With the lockout over and hockey back, we’ve decided to spruce up CHBTV over at Canucks Hockey Blog and do them bi-weekly. Nothing fancy, just Vancouver Canucks fans talking hockey, settling arguments and maybe a beer or three.

We’re not sure where we’re going with this but we’ve got a pretty good idea. It’ll be a fun learning experience for me as well, giving me something to film and edit. If you’re a hockey fan, check us out! If you have a discussion topic or question or maybe you want to come join us one week, let us know!

Since these are more food related, my latest adventures have mostly been posted over at my food blog, EdEats.com.

Vancouver Christmas Market

A week or so ago, my friends and I dug our Christmas cheer out from storage and headed to the Vancouver Christmas Market. From November 24th to December 24th, Queen Elizabeth Theatre Plaza is blanketed with various festive eats, crafts and entertainment. There’s ornaments, nutcrackers, mulled wine, sausages and all the sorts of things you’d expect to find this time of the year. Well, I guess sausages are good all year round.

The Vancouver Christmas Market feels very European-influenced, mostly German. That’s quite a stark contrast from Vancouver as we’re mostly a West Coast and Asian food society and I can only think of one local German restaurant off the top of my head. Of course, not to be outdone, when I went, Vancouver was her usual rain-soaked self.

Admission is $5 ($2 for kids 12 and under or if you go on a weekday afternoon) and it’s good for the entire duration of the market. It gets crowded on the weekend in the evening.

Whole Foods Holiday Preview

A few days ago, Whole Foods invited a group of local food bloggers and media to their Cambie location to show us some of the special new products they’re stocking on the shelves as well as to share some food and drink. I’ve never been to a party in a supermarket before, so I didn’t really know what to expect for a sneak peek of Whole Foods Market’s holiday gift items.

Denise Breyley, Whole Foods’ local forager, explains how they want to provide top quality products but also try to emphasize shopping local whenever possible. Many of the items shown tonight are made in BC while others come from our neighbours in Seattle.

Ocean Wise/Vancouver Aquarium Event at Oru

I was a little surprised to receive an invite from the Vancouver Aquarium and Ocean Wise for their event to promote sustainable seafood. I thought that must’ve meant that they never found all the posts I made about how I wonder what penguin tastes like or if there was only one bluefin tuna left on the planet, that fish is going in my face. I mean, someone’s going to eat it. Might as well be me.

However, if we can prevent delicious, delicious animals from extinction, then by all means, we should. I would be quite sad to find out if some of my favorite foods were no longer available because they simply don’t exist anymore. Heck, maybe dodos or the Pyrenean ibex or that weird half-zebra, half-horse looking thing tasted amazing and now we’ll never get a chance to eat them because people wanted to mount their heads over their mantles.

Right, so I’m on Instagram now. Actually, I’ve been for awhile but didn’t really use the service til now since I didn’t think it was really necessary since I’m on so many different photography-related social media sites already. However, it’s a really fun way to share pictures, especially from a camera phone.

Actually, the primary reason I got myself on Instagram is to try out posting pictures from my 5D3 on the go. It sounds sort of complicated but it really isn’t. Basically JPEG copies of pictures taken by my 5D are sent wirelessly to my iPad (the RAW file stays in the camera), where I can edit and post to Instagram. Results? High resolution photos treated with Instagram’s ridiculous filters. Tried it out for the first time this past week at a media event for Ocean Wise and the Vancouver Aquarium.

It’s a cool experiment and a fun way to post everyday camera phone photos from my daily routines so if you’re on Instagram, follow me and let me know so I can check out your photos as well!

Nearly every photographer I know is in a constant search for the perfect camera bag, the one that fits the equipment they need, looks good and comfortable enough to carry around for a long period of time. However, unless you’re a very specific type of photographer and really specialize in one particular style of photography, there is no such thing as the perfect bag. There’s a different perfect bag for every situation given the gear set you need that particular day.

As such, I know photographers with entire closets full of camera bags and I’ve got four or five myself. However, none of them were ideal so I decided to sell as many as I can and search for bags that work for me and that I’d keep for a very long time. Personally, I think I need just two, maybe three “perfect” bags. One for every day use and one for hauling everything, probably a backpack that fits in the overhead compartment that’s isn’t too enormous to hike with. However, since I recently sold a lot of gear and condensed my kit down to a single 5D Mark III body and three prime lenses, I decided to search for an every day camera bag first.

My requirements were simple and I only have three.

1. Fits my 5D Mark III, lenses, memory cards, 580EX II flash and sometimes my 15″ MacBook Pro with Retina Display. I wouldn’t carry my laptop all the time but it’s important that it fits so that I can.
2. With all my gear in it, I didn’t want a bag that’s more than 6″ deep. Experience with thicker bags has taught me that if they don’t stick close to your body, they feel unwieldily.
3. It has to look good. I’m tired of the black nylon and canvas bags that look like camera bags. I was looking more for something Indiana Jones or Jack Bauer might carry if they needed a great camera bag.

My first choice was the ONA Union Street but after reading a little about it, the front pocket is almost inaccessible and it bulges greatly when it’s full of gear. At $289, it wasn’t exactly thrifty either but damn do these bags look fantastic.

Your choices are rather limited when it comes to bags not made by Lowepro, Kata or Tamrac. Billingham bags are even more expensive and smaller. The one I was looking at would’ve been quite a tight fit for my laptop.

I don’t know how I stumbled upon Kelly Moore Bags but the Thirst Relief bag checks off all the boxes above and at $229, it’s $60 less than the similar looking Union Street but with usable front zippered pockets. Strangely, there’s very little on the interwebs about the Kelly Moore bag, which one only one of two the company designs for men (all the others look like purses) so I guess I’ll have to write one after I’ve lived with this bag for a little longer. The waxed canvas will only get better looking with age.

I’ve only had it for a couple weeks so I can’t tell if it’s the “perfect” camera bag yet but it’s doing a great job so far. Look for a full writeup sometime soon!

This is one of the coolest timelapse videos I’ve seen. Love the way the camera tracks small details and how the whole thing just flows well. Add Malaysia to my list of places I just have to visit, right behind Istanbul and Croatia. (via Fstoppers).

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I’m sure most of you have noticed that I focus more on food blogging these days at EdEats.com as well as Passion for Pork. I’ve always struggled to find any sort of direction with this, my personal blog, but I’ve decided that this blog will lean much further to the personal than it previously did. I’ve always tried to write blog posts like I did essays, especially in recent years but with my other sites but nowadays, this one sort of gets lost in the shuffle since it doesn’t have much of a specific purpose.

So I’ll throw any of that out the window and post random things here from now on. I’ll keep putting event coverage and probably a movie review or two but it’ll be much less formal and probably more pictures from everyday stuff like what I’m doing or the cool stuff I stupidly buy. And less wordy. I find myself typing well over a thousand words whenever I do a restaurant writeup so I’ll try to work on my brevity here.

Maybe I’ll even update the look of this place sometime.

Stay tuned!

The Steveston Salmon Festival is one of the biggest events of the year in RIchmond as thousands from all over the Lower Mainland gather to celebrate Canada Day as well as our favorite, iconic West Coast fish. You’ll see all kinds of Canadians throw on their Vancouver 2010 gear and waving flags. We may not be the richest or the most powerful country around but dammit, we Canadians love us some Canada. I always complain that Vancouver isn’t fun enough but in terms of living, you can’t beat the small temperature swings, the clean air (you don’t know how good we have it in that sense…), and the fact that we can play beach volleyball and ski in the same day two hours apart.

If you’re unfamiliar with Richmond traffic, you’re in for a surprise. Steveston isn’t a very big place and it is simply packed during the Salmon Festival. Finding parking on a regular day is difficult enough but getting to the Salmon Festival in a car is near impossible. There were jams that extended several blocks…suburb blocks so the best way to get there is to park 5 minutes away and walk. I live in the area so finding a friend with a free driveway isn’t a big deal but if you’re from out of town, just park along the side streets. The locals are understanding for one afternoon.

What’s there to do at the Salmon Festival? Eat salmon, of course. The main event is the salmon steaks grilling on an open wood fire. The smoky smell of fish roasting away is intoxicating but I had already had lunch and I’ve had the salmon in years past so I wasn’t about to stand in the enormous line (at least 60-70 people when I got there). The $15 is a little steep for a piece of salmon along with a small salad and bun but I believe the proceeds go toward the Steveston community centre.

Food is a big part of the Salmon Festival but there’s also plenty of other attractions and events. There’s a parade around noon and live music on stage all day.

If you’re bringing the kids, there’s some enormous bouncy castles and slides for them to tire themselves out on so they can sleep and you can relax on your way home.

I wasn’t allowed on the bouncy castle so I went to sample the various food stands popped up in the community centre parking lot. Like the study group in Community, I freakin’ love kettle corn.

While the sweet and salty were there, the popcorn didn’t taste quite fresh enough. Some pieces were a little chewy so I was glad I just bought a small bag ($3).

The Salmon Festival is a great example of how multicultural Canada is as cuisines from all over the world are represented. Where else are you going to find Hawaiian shaved ice next to somewhere called Sausage Serious? ..oh, Serious Sausage? That makes way more sense.

These guys were working on a yakitori assembly line.

This stand had quite a line as well for some Filipino barbeque, something I love getting from Georgio’s in Vancouver.

The pork skewers ($3) are tender and juicy but not particularly flavorful. There’s a significant lack of char, which is surprising considering how many grills they had going in that tent. Gordon Ramsay is always saying “No color, no flavor.”.

These fresh squeeze lemonades were fantastic, though. I got mine with a shot of lime in there as well. Not too sweet, plenty of lemons, great for walking around on a sunny day.

I like how the red in the Steveston and maple leaf pops.

I had read about these shirts in the local paper a few weeks ago but never got around to Sara’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream to grab one. Profits go to Lord Byng Elementary and the shirts have been a huge success. Unfortunately, some douche broke in to the ice cream shop and stole some of the money.

Of course, if you’re in Steveston, there’s always good seafood within yelling distance. The docks are regularly crowded with people on Sundays looking for fresh deals but even more so on Canada Day. A friend of mine bought a whole octopus!

If you’re looking for something to do on Canada Day, check out the Salmon Festival in Steveston. It’s family friendly fun that doesn’t require a second mortgage. Steveston is a great place to spend Sunday but it’s even better when it’s packed full of wacky Canadians celebrating their country’s birthday. It looked like the Olympics were in town again.

For more food and food accessories, head over to my food blog, EdEats.com!

I was really glad to be heading to EAT! Vancouver this year. I’ve been wanting to go for a few years now but always happen to be out of town when it happens. I think I first heard about it in 2006 but at the end of May, I was already heading to Europe with some friends for our backpacking/World Cup trip. Actually, I almost missed it again this year but arrived back in Vancouver in time on Friday to make it there on Saturday.

In case you have no idea what I’m on about, EAT! Vancouver is a big, three day food and cooking festival at BC Place in Vancouver. There’s all kinds of restaurants, wineries, food manufacturers, retailers, farmers, and other gastronomically related businesses exhibiting their wares on the show floor. There were butchers and bakers but no, no candlestick makers. There’s over 250 booths, some of which have stuff for you to sample for free and others where there’s a small charge for a snack-sized portion of their specialty.

I was starving by the time I got there on Saturday so I went straight for the restaurant booths. Most of the booths at EAT! require you to buy tickets (probably so they don’t have to deal with giving change and can work more efficiently on serving food to thousands of people) which are $10 for 20. Most of the booths charge between 2 and 8 tickets per dish, which means each is about $1-4.

Of course, my grumbling stomach meant that I forgot to take a picture of the first thing I tried, which was the butter chicken at Maurya Indian Cuisine. Despite my Man vs. Curry speed, I do remember that the sauce was mild, yet you could taste a whole lot of spices in it. The basmati rice smelled fantastic and was cooked just right.

Glowbal Group was serving up these short-ribs, which were fall apart tender and juicy. They were a little under-seasoned for me but came with this great salsa that made the flavors pop.

I love these miniature old-school Chinese take-out boxes from The Noodle Box. I haven’t seen a restaurant use these in years; it’s always the styrofoam. They’re not so mini that I feel like a giant but I imagine this is how Shaq views the world. While the flavors were good (nutty, bit of heat), the noodles were overcooked and quite mushy. I suspect that’s since we’re at a trade show and these things can’t be made to order but still.

Gramercy Grill produced what I thought was the best “entree” I had at EAT! Vancouver, which was this mini burger. The patty is plump and moist, the bits of onion are sweet and the dressing sets it off with a nice tang.

Unfortunately, they also produced this lackluster macaroni and blue cheese. Maybe they were trying to please the majority by toning it down but when I think blue cheese, I think I’m going to be kicked in the face with flavor. Instead, this was rather bland and tasted much more of milk and cream than cheese. The consistency just wasn’t there either. I expect the cheese to be coating that macaroni. They should be inseparable but the sauce was thin and souped at the bottom instead.

I also grabbed a Cane Cola from Boylan, which makes some of my favorite sodas around. You may have seen some of these and guffawed at the higher price compared to a can of Coke but for good reason…Boylan Cane Cola just plain tastes better. The difference is they use cane sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup, which makes minimal difference in terms of calories or carbs but cane sugar tastes so much better. You know how regular cola tastes better than that chemical diet stuff? Well, that’s how I feel about the difference between cane sugar and corn syrup. Trust me…give a bottle of this stuff a try. I grab as much as I can carry when I see them for 99 cents a bottle.

Of course, if you can’t tell the difference, then seriously, that’s great too. As long as you enjoy something, who cares what it’s made of. Personally, I’m more of a Coke drinker than Pepsi (I find Pepsi too sweet) and I’ve always been able to tell the difference between Coke and Pepsi. I haven’t done a Pepsi Taste Challenge in years! I think the last time was back when I was in still in school and we went on a field trip to Splashdown Park.

I correctly chose the Pepsi thinking that I would get a prize or a promo coupon like back in the good ol’ days but no, they just told me I picked the Pepsi! Dammit, I would’ve picked the Coke if I knew! They did, however, give me several bags of chips but not before one of them made me do a Zoolander tweet about him.

After all those mini-entrees, it was time for dessert! I’m not much of a dessert guy, honestly. I only like certain sweet things and a lot of desserts just flat out overdo it. A bunch of the dessert booths piqued my interest but I was getting full and only wanted to sample one. A couple of other ones, though, I made note of so I could try some other time. For example, check out these marshmallows!

I had no idea marshmallows came in anything but a bag at the supermarket. Seriously, who knew there were artisan marshmallows!? These large, flavored blocks of fluffiness were made by Magpie’s Marshmallows. At $1.50 each, they’re certainly more expensive than your standard issue s’more maker but don’t tell me those flavor combos don’t have your attention. Mango creamsicle? Sign me up!

Then there were these tiny cakes on sticks called “Lollicakes” by Binh’s Lollicakes. Look at that attention to detail on such a small scale. They make them to order and price depends on design (and a minimum order of 2 dozen) but the standard ones are $2.50 a piece. They make standard-sized cupcakes but only with the Lollicakes will you be able to take a bite out of Pikachu’s face. Check out their gallery. I LOL’ed at the Star Trek-inspired ones.

I don’t always eat dessert but when I do, I prefer gelato. I’m not the only one either, as a ton kids like the ones above clamored at the Canadian Maple Delights booth. I had a cup of the mango pineapple sorbet, which was flippin’ awesome. It’s light and airy but with plenty of fruit flavor. Not kidding when I say I’m driving down to their Gastown location this weekend to grab a tub of this stuff.

There are, of course, a bunch of things at EAT! Vancouver that you can sample for free as well. For example, this is cheese that isn’t really cheese. This is…dairy-free cheese from Daiya Foods, which looks like they make an entire line of vegetarian and vegan alternatives to dairy and meat products. I’m neither a vegetarian nor a vegan…in fact, I’m probably as far away from those things as humanly possible but I was willing to give the cheese-less cheese a try. I have to say it totally tastes like their respective cheeses, right down to the aftertaste but the texture is more like a cross between a spongecake and pudding. However, this is the first time I’ve eaten a non-dairy cheese product and said “That is totally havarti.” rather than “Ewwwwwwwwwwww….”.

I also had one of these ciders from Lonetree, made from apples grown in the Okanagan Valley. It’s crisp and fresh tasting with a very slight alcohol note even though there’s so little alcohol in the soft cider that it can be found at most supermarkets.

You’ll meet all sorts of people and come across all kinds of food-related products at EAT! Vancouver. For example, you might happen across the Johnston’s table, where this man will challenge you to a game of “Who likes bacon more?”.

Or you could check out this collection of “wine holders” that look like little steampunk Benders from Cellar Momento. I would move them ever so slightly each time guests leave the room and feign ignorance when they ask “…wasn’t that over there?”

Alcohol? We’ve got plenty of that too at EAT! Vancouver! Unfortunately, the lineups for many of those booths, including this one distributing some Clamato Caesars, were long and I had a lot of booths to get through.

If clam juice and vodka isn’t your thing and you’d much rather bury your nose in a pinot noir, there were wine tasting and appreciating seminars going on as well.

Or if don’t want to end up like those poor saps on Hell’s Kitchen and actually learn how to cook, you can get some instruction from instructors at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts at the pop-up cooking school.

Unfortunately, since I missed Friday, I also missed the throw down between Bob Blumer, David Rocco and Rob Feenie but there were still a lot of demos going on at the stages around the floor.

I had a great time at EAT! Vancouver and met a lot of interesting people in the industry but I thought the costs added up quite quickly. If you take transit, great but otherwise, parking in the area is expensive unless you sneakily park at one of the nearby free lots that are for other buildings. $16 at the door is only a bit more than going to the movies but once you add the cost of food, you could probably pay for actual dinner at a nice restaurant. That being said, there is a lot to see at EAT! Vancouver. I just can’t talk about them all without writing a novel but if you enjoy food, give it a look next year. A restaurant certainly isn’t going to teach you to cook and you’ll probably only be able to sample one type of cuisine. It’s a nice way to spend an afternoon downtown and if I’m in town next year, I look forward to going again…and hopefully I’ll be able to give away some tickets again next year as well!

I missed last year’s EAT! Vancouver because of the Canucks Stanley Cup run. Actually, I almost missed it again this year because I come back to Vancouver on June 1st but luckily EAT!, one of Vancouver’s largest food festivals runs from June 1st through 3rd. If you’re a fan of all things edible like the 30,000 people that went last year, then I recommend you check this thing out since there will be a ton of local restaurants, bakeries, wineries, etc with booths, which means you’ll get to try some of the best Vancouver has to offer. Check out their website if you want more info on exhibits, competitions, and what Food Network personalities will be there.

I’ve got two tickets to give away. Of course, you have to be in Vancouver during this time to win. Sorry, the tickets do not include airfare from wherever you are to EAT! Vancouver…they just get you in the door at BC Place.

I don’t like difficult contests so I made this one obscenely easy. To enter to win two tickets to EAT! Vancouver, all you need to do is click a couple of blue buttons.

1. Like EAT! Vancouver’s on Facebook.

2. Like EdEats.com on Facebook.

That’s it! Mightt take 20 seconds or so…more if you actually need to log into Facebook. Since most of you are at work, I assume you’re already logged into Facebook and then, that makes this even easier. Good luck! Draw will be on May 26th, probably at Dot Com Pho! Hope to see you there (I’ll probably be going on the 2nd.).

I know, right? I’m probably one of the last people you’d expect to be at an expo about things like sustainability, eco-friendliness, and being green considering my love for combustion engines and penchant for eating animals that are inching closer to that endangered species list. But that’s the way the world is changing. It’s silly to assume we can just use and use the world’s natural resources at the rate we’re going and expect them to last forever. As much as I love bluefin, even I have to admit that we need to find new ways to produce fish or we won’t have any more otoro. I love the noise of exploding gasses but with gas at $1.46 a liter, I might have to find myself something electric…or hope that hydrogen power is coming soon. I could always use some more education on topics like this so I was excited to see what was being shown at EPIC this year. I can’t get into everything but here’s some of the things that interested me at the expo.

I was invited to come by my friends at Whole Foods, who entertained and fed the crowds at the Epicurian Stage. Chefs Derek Sarno and Matt Talavera were serving up healthy meals with ingredients that both taste good and are good for you. You can see them tossing some kale to accompany the pork chops on the grill. Kale is amazing for you but can taste quite harsh and…chlorophyll-y? But cooked and seasoned right, it can be pretty darn delicious…or about as delicious as something good for you is going to get.

Whole Foods was also talking about their 5-step Animal Welfare Rating, which is their way of helping improve the lives of farm animals as well as educating people on where their food comes from. They had the actual farmers producing their meat at the expo talking about how things work on a daily basis. I think it’s important to learn about the origins of your food, especially meat not only for your health but knowing gives you a greater appreciation for what goes on your plate. For more information, check out the Whole Foods website here.

Sticking with food, one of the products on the floor has actually interested me for awhile but I was excited to try it out in person. SodaStream takes your ordinary water and carbonates it. That means you can make your own fizzy drinks at home at a fraction of the cost and with lower calories, sugar, etc. They say that sparkling water costs about 25 cents a liter with the machine. In comparison, you’re probably paying a bit less than $2 for a 2-liter of club soda at the supermarket.

I tried the cola and mango flavors, which weren’t bad. The cola was a step above Diet Coke but since it’s made with a sugar substitute rather than cane sugar or high fructose corn syrup, it still has that chemical aftertaste. They don’t use aspartame, mind you, but currently anything that isn’t sugar doesn’t taste like sugar to anyone with discerning tastebuds. The day someone invents a zero calorie sugar substitute that tastes like freakin’ sugar and doesn’t cause cancer, that person is going to be rich. Like Oprah-rich. It’s a great idea but I hate chemical sugar taste more than anything so I’ll need a drink mix with cane sugar or something.

Sustainability isn’t all about food. A lot of the exhibits were demonstrating green ways to decorate or renovate your home, including the outdoors. There were several patio sets and even some really cool sheds…yes, sheds but the thing that caught my eye was this wacky sphere gazebo from DeckPods. Seriously, doesn’t that look cool as hell? It’s quite a cool design. Unfortunately, their website isn’t…finished and there isn’t much info on the DeckPod available. It would be nice to know how much these things cost.

There were several booths showing off bikes, since there’s no more eco-friendly method of transportation than being human powered…and not like in The Matrix. These, made by Stromer, are electric and modular. They come in several different models that vary by top speed, torque and range. While really cool, I can’t really justify something like this at this price (all three models shown were roughly $4,000) when regular gas-powered scooters are much cheaper, go faster and cost $5 to fill up. Like the problem with all electric vehicles, they become useless when they need a charge and can’t until they’ve been juiced. Of course, these just become regular bicycles but with a scooter, I can just pull into a gas station and it’s ready for another 500 klicks. These are, however, some of the most polished products when it comes to e-bikes as I’ve seen. They just need to be cheaper.

Speaking of expensive electric vehicles, the Fisker Karma was in attendance. One of the only hybrid sports cars available today, the Karma pairs an rechargeable battery-powered 161-hp electric motor with a turbocharged 2.0-liter 260-hp gas engine. They start at $102,000US and for that price, you get a 0-60 of 6.3 seconds and a top speed of 125MPH. Any way you look at it…that’s slow. Well, maybe not slow but for that price, it’s slow. Consider that the Nissan GT-R is about ten grand less and will do 200MPH. Yes, it’s a hybrid but what’s the point of a hybrid sports car? You can never go fast in them since they’ll drain the battery quicker (the full range with a fully charged battery AND a full tank of gas is 370 km…which is less than my Mazda 3 on a full tank.). Maybe it’s a bit greener than a GT-R but electricity isn’t made from the meows of kittens. It has to be produced somewhere…plus making that battery probably took some work, rare materials and energy costs that exceed that of manufacturing a regular car. Get an electric car if you’re commuting to work or something but c’mon, if you’re going to spend $100k, get a real car. You’ll have more fun, save some money and the carbon footprint savings aren’t as significant as hybrid promoters would have you think. It’s quite a good looking car, though, which is more than I can say for most hybrids.

I don’t know if there was a particular reason for this but I thought the VW van converted into an ATM was cool.

There was a lot of clothing and apparel at the show as well but most of it was for women, apart from a table of cool graphic tees from a clothing brand called ThinkHead.

I caught a couple of the fashion shows as well, showing off some local designers using sustainable materials.

I found a few booths at EPIC with healthy or organic or fair trade alternatives to things I usually buy that I might try out soon but I think I’ll make those orders and try the products at home before I write about them but they all had something in common: they replaced something that exists already with a superior product that was either the same price or not much more. That made me realize something. That basically sums up the extent to which I’m willing to “go green” at this time. The problem with so many eco-friendly, carbon neutral or fair trade products is that they cost so much more than the original recipe OR they aren’t as good as the regular product.

I saw a lot of booths featuring products I saw on CBC’s Dragon’s Den, most of which were rejected for the above reasons and that’s what I think is preventing a lot of people from getting on the eco-powered bandwagon. I understand that the more people that take part, the further down the prices go but still, it’s difficult in this financial climate to convince someone to choose a green alternative that costs twice as much and isn’t quite as good a product over something made by big bad corporate America. Awareness is great and all but when it comes down to it, most of us are more concerned about the bottom line. I’m not trying to discourage, I’m just telling it like it is. Honestly, I don’t know what the solution is but identifying the problem is the first step.

Right from the second I saw the trailer for Jiro Dreams of Sushi, I knew it would be the sort of movie I enjoy. However, I avoided seeing it for a few weeks and not just because the only theater in town screening it had seats that feel like sitting on beanbag filled with pudding. I was scared, really, of how the movie would make me feel or more specifically, how nostalgic it would make me for Tokyo and all that glorious sushi I ate. I just knew that I was going to wake up in the parking lot of a Japanese restaurant face down in a pile of otoro, several hundred dollars lighter in a haze of sake and Asahi. My time living in Tokyo was nothing short of a life changing experience for me and just watching the trailer, I could see parts of the bustling metropolis that I recognized, streets I had walked by and I’m pretty sure that in one of the Tsukiji Market scenes, I could see the velvet rope outside Sushi Dai, where I lined up for hours to have sushi for breakfast…twice!

Jiro Dreams of Sushi is a documentary on Jiro Ono, the 85-year old master sushi chef at Sukiyabashi Jiro, which I believe is the only restaurant with three Michelin stars located in a subway station. Anthony Bourdain called the place “easily the best sushi experience of my life” when he filmed No Reservations there back in season 3.

There’s one thing on the menu, the omakase meal, which basically means you trust the chef to choose your courses for you according to what’s fresh that day. At about $300, it’s quite an expensive meal and unlike the marathon you’d experience at El Bulli, you’re probably done and expected to leave in under half an hour. That’s the way most in-demand sushi places are…eat quick to be courteous to those behind you in line.

The best sushi I’ve had so far in life were my meals at Sushi Dai and while that was spectacular in every way for me, I seriously doubt those guys are even half as dedicated to sushi as Jiro Ono. The movie goes through the incredibly comprehensive process and hard work that goes into everything served at Sukiyabashi Jiro. Everything from sitting over a flame, roasting seaweed by hand in a very particular way to the absolutely astonishing technique that goes into making the restaurant’s tamago or egg sushi. That’s something I really admire about the Japanese culture…that some people can dedicate themselves to their work in the absolute pursuit of perfection.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to eat at Jiro’s during my time in Japan. I put it off for awhile and by the time I went by to see if I could get a reservation, it was a busy time and it would’ve been two months before I could get one of the very few seats in the restaurant. I was scheduled to leave Japan before then. Had I known I would end up staying in Japan awhile longer, I would’ve put my name down immediately. Some people that I’ve talked to after seeing this movie think that $300 is simply too much for a sushi dinner. Personally, I agree but I’d still do it. For a once in a lifetime experience like this, $300 isn’t bad.

Just like some won’t understand why anyone would drop three bills on raw fish, Jiro Dreams of Sushi isn’t for everyone. In fact, I overheard a few people in the theater snickering, joking about the ridiculous attention to detail these men put into their craft. I get it…it’s hard for most people to wrap their heads around taking 10 years just to hold a knife properly, cook an eel or even the painstaking process of preparing something as seemingly simple as rice. It’s a radical departure from the restaurant model of many North American chains where every restaurant can cook a very wide variety of foods but nothing particularly well. The opposite is true in Japan. Many places make only one thing, have been making only that one thing for hundreds of years and you can be damn sure there are only a handful if any other places that could make that dish half as good.

Go ahead…ask a group of people in Japan where the best ramen is. It’s like asking which of iPhone or Android is better. You’ll start a holy war.

So while not everyone is going to understand, if you love sushi, Japan or both like I do, you are going to love this movie. It’s shot beautifully not only at the restaurant, capturing the everyday vibe of the world’s best sushi bar but in all the shot around Tokyo. You get the hustle of the fish market, the quiet efficiency of the metro system and the vibrant allure of the neon cityscape. I could feel it tug at my heartstrings every time there’s a shot of Jiro walking through the streets.

The sushi is captured in slow motion. I know that sounds silly but if there actual food pornography, this would be it. When the chef’s place each piece down in front of their customer, it writhes and shimmies on the dish, settling down from the pressure of the chef’s hands. You see the sheen of the tuna with all that delicious marbled fat in the otoro.

Instead of the bow-chicka-wow-wow, Jiro Dreams of Sushi is mostly scored with classical music which lends to the film’s rhythm. The pacing has it’s ebb and flow, sometimes moving quickly through the chaos and then slowing down during the quiet moments, all of which is beautifully reflected in the music. If Jiro’s food is considered art, the movie makes him out to be a maestro conducting an orchestra, making sure each morsel of food sings to it’s full potential.

I have nothing to be critical of in this movie but I understand that my relationship with Japan and with sushi makes me quite obviously biased. However, that shouldn’t take anything away from what is an astonishingly gorgeous documentary. This movie shows how beautiful food can be and the dedication that’s required to expose all the subtleties and flavors from otherwise simple ingredients of fish and rice. I highly recommend this if you have any interest in food, sushi or Japan.

Now someone hide all my credit cards before I talk to my travel agent…

Verdict: 9.0 out of 10.

There really is no way to say this without sounding like a politician but I would love to represent Richmond as the 365 Days of Dining blogger. While I will not have the power to lower taxes or fight crime, my best efforts each day would be put towards making this blog as informative, engaging and fun as possible. To be frank, I do feel like I’m the best choice for the job.

Why? It could be because I absolutely adore Richmond. I love Richmond like Ray Charles loved Georgia or that kid that 50 Cent says loves cake. Writing songs is probably out of the question since my musical talent is limited* but I could make this into a heck of a fun blog.

I’ve always said that I think Richmond is just about the best place on the planet when it comes to living. Everything is quite convenient. People are friendly. The streets are safe. Richmond is quiet when we need some quiet and fun when we want to cut loose. I know I’ve also professed my love for Japan, Germany and even parts of the United States. I know I’ve mentioned I might want to live downtown or elsewhere for awhile but Tokyo, London, Robson Street…we’re just friends. Richmond, we’re best friends. We’re family.

Whoever is selected for 365 Days of Dining is going to be representing Richmond to the world. I’m sure we’d all like to be introduced by someone that truly knows who we are rather than someone we just met.

I’m relatively well traveled and I enjoy living abroad as well. Nothing broadens your mind like experiencing other cultures and parts of the world you haven’t been. Travel is food for your soul but like revisiting old favorites such as wonton noodles or a nice, rare burger after more adventurous edibles, I always love coming back to Richmond. The mystery and allure of a foreign land may keep me away for a little while but I always know where my heart is. No matter where I happen to be, Richmond will always be my hometown and it will always proudly say so on my Facebook page.

It could be for my love for food. Although my parents tell me I was a fussy eater as a toddler, it didn’t take long for my love affair with food to begin. While other kids were watching Saved by the Bell, I would follow along with Yan Can Cook.

I figured if he could cook, so could I! Don’t get me wrong, I still watched Saved by the Bell but throughout my younger years, I idolized the chefs on Food Network. By the time I got to high school, I followed along with Emeril Lagasse (BAM!), Bobby Flay and Mario Batali. I remember watching the original Japanese Iron Chef for the first time (Battle Asparagus) and being awed by the creativity.

I love to cook. Love getting my hands, as well as several counter-tops, many dishes and much of the floor, dirty. I love knowing what goes into my food and what produces the flavors I enjoy. Food isn’t just something that keeps us alive, it’s just so much more. It can bring back the memories you thought were lost. It’s a great reason to sit down with friends for a few hours. Food can be fun. Food can tell a story. Food can be art. Some of you may be scoffing at me thinking I’m possibly exaggerating but perhaps you’ve never bit into the perfect piece of otoro, Granny Smith green apple sorbet or one of those burnt ends from The Hog Shack.

It could be because I know my way around writing, photo/video-ography and social media. I won’t profess to be the best but I know what I’m capable of and how I can grow in each area. As a combination of talents, I feel like I stack up well against the competition and I can do what it takes to make this a success not only for myself but for Richmond. Blogging isn’t going to be the only responsibility with 365 Days of Dining. This isn’t Field of Dreams where they’ll come because you built something. Traffic doesn’t appear out of thin air, it has to be generated and promoted. I’ve spent the last six years networking and digging into the local social media scene and I’ve already got ideas on audience participation as well as how I can give back to my home community.

That’s why I would absolutely be over the moon if I was chosen for this not only because I think it would be a great time, eating amazing food but because I would get to share Richmond with everyone and tell them exactly how awesome my city is.

* I know all the words to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. All of them.

Searching for a good looking laptop bag is like searching for good drivers in Richmond…they’re few and far between but they do exist. I’ve often wondered why it seems like all bags for carrying around your various technological devices look like they’re cut from the same roll of black nylon. I get it…it’s to make long-lasting products that will probably be at least somewhat weather resistant but can’t we get something a little different?

Mission Workshop out in San Francisco makes all kinds of durable, weatherproof gear for commuters, travelers and cyclists. Actually, most of their products seem to be geared toward cyclists, including sets of bike shoes but of course, riding a bike isn’t a requirement. They make a number of messenger bags and backpacks (as well as jackets) in several different sizes but since carrying a heavy load off just one shoulder isn’t very good for my back, I thought I’d try out one a Sanction rucksack.

While Mission Workshop’s focus clearly seems to be on making products that will last a long while (all products are guaranteed for a lifetime) as well as protect your stuff against the elements, I happen to really enjoy the classic look of many of their products. They’re cleanly designed with simple lines, understated, monochrome colors…other than the outlandish red/orange available for the messenger bags…and few bells or whistles. There aren’t any silly grommets, holes for headphones or cell phone pockets strewn about. Instead of cluttered, we get sleek and streamlined.

Speaking of well made, I’ve been using this bag for close to 4 months on a regular basis and it looks pretty close to when it was brand new. All Mission Workshop bags come with a lifetime warranty which covers any manufacturer defects but not regular wear and tear. However, the Sanction is very well made and shows little signs of wear. My only complain might be that the nylon material can be a little difficult to clean.

The Sanction is the smallest backpack Mission Workshop makes, measuring 12″ x 18″ x 5″ with 1000 cubic inches of storage space. There is a total of 6 compartments of various sizes. The main storage space runs the entire height of the bag, which makes for about enough space to stuff a folded up hoodie and maybe a couple other smaller objects like a camera, a book or a packed lunch.

While quite long, the bag isn’t very wide or deep. The material doesn’t have much give or stretch, which somewhat restricts what you can put in the bag. I had difficulty fitting a boxed lunch back there but this is a small bag, meant to carry just a few things for your daily commute.

The laptop sleeve opens up with a zipper along the top flap of the Sanction. It’s about the size of my 15″ Apple MacBook Pro but there’s probably enough room for a laptop of slightly larger dimensions. It might even be able to accommodate a 17″ laptop but the thickness of the pocket might not be able to handle some of the heftier ones.

The back of the sleeve (that rests against your back) is well protected. I can feel some semi-rigid plastic sewn in between the pocket and the light but adequate padding for extra shielding but only a thin layer stands between your laptop and whatever you choose to throw into the main compartment. This means if you have anything like keys or other scratchy objects in there, they could rub against your shiny laptop the wrong way. That’s unlikely since the nylon seems quite strong, like that tarp you’ve used for camping for the last 20 years, but still a little more protection for a $2000 gadget would be nice.

The front of the bag has 4 additional pockets, three smaller ones covered by the front flap, secured with weather resistant zippers and a larger one at the bottom with it’s own velcro.

While not very wide, one of the front pockets also runs the entire length of the bag, making it a good slot for your tablet. Unfortunately, there is no padding around this pocket so there isn’t much protection for that gorilla glass in the front and there isn’t much else that can think of that fits in here.

Two other zippered pockets in the front of the Sanction are considerably smaller and is probably good for smaller items like flash drives, USB cables or a small digital camera.

The front compartment lacks zippers and only has a Velcro flap keeping the elements at bay but it does the job well, keeping your laptop charger or other things you want to have handy dry. Holding things you want to have handy is probably exactly what the front compartment is for since the main pockets are protected by both their zippers and buckled straps. While this keeps your equipment secure, it can be a pain to open on the go. I also wish they didn’t go with Velcro. While convenient, opening a Velcro-ed flap in a quiet room feels like you’re disturbing everyone in the room.

At only 2.6 pounds, the Sanction is quite light, has a relatively narrow profile and sits flat on your back so moving around with it on feels like you’re wearing nothing at all. If you’re rather clumsy like I am, you don’t have to worry about knocking things over or smacking people in the face when it swings around.

The shoulder straps are wide but lightly padded. As I mentioned, there isn’t a whole lot of padding in the back either but fortunately, the Sanction is small enough that it still comfortable even when full. The buckle that attaches the two shoulder straps together is enough to carry the load easily but you can also get a waist strap from Mission Workshop for $30.

Since the Sanction is touted as an all-weather bag, I thought I’d test whether that means waterproof or water resistant.

In my not-very-scientific test, I stuffed a microfiber cloth into one of the smaller pockets, zipped it up and ran it under the sink for 5 minutes, making sure to run the tap over the seams and the zipper. The cloth should show any wet spots if any water got through.

That looks pretty waterproof to me. Notice the water beading and running off without soaking into the material.

No visible wet spots and the cloth is still dry to the touch. If it can handle being in my sink, it should be able to take a little rain easily.

The Mission Workshop Sanction has a few minor flaws but all around, it’s good looking, well made and built to handle the elements. It can be a little too small but if you find that to be the case, Mission Workshop makes two larger backpacks made to the same specs. Quality, of course, comes at a price and at $179, the Sanction isn’t cheap but well within the range of better quality laptop bags. The Booq bag I was using previously to haul my 15″ MacBook Pro was around the same price.

So if you’re looking for a new backpack that doesn’t look like a laptop bag, will last you a long time and protect your gear against Mother Nature, then you might be looking for a bag from Mission Workshop.

Top Gear is already pretty awesome. In this episode alone, James May drove a Ferrari 250 California (absolutely gorgeous), Richard Hammond drove the new BMW M5 and with Jeremy Clarkson, they got into rallycross for less than the cost of golf.

Therefore, I don’t know how they got the time to fit in legendary Guns ‘n Roses guitar god Slash into the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car. He isn’t very quick around the track, as demonstrated by a very slow 1:49 but damn, can that guy rock…

I often wonder where all the people that blogged around the same time I started have disappeared to. If you look through the early days of this blog, you’ll notice quite a few links to sites that no longer exist or occupied only by tumbleweeds. Many dropped off after a life changing event such as Stephen Fung, who hasn’t written a post in almost a year after his daughter was born. Others moved on to different blogs. Still others simply felt burned out and left their sites to rust. In fact, the only person from my early days of blogging almost six years ago that still does so with clockwork regularity is Michael Kwan, but that’s just Kwan being Kwan.

I used to think that the burn out was silly, especially when some were quitting around year three when I was just hitting my stride but it happens to everyone. I took a few breaks and stopped blogging daily after ’08 and then moved to a weekly/monthly schedule. While daily is probably too much, I couldn’t stick to a monthly since it was just too easy to forget about it altogether.

But it seems that this break has been long enough. I haven’t posted much since early November, which is probably a result of having to focus some of my energy elsewhere lately but still, I’ve been gone long enough. I’ll be blogging regularly again at all my various blogs, probably keeping a flexible schedule of a few times a week. I’m hoping to write about 5 posts total for my personal blog, my food blog and Canucks Hockey Blog per week, which seems like a reasonable pace.

But more importantly, I want to get back to when blogging was just a lot of fun and doing it with a lot of great people back in the day made it even better. We’ve all moved on. I mean, I was 23 when I started this and now I’m approaching 30 so we’re all different as people but I wouldn’t mind catching up with old friends, maybe getting a few back into this wacky thing we do.

If only you could change the world by sitting around wearing a funny hat…

I’ve resisted writing anything in particular about #OccupyVancouver for a long time but since the city keeps delaying when it will evict the squatters from the Vancouver Art Gallery, I thought I should say my part. I mean, according to some polls, 75% of Vancouver agrees with me, I don’t know what the city council is waiting for. I probably should’ve written several posts over the course of the weeks rather than one enormous essay…but here we go anyways.

I went to Occupy Vancouver on that first day and listened for a good few hours. While I was in disagreement with some of the #OccupyWallStreet, I could see why this sort of thing made sense in America. People were losing their homes due to banks giving people mortgages they couldn’t afford, the economy was low and unemployment was high. People couldn’t afford the health care they needed while they were sick for jobs where they couldn’t afford to miss days being sick. It made sense. While their strategies to solve these problems were a little too extreme left for me, I recognize that these problems exist and that the America that prospered pre-2008 was in a world of hurt financially. To make things worse, the working class are the ones who are suffering while many of the rich get wealthy.

So let me tell you where you lost me and why Occupy Vancouver is massive waste of money, resources and time.

For the most part, none of those things happened in Canada or Vancouver. Canadian banks avoided the sub-prime lending that broke America. You can’t really get a so-called NINJA mortgage here in Canada, as we have strict lending criteria rather than just handing mortgages out like free samples at Costco. Our banks were affected because the American economy takes up a good chunk of the global pie. In Canada, for the most part, the economy has remained rather steady. Few people are losing their homes due to bad mortgages and while the housing market here in Vancouver is expensive, we are one of the most livable cities in the world and demand simply dictates higher prices one way or another.

Still, I thought if someone was really convincing at Occupy Vancouver, I might see the point. I may have arrived a few minutes late that first day but I don’t think I missed much. It took literally hours for the assembly to figure out how to speak to crowd and in the end, the only conclusion was that using a microphone was better than repeated yelling. In their zeal to include everyone in the discussion, more time was spent finding translators for every single language on the planet. While I have no doubt that the multicultural crowd spoke many languages, I have a hard time believing there were many that spoke some of the more obscure ones and not a word of English, evidenced by the lack of people that spoke up for several of those jobs. I saw a man with an enormous beard and wondered if he was clean shaven when Occupy Vancouver started.

Occupy Vancouver tried so hard to be heard that they forgot to actually say something. That about sums up not only for those first few hours but pretty much all of Occupy Vancouver.

The real issues were quickly pushed aside as the sheer lunacy shouted over them. There were all flavors of crazy up there that day including people that didn’t believe in money, 9/11 and Zeitgeist theorists, animal rights activists, and a guy that played the saxophone that was running for mayor (more on him in a second). Look, there are some parts of Occupy Vancouver that are within reason but it is by far drowned out by the Baskin-Robbins of crazy. Free heroin? A “maximum” wage?! An investigation into the events behind 9/11?! C’mon…if you want the city to listen to real issues then you have to filter some of the wackier ones.

I mean, what’s with that saxophone guy that calls himself the “Saxmaniac” (can’t make this stuff up…) running for mayor? I made zero sense of his speech up there that first day and it seemed like much of the crowd had the same reaction as he was booed off stage for taking too much time rambling on about his crazy. If that wasn’t enough, he wandered onstage at the mayoral debate shouting at the other candidates while holding a stuffed red lobster (seriously, can’t make this stuff up). But what really got me was that at the Remembrance Day parade at Victory Square last Saturday, he BOOED. No, really…this man booed someone onstage at an event that honors men and women that served our country. When he wasn’t heckling the speakers, he was talking loudly while people were speaking, asking “Is this over yet?” and other sarcastic comments. If it wasn’t already rather obvious that he won’t be our next mayor, I don’t think I could say enough in hopes of discouraging you from voting for him this Saturday.

It didn’t help that the majority of the Occupy crowd was carrying smartphones. I saw one Occupy supporter with a Marc Jacobs bag and a good number of the crowd volunteered their mobile devices for tethering when a speaker asked if anyone could lend the local media their Wi-Fi. How much does the system really need to change when 50% of the people that claim they’re being oppressed by the upper class can afford a $30 a month option on their smartphone plan? The whole thing smelled of entitlement and arts students looking for any cause at all to protest. I would know as I was an arts student myself and every single year, there are those that came to our classes to rally us for causes that most of us couldn’t be bothered with.

It also didn’t help that a lot of the people at the protests had no idea what they were protesting. More than just a few times, I overheard whispers of “So what the heck is all this about?” and such. I even saw a sign that said something like “I don’t know what this is for but I’m protesting!”. You have to admit that the whole “We are the 99%” is a brilliant stroke of advertising, giving the #Occupy movement a catchphrase that so many can relate to but the thing is, it sucked it a lot of people that are just there because it’s the protest du jour and hipsters that think they’ve found the new edgy thing to do ironically.

And it REALLY didn’t help that there is just so much hypocrisy surrounding the whole Occupy Vancouver movement. I’m not just talking about those decked in Abercrombie talking on their iPhones while chugging a frappuccino. I’m talking about those who say they’re standing up for free speech while rudely interrupting others while they’re speaking. Or maybe since the movement criticizes the media for misrepresenting facts, misleading the public or just plain lying when they themselves do the same thing. A speaker last Saturday was telling a small gathering of occupiers that the police were afraid of them so they brought in the police chiefs and fire chiefs from other nearby municipalities (“big wigs” he said) to put out the “sacred fire”. The Occupy Vancouver people have blown things out of proportion themselves in order to make themselves seem more significant and controversial to get more attention. “Look at me! I’m so badass the police are after us!” like a 17-year old trying to impress a girl.

I mean, I can’t think of any other reason why anyone would claim that two occupiers were kidnapped by a black, unmarked van with no evidence other than “trusted sources” and tell me that I can’t prove her wrong because I have no evidence that says two people WEREN’T kidnapped. This is the kind of logic that seems to flow around Occupy Vancouver that just boggles my mind. For a movement that criticizes mainstream media so much, some sure seem to model themselves after another publications that cites “trusted sources”, The National Enquirer.

And then there’s the drugs. I’m not going to argue with you about marijuana as it is so accepted in Vancouver that I sort of expect it everywhere and Occupy Vancouver isn’t an exception. However, when people start overdosing and dying, then we have a problem. Occupier like to say that this happens in the DTES often and that John and Jane Does found dead on those blocks of Vancouver don’t make the news every day. True but we aren’t looking to the DTES for leadership either. I’m not asking people with needles in their arms how they think Canada should be run because all they’ll end up with on their demands list is “Free heroin.”…oh wait…

My point is…I don’t know how you expect us to take you seriously with all this going on. As far as I and many others are concerned, Occupy Vancouver is a failure. You can say it started conversation and awareness all you want but the fact of the matter is over half a million dollars of taxpayer money went into this along with what must be hundreds of hours of city workers cleaning up and police keeping the peace at all hours. For what? What’s been done since a month ago? We don’t even see a list of demands. The movement has no focus. How can you expect change in society when you don’t really know what you want? With no leadership, the city has no idea who to negotiate with or how they could even get started on getting anything going. They don’t have to look at any of the issues you raised since you didn’t raise any in particular so they have all the time in the world to think up how to get you out of there. Evidence? How much of the political debate these days involves whether or not to evict Occupy Vancouver and how much is dedicated to the issues OV raised such as what REALLY happened on 9/11?

Occupy Vancouver has wasted our time and money. Some businesses in the surrounding area (such as the Re-Up BBQ food cart) have either seen a decrease in traffic and sales while others simply don’t want to deal with their unruly neighbors any more. I was sitting in the A&W getting a root beer on Saturday when an Occupier strolled in holding a large Tupperware container of food and demanding that the service staff let her use the washroom, shouting it while walking in. When they said there was already someone in there and that she would have to wait until that person got out, the woman stormed out, shouting “#*%& YOU!” at the surprised people behind the counter.

That sort of sums up Occupy Vancouver and protesters in general…the sense of entitlement they have that other people need to give them something they somehow deserve. A&W was in no way obligated to allow that woman to use their washroom when she hadn’t purchased anything and even then…they weren’t denying her the washroom, just that she had to wait, but still, that simply wasn’t good enough for the Occupier. I’m not part of this ultra-rich 1% but at the same time, I’m not mad at their success and I don’t feel like the rich owe me anything. I don’t want them to pay my way through school or contribute toward my debt. I try to figure out how I can get to that 1% rather than crying about how unfair it is. I don’t think most rich people are rich by accident. They’ve made decisions, gotten necessary training and are good at what they do. Yes, there’s injustice in how the cast of Jersey Shore is rich since I’m almost sure at least half of them would be dead by now if they weren’t on TV…but I’m not going to hate on the success of the Jobs, Gates, and Buffetts of the world who have earned their place in the world. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has done more for the developing world than all the weekend hippies in Vancouver combined. The real 99% are those who worry about having food and clean water every day…not those who complain they can’t afford an Xbox because they have to pay off student loans.

Alright, so maybe not everyone there is like that but the entitlement comment stands. Protesting in itself is just that to me, especially something like Occupy Vancouver. It says to me “I don’t want to do anything but sit in this tent all day until YOU change something that I want changed.” That’s all a protest is…it’s a temper tantrum until they get what they want. If Occupy Vancouver really wanted to make a difference, they would put together some leadership and form a political party…preferably without people like the Saxmaniac at the helm. Think about what sitting around at the art gallery does…do you really expect anyone to say “Maybe we should listen to the guys sitting in those tents all day.”?

It seems in recent days that someone at Occupy Vancouver has woken up and attempted to filter out the nutjobs, denounce drug use and try to put something that resembles a list of demands together. I think it’s great that they’ve taken advice and sorted their stuff out but it just might be too late. I thought it was silly and doomed from that first day that took four hours before anyone brought up something that wasn’t translators or human microphones. You’ve had your fun, Occupy Vancouver…it’s about time we got all this silliness packed up before Vancouver has another embarrassment on it’s hands.

I know this isn’t a movie or a restaurant or something else you might expect me to write about on my personal blog and while I might not be a professional (or even amateur) athlete by any stretch of the imagination, I’m probably just as qualified as anyone to give you a real world, actual person review of a shirt like this.

Why? Well, first of all, I’m a born and raised Canadian kid and therefore, I’m built for the cold. I can go outside in the show with a t-shirt and a windbreaker and I’ll be fine but put me anywhere upward of 25 degrees Celsius and you can cue the complaints about the heat within the first ten minutes. I don’t wear anything but these sorts of shirts that are designed to keep you cool at the gym and I’ll seldom wear anything else when I’m traveling. During my Japan trip three years ago, despite being in one of the fashion capitals of the world, I couldn’t wear any of the great clothes I bought since it was damn near 40 degrees out so I needed to wear something appropriate to keep myself from melting in the heat of that rising sun, usually moving quickly on foot carrying 25 pounds of camera equipment on my back. Sure, maybe this particular shirt was designed with someone like Ryan Kesler in mind and while I don’t think I do anything as strenuous as playing 20 minutes in an NHL game, activities like climbing a mountain in Kamakura to see a giant Buddha statue or navigating the streets of Vancouver in the midst of rioters, tear gas, fire and chaos is tough work too.

I’m not exactly sure if they’ve hit the American market yet but Firstar is gaining some ground here in Canada. I can see the appeal…they’re a thoroughly Canadian company and the marketing features the likes of Kesler and James Reimer, who undoubtedly appeal to the target audience of Canadian, hockey-crazed masses. I pass by the Firstar office in Richmond almost every day and hear the commercials on our local radio station often but if I’m honest, I’ve relied on a couple of the other brands for so long that I like to stick to what I know. That being said, I was excited to take their new shirt for a spin when they asked. I buy plenty of similar shirts already. All the better if I know I’m buying from a company that’s located just down the street from my house. They mailed me one of their latest Triple Threat shirts about 6 weeks ago. What do I think of it?

The Triple Threat is made of 92% polyester and 8% spandex, available in a number of different colors. Mine is black with red accents on the sides of the torso. Since it’s probably going to be worn underneath a hockey jersey or something else most of the time, I personally don’t think the styling is all that important but it does look good and functional without getting silly like some others have with weird camouflage and the like. So when you do wear it to work out at the gym, you’ll look like a person rather than a peacock.

This particular shirt is a tighter, compression fit. Even though it’s a large, if this wasn’t made of stretchy synthetic fabric, it would be more of a small and I’d need a shoehorn to get in it. For example, pre-stretch, the shirt is about 2/3s as wide at my shoulders. However, it does fit quite nicely. It’s snug without feeling tight. I’m guessing this is what Firstar calls T3 Technology, which “reduces the muscle fatigue caused by clothing’s restrictions of the body’s movement.” Even though the shirt is snug, I didn’t feel like it was preventing me from a full range of motion.

The fabric is very thin and breathable. As stupid sexy Ned Flanders would say, it feels like you’re wearing nothing at all…nothing at all…nothing at all! While some other athletic shirts have vented sections with tiny holes for extra breath-ability, the Triple Threat is the same throughout but still feels very cool. My only real complaint about the feel of the shirt is that the stitched seams on the inside are quite pronounced and stick out while other sportswear companies have made it a point to keep the seams as minimal as possible to keep in the side of the shirt smooth.

I know this sounds like a nit-pick but these shirts are designed for movement and having those threads rub against your torso repeatedly can get irritating with all the friction. Just ask marathon runners what they have to do to their nipples before a race.

Firstar shirts use something called MST Microfibre Technology, which is their moisture wicking solution. I don’t know if I’m the person to explain the science behind it so if you want to know, click here.

Wearing regular cotton shirts and playing sports means you’ll have a heavy, sweaty shirt afterwards. Wearing something like the Triple Threat basically helps that sweat evaporate more quickly, keeping you drier and cooler, since body heat is lost in the process of boiling your sweat away. So it stands to reason that the quicker this happens, the better you feel during whatever it is you’re doing.

This is quite an arbitrary thing to test but the Triple Threat did a good job at the gym. After a 30 minute run, I still felt relatively cool and dry. After my bike ride and weights, I was getting sweaty but still felt relatively cool and as comfortable as I was going to get after a long workout. That’s not an easy thing to do, really…especially if you’re as sensitive to heat as I am. I’ve had shirts that were nothing more than fancy technology names on plain polyester shirts that do nothing. You know when you’re wearing something designed for activity and the Triple Threat does a good job.

The Triple Threat also features something called BACT-OUT, which apparently kills 99.9% of fungi and bacteria in the fabric.

When you sweat, your body is releasing water, sodium chloride, potassium, fatty acids with the chemical odorants 2-methylphenol (o-cresol) and 4-methylphenol (p-cresol). When these micro particles interact with your body’s outer bacterial skin layer, a strong odour can often be detected. As the particles are solid and are not removed as the water evaporates, Lycra (rubber), used in most performance materials, absorbs and embeds these particles at the microscopic level and, as rubber repels water when washed, a portion of the smell can never be removed. Over time this smell builds up until the garment must be discarded. BACT-OUT ensures your garments maintain their fresh smell longer.

Eeewwww. I’m not a chemistry major anymore so I can’t (and don’t want to…) put this to the test so I’ll just have to take your word for it, Firstar. I try not to smell my gym clothes afterwards but it’s nice to know this is something built into the clothing.

The short sleeve version of the Triple Threat is $49.99 while the long sleeve will set you back another $5 (prices in Canadian Dollars), which is on par with other similar products depending on where you’re buying them and what brand. I’m not a professional athlete so perhaps I won’t notice the finer details but the Triple Threat performs as well as my favorite polyester, moisture wicking shirts. I will say that I do really enjoy the fit as it’s not quite as tight as a compression fit but isn’t a loose fitting shirt either. Like the third bowl of porridge, it’s just right in allowing you to breathe and move but keeping the shirt in contact with as much of your body as possible to get sweat evaporate quickly.

The Triple Threat is a good shirt if you’re looking for a bottom layer under your equipment and jersey or if you’re looking for something to work out in. How comfortable it is for you will probably be unique to you but the fit is great for me. I might try to grab a long sleeve one for a base layer for snowboarding season.

If you follow me on Twitter, you might know that I’m traveling for the next two weeks in the Caribbean. I’m currently in San Juan, Puerto Rico…swimming in the warm, blue Atlantic waters and sitting on the beach with drinks that have miniature umbrellas.

I thought about renting a car but after going by taxi for a couple days, I’ve realized how bad of an idea that is. I’m not a scared driver on the road by any means. I believe the only way to drive is fast and slow is for the weak but here…well, there’s no discernible traffic laws as far as I can tell. There’s very few ways to tell if the street you’re on is one way other than if there are a lot of angry motorists coming the other way. I don’t know how the right of way works here because I’ve seen several people merge into the tiniest of gaps in traffic and I am almost sure that turn signals are for decoration only. In Vancouver, you could get arrested for talking on the phone while driving but here, every bus driving I see has his cell at his ear and ironically, there’s a sign saying you should never speak to the bus driver while he’s driving…I’m sure that’s just because it would be rude to interrupt his phone conversation.

Things move slowly here and no one seems to mind. I thought I was rather laid back already but apparently waiting 45 minutes for food isn’t uncommon. Gordon Ramsay would explode if he ran one of these kitchens. That and the bus I mentioned before just gets there when they feel like it. I don’t see any sort of bus schedule and even if there was one, they’re guaranteed to be late so your choices for transportation are either incredibly slow and unreliable or what can only be described as certain death. Jaywalkers just walk out into the streets and hold out their hands to tell cars to stop. That would never fly in Vancouver, where pedestrians are only a small step above cyclists when it comes to people we give a crap about when we’re behind the wheel.

That being said, this place is gorgeous. Despite the heat and humidity, it isn’t seriously uncomfortable and there’s cheap beers, sorbet and other things to cool you down for a buck or two everywhere. There’s good reason this place is one of the most traveled places in the Caribbean.

Spend any amount of time around me and you’ll quickly find that in terms of humor, I’m not very easily offended. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. I’m of the belief that taking offense from jokes just means you take things too seriously. I’m more offended by jokes that simply aren’t funny. If you can find humor in uncomfortable subject matter, then I just can’t see that as wrong. Laughter is a good thing. It’s one part of human life that sets us apart from our animal counterparts. Maybe except the aardvark. Nothing can be named aardvark without being hilarious. That and dogs that look like Chewbacca.

Louis C.K. is one of those comics that really straddles the edge of funny and just plain wrong. I think I first saw Louis C.K.’s standup some time last year after a friend sent me a couple of YouTube clips of his routine. I had heard of him before but never really bothered to look him up. If you’re familiar with his work, then you’ll undoubtedly know what I’m on about but if you aren’t, do a search on YouTube. Maybe not if you’re the sort of person that writes in to complain when someone inadvertently drops an F-bomb or when Janet Jackson can’t keep control over her nipples…as I’m almost sure bits like “The N-Word” will make you throw up in your mouth.

His TV show, Louie, is somewhat of an anomaly as Louis C.K. has almost complete creative control over the show. According to Wikipedia, the show is shot on a RED camera setup and is edited on C.K.’s Macbook Pro. That’s amazing considering how other TV shows employ armies just to make sure the credits scroll properly. It’s a different sort of comedy show with no real structure and the only cast member that shows up in every episode is Louie himself. It seems like the sort of show that C.K. wanted to make and would not be able to if he was controlled by network executives trying to squeeze that extra bit out of the ratings.

It’s a weird show and a lot of it is unexpected. There’s segments of Louis C.K.’s standup at a comedy club weaved in between scenes that reflect his life as a comic and as a recently divorced single father of two girls trying to get back into the world. That’s the quiet portion of the show, which actually happens more often than not. Despite the sort of things Louie says about how much being a parent sucks, it is immediately evident how much he loves his children and how hard he’s trying to be a good father. The things the show says are actually quite profound statements about life, love, and happiness but then it reminds us what kind of show this is with fart, penis and butt jokes just when you’re appreciating the warm fuzzies.

The show just feels very authentic and genuine, like you’re observing an actual moment rather than seeing a show on TV. It’s all actually very well done and brings a sort of strange, artsy feel to some of the dirtiest jokes you’ve ever heard. It might make you see some situations (like with mobile phones, for example) in a different light. I know I find myself agreeing with him a lot on a lot of subjects like censorship, violence and human rights. That’s why this is a great show…there’s still tons of laughs but it’s about more than just the comedy.

I’m still not quite sure what the benefits of having a personal landing page are but after seeing a few familiar faces using free services from some specialized personal landing page sites, I decided to make one of my own. If nothing else, it will give me a URL I can put on business cards that I probably won’t need to change and shows my entire presence on the internet. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve handed out cards but had to add “Oh, but my food blog is here.” at foodie events or “But I also write for Canucks Hockey Blog.” at tweetups. Instead, I can just hand them a card that directs to a site where all my online stuff is.

That and I have to admit, I thought up a somewhat clever domain name (edlauis.me) and registered it on a whim. I don’t like using free services since I think that’s like using Blogspot or Blogger or even WordPress to host my blog rather than having my own URL. I also thought it would be fun to learn how to write a website from scratch using lines of HTML and CSS code rather than having it all done for me with WordPress.

What do you think? O

I wanted to write my review of this summer’s Michael Bay blockbuster and the last (I think) of the Michael Bay/Shia The Beef incarnation of the Transformers franchise later…after I had seen it again…as a half-way decent, not-that-shaky camera rip I found on the internet. Let me explain why.

Transformers has a special place in my heart. I loved the toys, I enjoyed the TV shows and generally, I associate it with pleasant parts of my childhood. However, I’ve never really gotten on board with the movies. The first one I sort of enjoyed because it was a Transformers movie but I couldn’t stand the cheesy dialogue. I’ve always thought Michael Bay just states the obvious…and the movie really does with lines like “One must stand and one must fall.” sort of garbage. That’s probably why I hated the second movie so much. While the first movie had cool set pieces, fun action sequences, a little good humor and shots of Megan Fox bending over a Camero, the second was full of stupid one-liners, blatant racism and all the fights were jumbles of scrap metal tumbling too fast for anyone to see.

I had no reason to think Dark of the Moon was any different and it really isn’t but I have to say, I spent the entire movie with my eyes wide open behind two pairs of glasses (the 3D ones, which were Scotch-taped to my own. No, really.) yelling “WOOOOOOWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!” as one of the movie’s thousands of explosions. Honestly, I can’t remember a more spectacular looking movie since I saw Avatar. It was like staring directly into Michael Bay’s head, where I’m sure all of his thought processes have explosions and low sweeping camera angles. This is the sort of movie that Michael Bay makes when he isn’t hindered by silly things like gravity, reality or history books.

But like Avatar, without the visual flash, the movie isn’t a particularly good one. I mean, I haven’t bothered to watch Avatar since the time I saw it in IMAX 3D. There’s really no point since the movie isn’t very good without the effects. It’s like a peacock without the plumage…just not very interesting.

The script is convoluted, confusing, poorly written and the entire first half of the movie is irrelevant by the time the second hour rolls along. Watching it again without the big screen just emphasizes the movie’s flaws. Inevitably, you will come across that moment where you think to yourself “Wait…why didn’t they just ?” or “Oh come on…no one would EVER do !” because there’s no way a logical human being would stand around with her hair blowing in the wind as things blow up around her.

Speaking of which, Rosie Huntington-Whitely replaces Megan Fox in this third film for reasons that I could care less about because it isn’t like Megan Fox brings anything but hotness to the table. It’s hard to complain when the movie begins with what is basically a five minute sequence of Bay’s Victoria’s Secret footage that never made it to the commercials but it’s hard to think of her as anything but eye candy in this film since all of her scenes feel like they should be accompanied with Bay standing over your shoulder, pointing at the screen and yelling “She’s HOT! Look at how HOT she is!” in your ear. No, really…that’s her entire role in Dark of the Moon but that really could be said of all the humans in Transformers who are all rather replaceable, interchangeable and forgettable.

Actually, now that I think about it, most of the robots are insignificant as well. Other than the main players like Optimus, Megatron, Bumblebee, and a few others, most of the rest look the same and unless you’re a huge Transformers nerd fan, you aren’t even going to know their names. Most of the time, I had to lean over and ask my buddy who many of the indistinguishable piles of metal were. “Oh, so that’s Shockwave? Wait…which one is Soundwave, then!?” The original cartoon versions were always very easy to tell who’s who but in this movie and the previous one…why do all the Decepticons look the same?

The real star of the show is Michael Bay, who has someone managed to make a movie I absolutely hate but love at the same time. Seeing this film in the theater was just amazing. The visual effects are incredible and the CG is actually quite seamless when you consider how much of the movie takes place on a motherboard somewhere. However, even the best Michael Bay movie is still a Michael Bay movie. Also, I’m not sure if this was the case in the first two movies but I thought this was a much more violent movie than before. People actually die and the robots fight in a really brutal way, tearing each other’s parts off and spraying blood or motor oil or whatever everywhere. If the Transformers were made of flesh and blood, this would be more like Saw than Transformers.

None of the dialogue makes sense. None of the scenes seem to play out in a logical order. None of the characters are close to believable. You walk out of the theater thinking “THAT LOOKED AWESOME!” but also “…wait, what just happened for damned near 3 hours!?”. Bay’s storytelling is not as much storytelling as it is taking a story and using it as an excuse to make things blow up. Who needs narrative when we have guns, robots and pretty girls, right? Oh, and the ending is one of the worst I’ve seen in movies. I know that sounds harsh but it’s made worse by how abruptly the movie ends. Right then, it will hit you how awful the whole thing really was. Pretty, but awful.

Dark of the Moon is pointless…about as pointless as movies get…but it’s fun. I tried to write this review without saying “…for some reason” but that’s what you’re going to find yourself saying a lot of the time to explain the plot. I actually recommend you watch it but do so in a theater in 3D (the 3D is actually not terrible this time) or on a 60+ inch TV. I can live with it if it’s on a big screen but otherwise, it’s about as pleasant as eating your own hair.

Verdict: 6.5 out of 10