I had a tough choice this week. I had the option to go to three screenings yesterday: The Lincoln Lawyer, Limitless and Paul. I opted to go for a comedy though I'm sure I will catch the other two in theatres later.
Paul follows two British comic book geeks, Graeme Willy (Simon Pegg) and Clive Gollings (Nick Frost), who are visiting the US to attend Comic-Con, a large comic book and popular arts convention. Being huge sci-fi fans, they planned a road trip to go to see all the famous UFO sites across the America. While outside Area 51, they accidentally meet Paul (Seth Rogen), an alien on the run who was held captive there by the government for the last 60 years. When the government decides that Paul had outlived his usefulness, Paul launched an escape. Being a matter of life and death, Graeme and Clive take the rude, wise-cracking little alien aboard their rented RV. Now they are being chased by government agents and also the fanatic father of Ruth (Kisten Wiig), a young woman whom the two had to kidnap to prevent her from telling the authorities about Paul. Graeme and Clive are in for the road trip of their life as they take Paul to rendezvous with his mother ship.

On the one hand, this movie is funny and entertaining to watch. Pegg, Frost and Rogen are an amazing trio who gives the audience a lot of laughs and Wiig delivers all her lines in a spectacularly funny way. There are also many popular sci-fi references littered throughout the movie. Sci-fi and movie buffs will get a kick out of those.

On the other hand, this R-rated movie is full of swearing (I lost count of the number of times the word f*ck was used), lowbrow humour and attacks on Christianity. I cringed at all the sexual parts that were mentioned just for fun in this movie but the other people at the screening seemed love it. There is a scene where there is a small debate on God and evolution. Christians may not like it, it was very controversial and there are other jokes made at the expense of Christians. But if you can keep an open mind, as many will, the scenes are rather funny.

Overall I liked the story, it was hilarious, the animation is very realistic and I suppose that for being R-rated it is rather tame...Just don't bring your parents to see it.

Paul opens in theatres Friday, March 18, 2011.
Down on luck attorney Mike Flaherty (Paul Giamatti) is on the verge of losing his practice because of money problems. Without thinking Mike convinces a judge to let him be the guardian of Leo, one of his clients, who is declared legally incapacitated to obtain an extra $1500 monthly paycheck. However, instead of letting Leo stay at home where he told the judge he would be, Mike drops him off at a care home. Unfortunately things don't always go to plan especially when people are involved. Leo's grandson Kyle (Alex Shaffer) suddenly drops in Mike's life when he runs away from his addict mother and her abusive boyfriend. Mike discovers that Kyle is a great wrestler and Mike puts him on the sorry high school team that he coaches. All is going well -  Mike is getting the extra money he needs and his team is finally winning matches when Kyle's mother, fresh out of rehab, threatens to take it all away by exposing his deception to everyone.

Win Win is a feel-good movie about second chances, doing the right thing and the unexpected relationships that pop up in life because of one's choices. I liked Shaffer's performance as the often stoic Kyle and Amy Ryan who played Mike's wife Jackie Flaherty was at times hilarious. The director shows that sometimes not a word needs to be said in order to convey messages and feelings. You will feel for the characters and begin cheering them on, however flawed they may be. It was funny, heartwarming and the characters are interesting and relatable. This film is a winner for sure.

Win Win opens in theatres on Friday, March 18th, 2011.
Red Riding Hood is loosely based on the fairytale Little Red Riding Hood. The story centers on Valerie (Amanda Seyfried) who lives in the village of Daggerhorn, which is under an uneasy peace with a werewolf that prowls the surrounding forest. Beautiful Valarie is also in a little predicament. She loves her childhood sweetheart Peter, a poor woodcutter, but her parents have betrothed her to Henry, a wealthy blacksmith. Unwilling to be parted from each other, they plan to run away together when the villagers discover that the werewolf, which had previously been satisfied with monthly animal sacrifices, has taken the life of her older sister. Hungry for revenge, the villagers take the matter into their own hands while the village priest call upon Father Solomon, a famed werewolf hunter. As the blood moon rises, which is the only time a new werewolf can be created, the attacks on the village become more frequent. During one of those attacks, Valarie discovers that she shares a deep connection with the werewolf and it may even be someone she loves...

This is another movie in a string of retellings of well-known fairy tales. Little Red Riding Hood is certainly not little in this interpretation but except for a romp in the hay the movie remains safely PG. It has themes of fantasy, horror and love all jumbled together. I would say it is more a thriller than a love story though it is obvious it has Twilight influences (not surprising since it has the same director). Broody and angsty teenagers who both want the girl...Familiar to anyone? The story also is very similar to M. Night Shyamalan's The Village in setting and premise - isolated village with an unknown beast prowling the surrounding woods.

The whole story is one big guessing game. Who is the wolf? By process of elimination you MIGHT be able to guess who the wolf is but it isn't easy. Suspects disappear and reappear to keep the viewer guessing and errie music is played to intensify the moments of uncertainty. Some parts of the movie reminded me of the Blair Witch Project with the shaky hand held camera movement. Some of the story was predictable and some of it was over the top, with the excessive and unnecessary killings and torture. But if you like a good mystery with some love in thrown in the mix you'll like Red Riding Hood. Twilight fans will love the ending. Especially if you are Team Jacob. 

Red Riding Hood opens in theatres Friday March 11th, 2011.

Want more Red Riding Hood? Here's a post that nicely reminds me of the story and has beautiful wolf pictures: http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/little-red-riding-hoods-demise
It was such a beautiful day today! Finally I have a some time to venture out into the garden today to look at the flowers. Everything in the garden is growing even in the chilly weather. I can't wait until the rest the flowers bloom! I'm especially looking forward to the Magnolia blooms. n_n
 
So you know I went to the BC Home and Garden Show yesterday. In previous years it had been at BC Place Stadium but since that is under constructions, the show was moved to the Vancouver Convention centre. This was the first time I've been to one of these events. It was very busy on Saturday! There were a lot of exhibits on gardens, roofing, home renovations as well as home appliances. Telus, Toyota and the Vancouver Sun were among the vendors. I watched HGTV's Justin and Colin's presentation on the home makeovers as well as Botanus' Elke and Pam's presentation on summer flowering bulbs. Justin and Colin were hilarious! They drew a very large crowd and they looked very nice in their pink and yellow kilts LOL. After the show they also did a signing at the Lane Home Furnishings exhibit so I lined up to get a photo and an autograph. They were a pleasure to meet - very easy going and funny. There was a contest to have lunch with them and $7000 to spend on home furnishings but I didn't win. Oh well. There were many other contests at the show - I have my fingers crossed!
Happy Friday everyone! Woo, I'm looking so forward to this weekend! Lots of events happening.

Is anyone a fan of These Kids Wear Crowns? They will be performing live and signing autographs at the HMV store at Metrotown, Burnaby, BC tomorrow at 3pm! I really like their song Jump Start. It's a really catchy song that makes you want to get up and jump and dance!

I'm not going to be able to attend though since I have plans to go to the BC Home and Garden Show! If you buy tickets online and enter the code: WESTCOAST the tickets are only $10 vs $15 at the door. I have tickets already courtesy of Botanus. The co-owners will also be speaking at the show.

In the morning I'm going to go to VanDusen Garden to buy some compost. Spring time is here (though it still feels like Winter) so it'll soon be time to work on the garden! The bulbs I planted last year are already sprouting! I'm so excited to see how they will look like. VanDusen also has a bird walk tour going on tomorrow and it'll be the last one before the prices of admission go up in the summer. I sort of want to attend but might not have time since I'm meeting friends for the BC Home and Garden show. Might be too long of a day anyways.

So excited!



Beastly is the modern retelling of the classic fairytale Beauty and the Beast set in New York City. Kyle Kingson (Alex Pettyfer of I Am Number Four) is a handsome but arrogant high school student who cares only about himself and his looks. That cocky attitude however won him the title of President of an environmental club even though he doesn't care at all about the environment. When goth classmate Kendra (Mary Kate Olsen) protests against him, Kyle gets revenge by making fun of her looks and humiliating her in front of everyone at a party. In retaliation, Kendra casts a spell that transforms Kyle into a disfigured freak with tattoos and scars all over his body that mirrors the ugliness in his heart. She gives him one year to get someone to fall in love with him and say "I love you" or be forever trapped in that form. Kyle turns to his father for help only to be banished to Brooklyn with nobody but except his housekeeper and a blind tutor to keep him company. Desperate for normality, he attends the school Halloween party only to find out that everyone who said they liked him actually hated him, even his old girlfriend. He bumps into Lindy (Vanessa Hudgens), a classmate who he had felt a connection with prior to his transformation, at the party and begins stalking following her. When Kyle saves Lindy and her father from drug dealers, he makes a deal with Lindy's father to help him protect her from the vengeful dealers by making her move into his home in Brooklyn. After a rocky start, the two forge an unlikely relationship and slowly Kyle starts to change but will it be enough to break the spell?

I was impressed with Beastly. Except for some cheesy dialogue it was pretty good. The interpretation of the story was believable in modern times and the make-up and costume design were amazing. I loved Kendra's outfit and shoes! The jokes were funny and kept the story from getting too serious. That said, Vanessa Hudgens acting could have been a little better. She was a bit stiff at times and I found it hard to believe her feelings toward Kyle.

It was almost a full house at the screening. Mostly young girls and women and the guys they brought along. So if you are into love stories like Twilight (but with better acting), you will enjoy Beastly. Go see it! Even if it is only just to see Alex Pettyfer's beautifully sculpted body again...You know what I mean...

Beastly opens in theatres Friday, March 4, 2011.
Rango is about a pet chameleon (voiced by Johnny Depp) who lives in the safety of his terrarium where he acts as a director and lead actor of stories of his own creation but he longs to figure out who he is. Due to a fateful accident, he that is suddenly thrust into adventure and a quest to find his true self. He journeys across the desert to the Old Western town of Dirt that is currently in the grips of a severe drought. In order to fit in and realizing that he can be like the hero of his stories, he convince the towns-animals that he is the fearsome Rango. By an act of pure accident, he manages to solidify his claim and is made sheriff to protect the town's remaining water supply, which is running dangerously low. However when the supply is stolen, it is up to Rango and his newly found friends to bring it back. Instead they discover that there is a sinister explanation behind the water's disappearance and that appearances can be deceiving. Rango is then faced with a choice to be the nobody he thinks he is or the hero the town needs him to be.

I got nothing from the trailer, I went to the movie not expecting very much but I was pleasantly surprised! The movie is funny, witty and extremely entertaining. It will definitely appeal to the older crowd as well as older kids. There are some parts that may scare younger children such as the parts with the villain Rattlesnake Jake. It also may be a bit violent and dark for the younger audience and there are certain references and jokes that only the older audience will get.

Rango is beautifully animated - all the textures of the animals and environment were very realistic. The score by Hans Zimmer set the tone of the movie very well and Rango was also directed by Gore Verbinski, the same person who directed Pirates of the Caribbean! A lot of the music reminds of that same adventurous tones that Pirates had. This is a movie that shouldn't be missed.

Rango is in theatres Friday, March 4th 2011. I recommend you go see it!

I went to the Canucks Superskills at Rogers Arena on Sunday. This annual event supports the Canucks of Kids Fund and has the Vancouver Canucks competing against each other in several skill categories:
  • Three-on-three game
  • Fastest Skater Contest
  • Accuracy Shooting Challenge
  • Puck Control Relay
  • Hardest Shot
  • Power Play
  • Breakaway Relay
I took so many photos it was hard to choose only a few good ones. Before the competition started, the mascots were at center ice playing musical chairs. Hahah so funny! Fin won that one! Then the players came out. They were divided into blue team and green team. I thought the blue team had the advantage from the start, I mean they had Salo, Burrows and Mason Raymond. Here were the final results:
  • Three-on-three game - Green Team with Cory Schneider
  • Fastest Skater Contest - Mason Raymond
  • Accuracy Shooting Challenge -  Burrows
  • Puck Control Relay - Tie (Henrik and Daniel Sedin were identical! LOL)
  • Hardest Shot - Sami Salo
  • Power Play -  Blue Team
  • Breakaway Relay -  GreenTeam
Blue Team wins!
    I had so much fun! This was the first time I've been to the Superskills; it's usually a sold out event because it's not as expensive as a regular hockey game and it is family friendly. The Canucks themselves brought their wives and children along. The children are so cute!

    There were prize giveaways too! Several gift certificates worth $100, Canucks merchandise and two PS3s were given out courtesy of the Canucks and Rogers Arena. I got a Team Photo card and a BC Hydro Shower Coach. You won't believe how useful the Shower Coach it is! It makes me a lot more conscience of how long my showers are...but I digress....

    It was very refreshing to see the players in an non-game setting and having fun. Ryan Kesler in the Breakaway Relay threw his glove at Cory Schneider in order to distract him from the puck! You can't do that in a real game! Hahah! The Canucks Superskills was a very fun event. I may go again next year!
    Today I got to go to an advanced screening of I Am Number Four courtesy of Virgin Mobile!

    I Am Number Four is based on a the book of the same name by Pittacus Lore (pen name of James Frey and Jobie Hughes) and follows a special teen "John Smith". Unlike other teens he is actually an alien from the planet Lorien on the run from other aliens called Mogadorians. They destroyed John's home planet but not before he and 8 other children and their guardians escaped. These children are special since each of them possess special powers called Legacies. Now the Mogs are hunting them down one by one in sequence (Don't know why...I guess I'll have to read the book). They've killed three already and John is Number Four. Because of this John and his guardian Henri have to move around a lot. Their latest move takes them to Paradise, Ohio where he falls in love with a girl from school named Sarah, an avid photographer. This makes it all very complicated since his powers have started manifesting themselves and the Mogadorians have picked up his trail...Now John must learn to control his powers to protect the ones he cares about.

    I did enjoy it...it kind of reminded me of Smallville and a little bit of Dark Angel where instead of escaped mutants being hunted you have escaped aliens with superpowers. I loved the action and the story is interesting but the movie leaves A LOT of unanswered questions. Like what's in the box? What's the significance of the symbols? Scenes in the trailer don't even make it into the movie! I guess Dreamworks leaves it very open so that more movies can be made. I do want to learn what happens...Time to go to the library!

    I Am Number Four is out in theatres on Friday February 18th. 
    (or Valentines' Day if you prefer to call it that)



    I love taking photos of funky store displays. The first one is in Holt Renfrew. The others are from H&M. I know one photo is going to make one of my friends REALLY happy.
     

    Lunarfest was one of the main attractions downtown during the Olympic games. Last year it was lantern trees, this year it is a lantern aquarium! It was a very long line up last week to get in and I saw it was a long line up last Saturday as well. The Vancouver Aquarium was also there with Beebop the Beluga whale and there own display of sea life such as DELICIOUS LOOKING prawns, crabs, seastars and different types of fish. I took a picture of the prawns so you too can see how delicious they look.

    We finally got inside, after oh maybe a half hour wait. I was quite pleased with the display. The lanterns were very pretty hanging from nets and I liked the LED light curtain too. It was white the frist time I went. The second time it changed colours! There were also 3D white paper cut outs of sea life on display after the main display. Those were pretty cool. I liked the flying fish the best.

    The Public Dreams Society also put on a parade both weekends. Basically they put on magnificent costumes and walked down Granville street to with drummers leading the way. I LOVE the fish head man! So pretty! The jellyfish man reminded me of some one in Alice in Wonderland.  He talked in a funny whimsical Wonderland-type way. LOOL

    After the Olympic events I met up with some friends to go to see Illuminate Yaletown. (It was a very full day!) Thank goodness it stopped raining! Mother nature did a little illuminating of the sky before the sun set too. It was very beautiful sky after a heavy rain. There were a lot of interesting displays on. This was the second day Illuminate was on and there were ice sculptures that were already melted. =( I really liked the Factory - it gave me a laugh!

    I never realized that Vancouver had so much things to do before! I'm flying through my bus passes like crazy!

    Wow, a year passed by so fast! Yesterday was the one-year anniversary of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games! Because of this there was whole lot of celebration downtown! Unfortunately it was POURING RAIN! Typical Vancouver weather I guess! But that didn't stop a lot of people (including me) from making the trek downtown and taking part in the celebration! We unfortunately missed the opening celebration in Robson Square because the buses were full and skipped us. We went to investigate anyways and there were a lot of people lining up to get autographs from the Olympic athletes. We also ran into someone we always seem to bump into at these sorts of events! There was street hockey being played on Granville despite the rain. Many of the indoor events had a long lineups such as the Vancouver Art Gallery which offered free admission. Lunarfest had a relatively short line in the morning and early afternoon but the lineup exploded in the evening! Canadian figure skater, Patrick Chan was also there in front of McDonald's signing autographs. We had to wait in line so long in the freezing rain. My feet all wet but I got a photo with him and he autographed my McDonald waterbottle! Yaaaay!


    If you missed out this weekend don't worry there will also be another mini celebration (for the closing ceremony), the TD Bank Winter Carnival, on Sunday, February 27th, 2011 from 12:00pm until 4:00pm at Robson Square.

    From Prada to Nada is a romantic comedy about two sisters with vastly different personalities who are left penniless after their rich father dies. Olivia is materialistic one and Nora is the bookworm. They are forced from their home by their half-brother's girlfriend - the brother they never knew they had. The girls end up in East Los Angeles with their aunt. There they try to learn about their Mexican heritage and find love...in an absurdly short amount of time!

    Apparently this movie is based on Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility". I haven't read the book yet but I bet I would have gotten more out of it than this movie. The plot was just all over the place it tried to fit in their brother's story but failed miserably and the relationships that formed were very rushed. If you are looking for a light movie with no real sustenance then you don't have to look any further but don't expect to enjoy it that much.

    From Prada to Nada opens in theatres in Canada tomorrow, February 11, 2011.

    Yay! Welcome the Year of the Rabbit! Chinese New Year was on Feb 3rd this year but the annual parade was held last Sunday. This was the first time I attended (that I remember). I wasn't planning to go but I saw so many articles about it online that I couldn't resist. Plus I LOVE Lion dances as you can probably tell by all my pictures. The parade started at noon at the Millennium Gate on Pender Street and route is about 1.2 Km long. It wasn't just Chinese participating, there was Vietnemese (their new year also is on the same day), Natives, Irish and all sorts of others! It was very cool. The parade lasted about 2 hours but the poor Lion dancers had to keep on going because ALL the stores hung up lettuces for the Lions to eat and they have to do it for luck! So they didn't finish until about 4pm! My sister met up with me after the parade ended and we went to Tinseltown to "walk the flower street". It was very crowded and there were a lot of shows going on but it couldn't beat the parade! I had to wake up super early to go to church first so I was kinda exhausted by the end of the day. But it was absolutely worth it!


    Oru at the Fairmont Pacific Rim will be our last DineOut this year. I need to save some for next year! I took my family out yesterday night. My photo taking wasn't that great. It was very dark and I'm still fumbling around with the controls lol. Anyways, my mom loves seafood so when picking a restaurant, there always has to be scallops. And Oru had scallops AND lobster in its main! We ordered everything on the menu except for the Braised Yellow Lentils. I tried the Sake Kasu Sablefish for appitizer (recommended by our waiter) and oh it was so delicious! Pick the sablefish if you are going to go to Oru! Tender, moist and seasoned just right. Lovely appitizer. It seemed we waited for our main course for a while though. I guess they expect many patrons to drink and talk but we were all getting hungry and there was unfortunately no bread basket to snack on because it is a Pan-Asian restaurant. For the main course my dad tried the Tandoor Roasted Lamb Loin and the three of us had the Roasted Scallops & Lobster Dumpling. It was so yummy! My dad didn't like the squash risotto that came with the lamb but I liked it so I helped him finish it. I love risotto. It was slightly on the richer side though. I was going to try the Coconut Cheesecake but I opted to try something different and went for the Vietnamese Coffee Pannacotta. I really enjoyed it! It had a very strong coffee taste which I liked.

    We parked in the underground parking lot. It is $6 if you have a meal there. Just visit the concierge in the lobby and pay there. Unfortunately there was something wrong with the machine in the lot and we couldn't get out! It was funny because we saw someone else have the same problem when we were heading inside so my dad was worrying about how we are going to get out. Luckily someone came down to rescue us. Hopefully it is fixed now.

    Overall it was a lovely evening. I enjoyed dinner and I would consider revisiting if I was in the area again.

    Here is Oru's full menu:
    Dine Out Vancouver 2011
     
    Baby Cos Lettuce Salad
    orange, spiced almonds, coconut vinaigrette
     or 
    Crispy Squid & Spicy Sausage
    garlic, chili, scallions, ponzu mayo
     or 
    Sake Kasu Sablefish
    gingered tomatoes, sweet miso sauce 
    _____ 
    Tandoor Roasted Lamb Loin
    crispy lamb croquette, squash risotto, sultana raisins, roasted eggplant
     or 
    Roasted Scallops & Lobster Dumpling
    sweet potato and chili, caramelized pineapple, black garlic emulsion
     or 
     Braised Yellow Lentils
    vegetable pakora, tomato chutney, swiss chard 
    ______ 
    Dark Chocolate Pudding
    passion fruit, sesame 
    or 
    Vietnamese Coffee Pannacotta
    condensed milk, avocado 
    or 
    Coconut Cheesecake
    lychee, mango

    28


    Room is a story about love, innocence and learning told through the voice of five-year-old Jack who lives with his Ma in Room. Jack was born in Room and has lived there his whole life. It is everything he knows. But to his mom it is a prison that now has grown too small for the both of them.

    I finished Room a week ago. It is a very good book. So good that I found myself reading into the wee hours of the night dispite having to work the next day. Donoghue writes a very compelling story through Jack. The story is told in a child's innocent voice which made me feel closer to the characters than I would have if the story was told in Ma's point of view. In the beginning the reader know no more than Jack. As he describes more and more, you piece things together and you realize that this big Room he depicts is not very big at all. There were many things in the beginning you have no idea what Jack is talking about. You discover the world as Jack discovers it. You feel as he feels. When you finish the book you will go "wow, that's deep". That is how I felt.


    I went to Dine Out again yesterday night. This time we went to Ebo Restaurant which is in the Delta Hotel in Burnaby. I think hotel restaurants tend to have better menu and service and their Dine Out menu was only $28! The dinner was exceptionally good and our servers were very polite and knowledgeable. Each dish was explained to us when it was brought out (except for the dessert because it was a different person) and that made it much more interesting!

    Dinner started off with a bread basket. I love bread and it always pleases me to have a complementary bread basket. Our party tried all the dishes except the Beetroot and Goat Cheese and Cream Spätzle with Butternut Squash. My favourite dish was the Roasted Baja Scallops. They were large and tasted amazing! The presentation of the dishes were very nice too. Each plate was like a work of art. I had the tuna for the main course and it was awesome and filling! It didn't look like much but trust me, everyone was very full by the end. I finished off with the Warm Apple Crumble. It contained a biscuit and cute little (and tasty) peach jelly cubes. We all agreed that we wanted more cubes in our desserts.

    I highly recommend Ebo. I enjoyed the dinner very much!

    Here is their full Dine Out menu:
    Wild Mushroom Soup (V)
    Purée of Wild Mushrooms, Feta Cheese, Seasonal Mushroom Sauté,
    Truffle Oil

    Beetroot and Goat Cheese (V)
    Marinated Baby Beets, Molten Marcella Goat Cheese, Organic Lettuce,
    Textures of Apples, Pine Nut Granola

    Roasted Baja Scallops
    Vanilla Scented Cauliflower Puree, Serrano Ham, Capers & Sultana Raisins

    ˜˜˜˜

    Tuna
    Rare Rice-Crusted Albacore Tuna Steak, Avocado Purée,
    Asparagus with Serrano Ham, Chili Gastrique

    Braised Beef Rib “galbijim”,
    Crushed Potatoes, Braised Carrots

    Cream Spätzle with Butternut Squash (V)
    Slow Roasted Hazelnut Crumble, Caramelized Brussel Sprouts,
    Chevre Noir

    ˜˜˜˜

    Warm Apple Crumble
    Granny Smith Apples, Raisins Coconut Streusel and Vanilla Ice Cream

    Baked Marble Cheesecake
    Berry Compote
    I'm betting that it'll be six more weeks of winter seeing that the cold air that is lingering around Vancouver doesn't seem to want to go away! I'm so cold in the morning that I don't want to get out of bed!

     It's not preventing my flowers from starting to bloom though! Yay! Last year I planted a whole bunch of bulbs in the front yard. This spring should turn out to be very colourful. I am eagerly awaiting the spring! Snowdrops are blooming in the garden for a few weeks now and I see that daffodils are starting to come out of the ground! Some of my lilies are also starting to poke out of the soil. I'm so excited! I think I will buy some more snowdrops though. One here and one there doesn't give a lot of impact. I want clumps of snowdrops!
    When the weather is warmer I'll have to plant my "rescue" plants as well. They are the ones that I bought for a dollar or less at Canadian Tire when the planting season was over. Hahah I know I shouldn't have bought plants to try to revive but it was so inexpensive and I had a coupon for $5 off so it wasn't that much. I'll have to start weeding too. Those pesky weeds are coming back in again!

    Dine Out Vancouver is here again! This is an annual event that happens for two weeks of the year where participating restaurants in Vancouver offer customers a special 3-course menu at set prices ($18, $28, or $38). If you wanted to try a restaurant, now would the time to do so.

    I also have a new camera so I apologize for the blurry photos while I'm still learning how to use it.

    This year I went to Gramercy Grill with a bunch of friends. Their Dine Out menu was $28 and they had a fair selection dishes and also add-ons if wanted. I thought the food was faily good. I really enjoyed the Seared Ahi Tuna as the appitizer. My friends said they enjoyed the other appitizers as well. We were a table of five and we each ordered different things to try. The Cream of Cauliflower soup looked very good and so did the Triple A Beef Tenderloin Carpaccio which was the other one I wanted to try out. The main course was Braised Australian Lamb Shank. It was very succulent and the meat just slid right off the bone. I tried a little of my friend's Wild Mushroom & Asparagus Risotto and it was delicious! For dessert I tried the Crème Brule. It was cold and the sugar was melted and only crispy in the middle but it did taste very good cold.

    The food at Gramercy Grill was good but the portions may be a little small for some people. Customer service was another matter. We had to wait a LONG LONG time between courses. I don't know if it was just us because another table came about when we were just finished the main course and waiting for dessert and they finished around the SAME TIME as us! We had to wait about 15 minutes just to get cold desserts! Yes ALL of the desserts were cold or room temperature! It shouldn't have to had taken that long to bring out. Then after when were paying the bill, we told them what to charge on the individual credit card and they them took away only to return 10 minutes later to ask us the amounts again! Was it because we didn't order any extras or wine or coffee? It shouldn't matter. All patrons should be treated equally!

    I don't know if I will be returning. Good food, if not paired with good customer service leaves a sour taste in my mouth. 


    Here was their Dine Out menu if you want to ever try them out:


    Appetizer Choices: 
    Cream of Cauliflower Soup
    Hearts of Romaine Salad
    pancetta lardons, crispy capers, grana padano cheese, roasted shallot & garlic vinaigrette 
    Triple A Beef Tenderloin Carpaccio
    truffle aioli, crispy capers & grana padano 
    Seared Ahi Tuna
    sesame seeds, seaweed flakes & pea shoots orange ginger vinaigrette 
    Entrée Choices: 
    Oven Roasted Sablefish Filet
    miso, ginger & tamari cream roasted baby carrots & asparagus, vegetable spring roll 
    Wild Mushroom & Asparagus Risotto
    grana padano & mascarpone cheese 
    Cherry Creek Free Range Chicken Breast  
    green onion mashed potatoes,roasted baby carrots & asparagus, truffle tapenade
    Braised Australian Lamb Shank
    merlot jus, butternut squash puree, roasted baby carrots & asparagus, pickled celery & carrot 
    Butternut Squash Agnolotti
    sautéed spinach & tomato sauce, topped with grana padano cheese 
    Angus Triple A Beef Tenderloin - additional $5
    garlic mashed potatoes, roasted baby carrots & asparagus, shiitake mushroom merlot jus 
    Baby Back Ribs & Blue Cheese Macaroni - additional $5
    house made whiskey barbeque sauce
    Dessert Choices: 
    Lemon Tart
    local berry coulis & whipped cream
    Pecan Pie
    cardamom caramel sauce & whipped cream
    Warm Flourless Chocolate Torte
    caramel sauce & whipped cream
    Duo of Cheeses - additional $4
    Crème Brule
    At tomorrow 10:00 a.m. the largest earthquake drill in Canadian history will be taking place in British Columbia! My work place probably didn't register for this but apparently there are 420,000 people going to be participating.

    There is always the threat of the "Big One" looming in BC, ever since more than ten years ago I think. And I had heard we were overdue for one and it was rather anti-climatic when none really did occur. The last earthquake we experienced was the aftershock from Seattle and that was back in high school. It was rather funny at the time because I felt it shaking before everyone else and I was looking around the classroom to see if anyone else felt it but the everyone was acting normally and the teacher kept teaching. I was tempted to raise my hand and ask if it was an earthquake but more tremors started up and my teacher screamed "OMG IT'S AN EARTHQUAKE!!!!"

    So now everyone can practice drop, cover and hold on after all these years of going soft with no earthquakes. It never hurts to be prepared. Which reminds me that I still need to put together an earthquake kit.
    You can find out more about the ShakeOut here at http://www.shakeoutbc.ca/.
    The stray is actually quite pretty. She's very photogenic and very affectionate. Toward people anyways. She hates Sunny but she's learned to tolerate him a bit. It did take a long time for her to warm up to us too. It was all hissing and growling in the beginning.

    It's been a long time since the last time I have drawn anything...When was it?...My last pic upload was winter of 2008! That's really too long I've been absent from the art world. I'm thinking of starting up again. I have a Tron themed pic floating around in my head. There are a few things a want to buy though. I'm thinking of purchasing Photoshop CS5 and upgrading my Wacom tablet. But I also want to some other electronics like a DSLR! Then there's the Kinect. Decisions, decisions...

    Photoshop CS5 - US $199.00 on Adobe.com
    Wacom Tablet - CDN $69.01 on Amazon.ca

    Maybe I should just not delay and purchase them. I'm still waiting for the Canon T2i to come down in price a bit. Maybe next boxing day...or black friday.

    The one-year anniversary of the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic games is fast approaching and there are events going to be hosted everywhere in February. One of these events is a film called With Glowing Hearts: A Vancouver 2010 Social Media Story. This documentary will talk about how social media had a huge and positive impact during and after the games for the people living in Vancouver by letting everyone tell their own story. For a limited time, tickets to the screening are free! Request tickets here: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/1203033305/?ref=estw

    Watch the trailer here:


    It seems that there are so many Groupon type sites popping up these days. Hmmm I wonder if I should get in this trend.

    So this latest site is called The Daily Steal. And to get lots of people to follow them they are hosting a HUGE giveaway which started today!  All you have to do is sign up! http://thedailysteal.ca/?utm_source=uu2531
    Make sure you use the registration code located in step number 2 because they will credit your account with $10 right away for you to use on their deals!

    Here are the list of prizes to be won:
    Day 1: $200 Memory Express GiftCard
    Day 2: $200 BestBuy GiftCard
    Day 3: $200 Metropolis GiftCard
    Day 4: $200 Starbucks GiftCard
    Day 5: $200 FutureShop GiftCard
    Day 6: $200 Holt Renfrew GiftCard
    Day 7: 7 Days in Paradise in Orlando Florida. (Value $3000)
    Day 8: one Apple iPad every 12 hours
    Day 9: one Apple iPad every 12 hours
    Day 10: one Apple iPad every 12 hours

    Sign up at The Daily Steal today and get in on the giveaway!
    Taking pictures of baby kribs is very hard as they don't like the autofocus light and dart all over the place. My babies are so big now! They are about an inch long and their parents already have another batch of fry they are taking care of. Pretty soon they will have to go on to new homes. Watching them grow up makes me so happy!
    Incendies begins with the reading of the will of Nawal Marwan (Lubna Azabal) to her twin children Jeanne (Melissa Desormeaux-Poulin) and Simon (Maxim Gaudette). Naval's last requested to her children is to deliver two letters - one to their father, whom they thought was long dead and a letter to a brother they never knew existed. This sets the twins off on a journey to the Middle East where they start to discover their mother's horrific and heartbreaking past and in turn discover theirs as well. The movie shifts back and forth in time following the twins’ journey to find their brother and father and Nawal’s journey to find the son that she was forced to give up. The movie just builds and builds until the shocking revalation at the end.

    How to describe this movie? Incendies has me leaving the theatre reeling. Montreal filmmaker Denis Villeneuve draws us into the tangled story of Nawal Marwan and her children with great skill. It is not a feel-good movie but I cannot deny it is very good storytelling.

    Incendies has already won a lot of awards and there are rumours that it will be up for an Oscar in February. 
    So I started contesting after my sister started winning a whole bunch of things and she got me hooked. My prize list isn't as impressive as hers but it is quite a list. My winnings total up to approximately $3446! No trip or home theatre system yet but I did manage to win an XBox and who can forget my EPIC win: floor tickets to Lady Gaga concert! Here's to another year of wins. My goal is to win a Kinect.

    I didn't keep track of any wins prior to April but there probably wasn't a lot of wins anyways since I didn't really start seriously contesting.

    Apr 1
    -Flip Mino from ScotiaBank: $199
    -$50 iTunes Gift Card
    -$100 Outdoor Gift Card

    Aug 17
    - Zaggfolio ($69)
    - Canucks Poster (never received)

    Aug 20
    - Lady Gaga floor tickets for Aug23 show from Samsung Mobile (2x $99 + service charge)

    Aug 23
    - Double Screening Pass to Going The Distance from VIA
    - Double movie pass to see THE LAST EXCORCISM from Georgia Straight

    Aug 24
    - $10 code for Threadless.com
    - 2 tickets to PNE and 2 tickets to Playland from London Drugs

    Aug 25
    - InvisibleShield from ZaggDaily ($39.99)

    Aug 26
    - Longchamp bag from AirFrance $60

    Aug 27
    - Pack of Duracell batteries (x2)

    Aug 28
    - Pair of Vancouver Trolley Passes

    Aug 31
    - $100 Best Buy Gift Card (+ additional $100)

    Sept 2
    - Real Player Travel Mug ($5)

    Sept 3
    - Panasonic ZrO2 Couture Earbuds $59.99  (was supposed to be the $69.99 pair but was stolen)

    Sept 8
    - Killers Blu-Ray

    Sept 9
    - $5 Blenz Coffee Gift Card

    Sept 13
    - $50 PetroCanada Gift Card
    - 2 tickets to Train at the Commodore Ballroom on Sept 18th : $40.00 x 2

    Sept 16
    - Double movie pass to see Buried
    - 2 Double movie passes to see LEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS: THE OWLS OF GA’HOOLE
    - 2 tickets to see Artemis Rocks! show

    Sept 17
    -two VIFF tickets to see The Woodmans or Waste Land (includes 2 VIFF membership $2 each)

    Sept 20
    - 2 tickets to Hanson at the Commodore Ballroom on Sept 25th MSP: $36.50 x 2

    Sept 21
    - double pass to the advance screening of Never Let Me Go

    Sept 22
    - advanced screening for two to NOWHERE BOY

    Sept 27
    - advanced screening for two to The Social Network

    Sept 29
    - advanced screening for two to Secretariat

    Sept 30
    - 3x free bread coupon from Nature's Own

    Oct 12
    - Elixar by Hilary Duff ($17.99)

    Oct 13
    - advanced screening for two to Hereafter

    Oct 14 
    - How to Make Peace in the Middle East ($28.99)
    - 2 double advanced screening passes for Conviction

    Oct 15
    - XBox 360 Slim 250GB ($299.99)
     
    Oct 19
    - Halo Reach ($59.99)

    Oct 20
    - Grey Kobo eReader from Chapters/Indigo ($149)

    Oct 27
    - Alan Wake (never received), got Halo Reach instead

    Nov 1
    - Exclusive Faber Drive Concert by Samsung Mobile Canada
    - Millenium Prize pack (Blu-ray/DVD combo of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl who Played with Fire)

    Nov 3
    - Next Three Days advanced screening pass for two

    Nov 4
    - I Wear Your Shirt T-shirt, sticky notes, bottle holder and stickers

    Nov 5
    - 2 "lights on or lights out" stickers
    - 30 music downloads

    Nov 8
    - LG Pop mobile phone from Rogers ($174.99 w/ no contract)

    Nov 9
    - Tangled advanced screening pass for two

    Nov 10
    - Rubber Duckie
    - Dead Space: Ignition code for XBox $5
    - BlackBerry Curve 3G + 6 months of $65 Unlimited Plan + 10$ unlimited data 

    Nov 12
    -127 Hours Prize Pack: screening pass, water bottle, t-shirt

    Nov 17
    - Tangled advanced screening pass for 4

    Nov 18
    - Born to Bark book

    Nove 19
    - House Brawl t-shirt and $10 code from Threadless

    Nov 23
    - Pink BlackBerry Curve 3G

    Nov 26
    - The Fighter Advance Screening for two

    Dec 15
    - 2 tix for deadmau5 in Toronto (no transportation provided unfortunately)

    Dec 22
    - Shapercise

    Dec 23
    - Room by Emma Donoghue
    The Pepto-Bismol team has put together some hilarious commercials with Ken Jeong (The Hanover, Knocked Up). They say it's ok to indulge yourself; Peptol-Bismol's got you covered should you suffer any stomach problems! Mom to Bed by 8 is hosting a contest for a Peptol-Bismol party prize pack that includes a pink iPod Shuffle! It's super easy to enter so check it out here. Good luck!
    First post of the year and I'm a week late. So it's a new year and it is the 7th year that I have started blogging on and off. Well I guess one of my resolutions will be to post more often. Cleaning up and redecorating the house seems to be another one of my goals this year. I'm in the process of cleaning up my aquariums and getting rid of the ones I don't need anymore. I've already sold my 20 gallon (that was a sad night for me). I have three more ten gallons and possibly a 5 gallon to get rid of also. Another thing todo is to go through and process my Europe and San Franscisco photos. It is quite a backlog. Finish playing Dragon Age: Origins, set up the XBox, play Halo: Reach, win more contests... Here I am rambling about boring things to do. I told you there is nothing juicy in my life. LOL well hopefully there will be more movie screenings and midnight launches in 2011 that I can blog about. I've already won my first screening of the year this week. So look forward to the post about it next week. I've also have to add up my contest wins of 2010. That will be my next post; probably tomorrow. I post about such boring stuff. Haha. Happy new year!

    If you haven't already heard, Apple Canada is offering 12 days of free downloads for the holidays starting fom December 23 (tomorrow) through January 3! The download could be either free music, TV episodes, movies, apps, or books from iTunes and each will be available for 24 hours only. Check out the details on their site: http://www.apple.com/ca/itunes/12days/

    Other companies offering an avent calendar type promotion include Gameloft. You are going to have to follow Gameloft on Twitter though to find out what the daily offer is. Sometimes they offer free downloads of their games on different platforms. Other times it is just a trailer or trial version or desktop wallpaper.

    I got the chance to watch an advanced screening of Tron: Legacy on Wednesday. I have never watched the original Tron from 1982 but with all the hype generated around this new sequel, I was really looking forward to watching it. Plus I like glowy things and Tron: Legacy has so many mesmerizingly glowy things. It certainly has benefited much from the advance in technology.

    Turns out you don't need to watch the original at all to enjoy this movie. It did a very good job of providing backstory and stands very well on its own. Garrett Hedlund stars as Sam, Kevin Flynn's son (the protagonist from the previous film). Jeff Bridges reprises his role as Kevin Flynn and also plays Clu.

    Kevin Flynn is a genius programmer and the CEO of Encom. A sudden and mysterious disappearance of Kevin Flynn leaves his young son Sam orphaned. Years later, Sam recieves a message from his dad's friend Alan Bradley regarding a page he received originating from the office of the abandoned Flynn's Arcade. Sam investigates and discover's his dad's secret office and is somehow whisked away into the Grid - a digital world of his dad's creation. There he meets Clu, a program his father create years ago to handle things in the Grid but apparently he has turned bad and gained control of all the Grid. Sam manages to escape from Clu with the help of Quorra (Olivia Wilde from House), a fearless and mysterious program of the Grid who knows where his father is. Together they must race against time to make it out of the Grid alive.

    The movie had awesome special effects - did I mention cool glowing costumes and set? An amazing musical score by Daft Punk carried the atmosphere of the movie very well. The actors did an amazing job but the only thing I didn't like was how fake the younger Kevin Flynn seemed. Disney had to digitalize Jeff Bridges' face to turn back the clock but everytime younger Kevin or Clu spoke it was rather uncanny. But that is a small detail. This move is full of eye candy and you will love it. I would recommend the movie to everyone whether or not you are a Tron fan! But if you are a Tron fan, I am told that there are many references to the original movie. It is not likely to disappoint. However if you can watch in non-3D choose that option. The movie had practically no 3D effects!

    Tron: Legacy is in theatres today! Go see it! I highly recommend it. I want to go back and watch the original Tron now. And I hope they will make another one!

    In other news, I am currently in a contest that BestBuy is hosting on Facebook. It's the Unboxing Day contest and I'm currently in the top 3 and need a lot of help to stay there. I need people to vote for me and you can vote every day until Dec 31. Everytime you vote, you get entered into a weekly draw for a $150 BestBuy giftcard! So the more you vote, the better the chance you will have! Please vote for Jenny Lee (Xbox Unboxing). Thank you very much! http://apps.facebook.com/unboxingday/gallery.php?sort=2

    Best Buy had the midnight launch of World of Warcraft:Cataclysm on monday. There are two versions available. The regular game goes for $39.99 and Collector's Edition is $84.99. For $45 more you get exclusive in-game content, trading cards, art book, soundtrack, behind the scenes DVD and a mouse pad.

    It was fairly quiet at the Cambie location. They also hosted a costume contest again. This time two winners got an HP AMD Quad Core and Triple Core respectively. I heard that downtown Futureshop also hosted their own contest. There were a lot of good costumes. In my mind I thought that the person who paints themselves blue would win. And I was right. A girl showed up late with her boyfriend. They both had awesome costumes and but she was all blue. She won the quad core laptop and a guy that dressed up like some kind of mage won second. There were also incentives to line up early. The first 50 people at the Cambie store would get a Steelseries Original WoW MMO mouse! More than 50 people were sitting outside by 9pm already waiting in anticipation.

    In addition to the costume contest, there was a draw for the WoW:Cataclysm Collector's Edition...And guess who won it! Blue girl's boyfriend! They are so lucky! What are the odds?! They left shortly after receiving their prizes. A lucky person also won a large vinyl WoW poster.

    It was also the midnight launch of Inception and Shrek 4...not that anybody cared.

    In other news, I am currently in a contest that BestBuy is hosting on Facebook. It's the Unboxing Day contest and I'm currently in the top 2 and need a lot of help to stay there. I need people to vote for me and you can vote every day until Dec 31. Everytime you vote, you get entered into a weekly draw for a $150 BestBuy giftcard! So the more you vote, the better the chance you will have! Please vote for Jenny Lee. Thank you very much! http://apps.facebook.com/unboxingday/gallery.php?sort=2

    Hi all,

    I really need some help with a contest I am in. This is a daily vote and I need all the votes I can get. If you can, please take the time to vote for Jenny Lee.

    You will need facebook to vote. But if you do you get entered into a draw for a weekly $150 BestBuy giftcard! Each vote is an entry ballot so vote for me daily! 

    http://apps.facebook.com/unboxingday/gallery.php?sort=2

    Thanks in advance!

    The developer of Angry Birds confirmed on Twitter that they are updating the Angry Birds Halloween edition - free for currently owners! This update will probably happen sometime in December. I think the Halloween edition is $1.99 in the Apple App store. And is you don't already know yet, if you own an Android phone, the regular version of the full game is completely free for download, albiet with ads. But it is a small price to pay for one of the most addictive games out there!

    Angry Birds is also approaching their one year anniversary and apparently Saturday, December 11th is Angry Birds Day! There are meetups every around the world! It'll be like a flash mob type thing. You can either join a group or create your own. I think the closest one to Vancouver is in Delta right now. Not sure if I'm addicted enough to attend though. lol

    I've also discovered that Rovio made Angry Birds plush toys! So cute! I want them all to throw at people. Hahaha! If only they weren't $14.99 plus shipping and handling! =/ http://shop.angrybirds.com/

    The Fighter is a movie based on a true story about the early years of famous boxer "Irish" Micky Ward, starring Mark Wahlberg, and his life leading up to the World Championship. His older brother Dick "Dicky" Eklund, played by Christian Bale, was also a boxer and taught Micky everything he knows. Dicky becomes Micky's trainer and their mother Alice (Melissa Leo) manages his career. Sadly Dicky is an unreliable trainer since he is a drug addict. After one too many loses and Dicky ends up in jail, Micky quits boxing until his girlfriend Charlene (Amy Adams) convinces him to go back - this time without his mother and bother. His family was plagued with anger and feelings of betrayal but suddenly Micky is actually winning and has a chance at the World Championship.

    This movie is actually pretty good! For someone who knows absolutely nothing about boxing, this movie was very entertaining. It was about family and rising up to meet all the challenges life throws at you. It was humourous, heartwarming and will have you cheering for Micky until the end. This inspirational movie is about never giving up and how important family is - just when you think someone is going to lose, they come back and surprise you.

    The Fighter opens in theatres Dec 17, 2010.

    I went to the Sara Bareilles Concert at the Commodore Ballroom on Monday. Holly Conlan and Cary Brothers opened. During one of Cary Brother's songs, Bareilles actually come out and sang with him!. And there would be more of this later on when she performs her own songs. She would invited Holly Conlan and Cary Brothers and their band members to participate in her songs and even asked the crowd to sing along! In her famous "Love Song", she let the crowd sing first chorus. "It's all about interactivity" she said. Her performance was spectacular. Bareilles was very funny and down-to-earth. I loved her stories about her songs. There were times where she did the unexpected though - like climbing on top of the piano to sing! Crazy!

    Bareilles and her openers liked to close their eyes when they sing so most of the pictures I took are with closed eyes. LOL

    This weekend, new cell service provider, Mobilicity opened up multiple stores in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal! They have very low rates and when they say unlimited it is actually unlimited. The cheapest plan is $25 with unlimited talk and text with caller ID! And for $10 more you can add a unlimited data plan! This is awesome deal compared to other service providers! Too bad I'm still in a contract that doesn't end until March. Otherwise I'd be all over this! Mobilicity is also currently offering two grand opening specials ($30 or $40 unlimited plan with data) that are valid until the end of the November.
    Virgin Radio was on site at some of the stores promoting the grand opening. Guess who was at the Kingsway location! KIAH! He's so cool. Got a picture with him too! Eeee! Too bad Tara Jean wasn't there. Kiah said Evil Kiah gave her a nervous breakdown so she had to leave early. LOL I hope I can meet them together one day. =)
    Tangled is a retelling of the fairy tale Rapunzel. In Disney's version, Rapunzel is a princess, kidnapped as a baby and locked up in a hidden tower by Mother Gothel. Why would she do this? Well, Mother Gothel is an evil old lady that wants to use Rapunzel's magical hair to keep herself young. She's managed to convince Rapunzel to stay in the tower for 18 years by telling her that the outside world is too dangerous for her. Along comes theif Flynn Ryder who accidentally stumbles across the tower while trying to escape the palace guards. Rapunzel convinces Flynn to take her out of the tower to see the floating lanterns, that always seem to appear on her birthday. But Mother Gothel is not going to stand idle while her precious fountain of youth walks out the door and also everyone seems to want a piece of Flynn! A hair-raising adventure ensues...

    I have to say Tangled is AWESOME! I was looking forward to watching it and Disney did not disappoint! I loved the animation, the story, the music, everything.

    Rapunzel is voiced by Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi (from TV series Chuck) voices Flynn Ryder. They did a very good job of making their characters come alive. One of my favourite non-voice characters is Rapunzel's pet chameleon, Pascal. He didn't need to utter a single word but he made the audience laugh all the time. As with all Disney movies, there is singing. Alan Menken does it again with an awesome set of songs and score. I loved all the songs and I might even purchase the soundtrack!

    Tangled is shown in 3D but I thought that it wasn't necessary. There weren't many places where Disney took advantage of the 3D effect. The movie would be enjoyed the same if watching on regular screen. If you are planning to bring your kids to watch a movie, you can't go wrong with Tangled. Disney delivers a very entertaining, humerous and unique spin to a story that kids and even adults will love.

    Tangled is in theatres Wednesday, November 24, 2010.

    Quaaatichi!!!!

    He was only $4.99 at the Olympic warehouse sale!
    They have lots of stuff still in stock and this week they are giving away a free 9.5" Miga with Red Mittens no purchase necessary!

    http://www.17hours.ca/index.php

    Best Buy had the midnight launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops today. I was expecting more people than the number that showed up. There seemed to be more Halo fans than Call of Duty. Maybe they were offering better free stuff with purchase also. They were only giving away free toques to the first 90 people to purchase the game. There are three versions available: normal ($59.99), the 'Hardened Edition' ($79.99) and the 'Prestige Edition' ($149.99). The Prestige edition offers a remote control car with in-built camera with addition maps and the Hardened edition includes the extra maps and a tin case. 

    Best Buy also held a costume contest. They gave away two Prestige Editions to runner ups to their costume contest and XBox and game bundle to the winner. They also gave away one Prestige edition to a random person in line. I dressed up as well as I could but in the end the Best Buy manager choose another girl (the one in the blue uniform) to be runner up. There were 3 girls that participated in the costume contest. Everyone had their paintball or airsoft gear and I had my homemade costume. T_T It was fun though! Everyone complemented me on my costume. =) I also was filmed for the news! I might be on TV! LOL Two of the sound developers of the game were there too and I took a photo with them and got their autographs on a bandanna!


    I tried playing it. There are Zombie Nazis! Aaaaah! I didn't last very long...
     
    So far so good! This is the umpteenth time my Kribensis have spawned but every time they never lasted more than three days. This time the guppies have been put into jail and the fry seem to be surviving! I've been feeding them baby brine shrimp and crushed flake food by squirting the food in their direction. They gooble it up so fast their bellies become round and fat. They are sooo cute!



    Hahaha. Mum doesn't like me taking pictures of them.

    I was looking at it while I was driving home and I remember thinking rainbows are a driving hazard! So beautiful! I ran inside to get my camera after I got home. It's actually a double rainbow and but the second one is kinda faint. I wasn't far away enough to get the whole thing. =( It was a complete rainbow from end to end. Seeing this rainbow today made me think of Karen's double rainbow mission. That song is stuck in my head!


    I went to the midnight launch at Best Buy on Wednesday night to check out the new Kinect. There was a crowd but not in the numbers as the launch party for Halo Reach or Starcraft. About 200 or so people showed up. Diamonds in the Rough and Blueprint Cru (runner up in America's Best Dance Crew) were there and gave awesome performances. They also played with Kinect, especially with the Dance Central game. Not surprisingly they all got high scores! Kinect is very fun to play. I can see how this might have the potential to overtake the Wii or PS3 someday, but better games have to come out first.

    I tried out the Joy Ride game but the sensor had trouble detecting me so I ended up driving in circles. Everyone laughed. T_T I thought the sensor might use heat to detect where someone is and I was very cold and my fake leather jacket didn't help either. Turns out I was right! One of the sensors on the bar is a infrared red sensor! Still very fun and people probably won't play outside in the cold anyways.

    I had a good time and got a Kinect hat signed by the Blueprint Cru and also a picture taken with them! Yay!

    I was lucky enough to be invited to this event presented by Samsung Mobile today. There was an open bar and and Faber Drive was gave us a private show!  Samsung Mobile was promoting the new Galaxy Tab and Samsung Captivate phone and I got a chance to take a look at both. Unfortunately they didn't give one to me. =( I took some photos of them but the lighting was dark so the photos may not show them at their best. You can see the screens are very bright though. These devices look awesome and I hope to get one of them soon in the future.

    Faber Drive gave an awesome performance. I loved their song "When I'm With You" most of all. There was a lot of energy in the room. It wasn't very crowded so I got to stand at the front. I even got a Faber Drive t-shirt! Woo! =D

    Zombies, zombies everywhere! AAAAAAH!
    Thrill The World is an annual worldwide simultaneous dance of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” According to the unofficial count there were 6,590 participants this year! Wow!
    This took place today at Roundhouse Community Centre at Yaletown, Vancouver.
    Seen the latest video by Vibrant Coast yet? It's pretty awesome! Play it over and over again. It's EPIC.

    If you want to leave the theatre feeling happy, this is definitely the wrong movie to see. Buried left a bad taste in my mouth. It is about a US supply truck driver who was attacked by Iraqis and buried alive. Ryan Reynolds plays Paul Conroy trapped in a coffin with only a cell phone an a lighter (at first) and his time running out. Don't get me wrong Reynolds performance was spectacular but he is also the only one we ever see. Everyone else in the movie are only voices coming from the cellphone, Paul's only link to the outside world. Even though the entire 94 minutes is spent within a box, it was at times thrilling and the ending will shock you. Buried that leaves you feeling very uneasy and thinking about real current situation in Iraq is and how it might not be too far off from fiction. Not a movie to take your date to.

    Buried opens in theatres tomorrow Friday October 8.
    I love horse racing movies. Secretariat was no exception. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. It was very exciting to watch even though you know that he wins. Secretariat is about the legendary racehorse who won the Triple Crown in 1973. It revolves around Penny Tweedy and her horse Big Red known as Secretariat in the races. After her parents passes away, she is faced with a 6 million dollar debt in inheritance taxes for her parents farm. Hope springs the colt Big Red who quickly demostrates his amazing ability to win races. Even then Mrs Tweedy is faced with skeptics and pompous opponents in a male dominated sport of horse racing but she never loses faith in Secretariat or herself. This movie tells us that sometimes you have to stick with what you believe in.

    Secretariat opens in theatres Friday October 8. 

    My back is aching, my whole body is sore and I'm so tired but it'll be worth it for the flowers that will show up next spring!  I spent almost the entire day planting bulbs. I had to take advantage of the overcast sky otherwise the rain will come and I won't be able to plant anymore! The Gladiolus are currently blooming in the garden and the autumn crocus are starting to come out too. I love autumn. The fiery colours of fall always make me smile.

    When I first heard about this movie I thought it was a stupid concept and why would anyone go to watch it?! After I've watched it, I've changed my mind. The Social Network is actually a good movie! It is about how socially awkward Mark Zuckerberg managed to build a multibuillion dollar company centred around social networking online but while screwing up in real life with his friends. The movie revolves around two lawsuits Mark is in between Eduardo Saverin (Mark's former best friend) and the Winklevoss twins. What we are presented with are a series of flashbacks which tell the story of how Facebook came to be and how Mark ultimately ended up in two lawsuits. Jesse Eisenberg did a brillant job at playing the young programmer genius and Andrew Garfield who played Eduardo did an awesome job too. And not to mention he's so cute!  I'm not sure how much of the story is true but it was very interesting to see how the relationships in the movie played out and you will start to feel very strong emotions toward the characters.

    The Social Network is in theatres now. Go see it!
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