's crazy. My skin looks like a catcher's mitt and I always feel fatigued. Actually, on Christmas I had a home cooked meal. Oh wait, and I had homecooked spaghetti (sauce out of a jar) on the weekend. So I had two homecooked meal in like three weeks. Oh, and in the past five months, my total fruit intake has been: two bites of a banana, two mandarin oranges, and half a navel orange (which I had today). I tried to adopt a macrobiotic diet about five months ago, and the only thing that really stuck with me was avoiding most fruits.

Food shopping sucks.

When I do go food shopping, I like to go to the following places, (but most of the time I end up at Superstore and Safeway):

-Choices - I like their bulk foods and stock up on the Lundberg organic brown rice when bulk foods go on sale (sometimes 20%)
-Whole Foods in North Vancouver - I love this place. The service is good, the samples rock, but watch the price/100 grams if you buy anything from the prepared foods, I was shocked by my $16 chicken with fries.. I was too red-faced to give it back to the counter guy.
-Kin's farm market for vegetables - prices are good and they sometimes have coupons for free celery or onions in free newspapers like the Courier.
-Fujiya - kinda pricey, can find cheaper stuff like Japanese mayo at Superstore, but decent selection of Japanese foods and cheap bento boxes (I love the spicy chicken karaage). As for food products, always check the expiration date. They're kinda notorious for having expired items on the shelves.

William Hung coming to Seattle

William Hung of Season 3 American Idol fame, she-bang she-bang, will be making an appearance at Alderwood Mall in Seattle at 11am on 1.13.07. He'll also be at the Spokane North Town Mall at 11am on 1.14.07. Here's a little tidbit, did you know he's sold over 100,000 albums??

Deal or No Deal Model Search coming to Vancouver

Did you know they're making a Canadian version of Deal or No Deal? There's some awesome Canadian game show hosts but I can't think of any good game shows filmed in Canada, if they follow the same format and set, maybe it'll be just as successful, although I'm shuddering thinking about the show Canada's Next Top Model that was on a few months ago..

Anyways, Deal or No Deal is looking for some suitcase wielding models, and if you can stand for like an hour in one place with a huge smile and make witty banter with Howie, they're auditioning across Canada starting tomorrow. Apparently natural charisma, wit, warmth and enthusiasm are a must. Translation: HOT. Here's some info:

DRESS CODE: Come dressed to impress the judges. A cocktail/party dress, or a skirt and sweater or blouse - whatever you feel presents you at your best. Pants are not acceptable, and dress shoes with heels are a must! Hey, why does it have to be a woman? I wouldn't mind seeing some guys holding onto the suitcases instead.

DATE AND LOCATIONS
**Please be sure to check back at globaltv.com closer to your city's casting date to confirm time and location.
Vancouver: Wednesday, January 3, 2007 at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver located at 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver
Calgary: Friday, January 5, 2007 at the Sheraton Suites Calgary Eau Claire located at 255 Barclay Parade SW, Calgary
Winnipeg: Sunday, January 7, 2007 at The Fairmont Winnipeg located at 2 Lombard Place, Winnipeg
Montreal: Tuesday, January 9, 2007 at the Hotel Omni Mont-Royal located at 1050 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal
Toronto: Friday, January 12, 2007 at The Royal York Fairmont Hotel at 100 Front St. W. Hopefuls will not be allowed to line-up outside the venue before 6:30am. Doors will open at 8 am, and close at Noon. Each contestant is allowed only one supporter.
**Those women selected to appear on the program will not be notified at the casting - they will be notified by producers at a later date.
**Due to the time constaints of a one day casting call, attendance does not guarantee an audition.

Dine Out Vancouver

What we in Vancouver lack in good shopping, we make up for in really yummy restaurants. Vancouver is hosting their fifth Dine Out Vancouver event starting January 19 and ending on February 4. Several upscale Vancouver restaurants will be participating in this prix fixe event, offereing three course dinners at either $15, $25 or $35. Some of these restaurants include Bacchus, CinCin, Il Giardino, Blue Water Cafe, La Terrazza, The Cannery and West. I was disappointed Lumiere and Feenie's wasn't participating this year, but I'm glad Chambar is.
These are the restaurants I'm trying to make reservations at:
The Ocean Club
La Terrazza
Chambar
They've alphabetized the list, but they are alphabetizing "the", like instead of The Mill Marine Bistro & Bar being filed under "M", it's filed under "T".

I question why some of the restaurants are even on there since their regular menu stuff is below the 15/25/35 mark. If you're going to make reservations, make them now! This year some of the restaurants are allowing online booking, but the site is soooo friggin slow it might even be faster to keep hitting redial on your phone.