Virus and jeans

Found a Trojan virus, first time ever. It was on my camera card. Luckily all the drives on the computer scanned OK. I've been super careful when using computer since day one, and (touch wood) have been fine so far. Well, technically speaking, if you don't run that .bak file, it just sits there, so it hasn't really been activated and infecting anything yet.

The only places the camera card has been outside my own system, were Andrew's and Broadway Camera's self-serve digital photo kiosk. So! Looks like that's the culprit! You can get a virus from a photo kiosk?! Yikesssss!!!! Scary!!!!

Actually it was a jeans shopping day but after trying on almost 20 pairs, I gave up. Nothing fits. (T_T)

European Festival

Woke up to no water supply on the day of my first time to this annual(?) European festival in Burnaby. Well it just took longer for me to get going.

First thing that caught my eyes were these huge freaky walking mascots(?). Most of the time they just stood there. When they walk, someone holding a German flag would lead them. Guess they were German.

Performances like singing and dancing were constantly on the center stage. There was this old lady who kept standing up every time I tried to take a picture. Super annoying.

The food was a bit expensive. If they charge $7 admission, the food should be cheaper. $10 a plate of Goulash with only a few pieces of beef was a rip off. Cookies and sweets were tempting. This marange was huge! Light but still very filling.

Besides the usual food and nick-nack vendors, there were tourism(?) booths, children playground, beer garden, etc. The weather was nice, but my car without AC was a sauna. It's always like this in summer. Oh, one last thought: they need more chairs.

Coupon

Michael's seems to be switching from printed flyers to posting online. However, it's not consistent. To be honest, I would never shop there if it isn't for the 40% off coupon. No flyer means no coupon. Online coupons don't work for me because I don't have a printer.

Last week they were giving out coupon books. It's got a bar code and the cashier scanned it while ringing my purchase in. It shows up on the receipt as $0. Hmm... Do they really need to be so anal about keeping track? The coupon book turns out to be useless. There's nothing in there that I want.

Eczema?

The allergy on the corners on my mouth has been bugging me for the past 2, 3 weeks. It comes and goes and itches and flakes and turns red and is super annoying. Has it turn into eczema again? I've been using that prescription ointment from last year. (Oops, almost 2 year to be exact.) Is it still working?

Lindt 99% Cocoa

"Lindt Excellence 99% Cocoa Dark Chocolate". Last time I had 99% chocolate was... hmm, should I say, eye-opening. Didn't think I'd ever eat it again, but the chance had come. I had a slight disagreement with my sister-in-law on whether higher cocoa content would melt easier. Because last time it didn't melt, I was betting it doesn't. To prove my point I bought this Lindt bar and ate it with her, thinking it would be like eating plastic again.

To my surprise, this does melt although not quickly. And it's bitter alright, but doesn't taste like plastic. Not too yummy, but totally palatable. It's even better than 86% of a different brand. That one tastes a bit sour, but this doesn't. Plus you get a very satisfying feeling after eating a small piece. It's truly good stuff.

Costco

Finally! Got the stuff I've been looking for, to send to Japan. Apparently it's only sold in Costco and Walmart. Neither are close to where I live. Booo~

Tools

Gotta drive dad to his doctor's appointment. Might as well get that thing in my stomach checked out. It's looooong over due. Didn't know ultrasound examination needs fasting. Sucks! Oh well...


Dinner at Tim Hortons. Thanks Andrew! Their stuff is actually pretty good. Way better than McDonald's or Burger King or Wendy's. The price isn't that much off either.

What? They tape their garbage can shut? No, I haven't seen the new recycling bins yet.




And... 20 minutes per visit, eh? But, but... I eat too slow! I know, I know, it's just covering their butt. If they're serious about enforcing this, I'd be kicked out long before I finish eating.

Thanks Andrew! Huh...? 4.5 inch diagonal pliers... but, but... isn't this a wire cutter, not pliers??? I'm confused...

Jerico Beach

Sorry I was late... (>_<;)
Interesting car in front of Elysian Coffee on Broadway. Yes, I took one with Pinky, but then the car gets all bury in macro mode.

Jerico Beach... The pirate flag on one of the boats is funny. Seeing a hare was totally unexpected. It was kind of tame too, and took food thrown by a little girl.
The rocket salad at Cactus Club (designed by Rob Fennie) was goooood.

Can't dodge

Hmm... perhaps I managed to dodge the effects of the vampire attack in the past two days, it gets me today. A bit of cold sweat, a bit of weak knees, a bit of cramp. At least I didn't take any pills. But usually I'd be fine by now. Crap... (>_<;)

Locked out again

Yet again, dad locked me out of the house. Sigh...

Appointments x 3

Damn the vampire. It chooses the worst day.

Slightly late for dad's doctor's appointment and we ended up staying there for an hour and a half.
Thanks J for letting me push my chiropractor's appointment an hour early.

Got less than 2 hours before the belated birthday dinner with my sister-in-law. Just enough for Richmond. Diaso still doesn't have the paper lace, though. Grrr...

Babysit

Thought my chiropractor's appointment was today. Wrong! It's tomorrow! Went all the way there only to find the office was closed. Sigh... I'm a moron.

It's my sister-in-law's birthday. Brother wants me to babysit, so they can go see the new Star Trek movie. (Apparently it's good.)

Seaweed Crunch

Soken Natural Seaweed Crunch, It's out of my normal price range so I would have never bought it. Thanks Andrew!

Hmm... identity crisis! It says "product of Japan", but the picture on the bag looks more like Chinese than Japanese. This is basically a western style rice cracker trying to be Japanese, but got lost in the process and became something else, which is neither Japanese nor Chinese.

$3 a 60g bag at Capers, way too expensive. But they only sell organic and "good" stuff. Taste... OK I guess. Since it's supposed to be healthy, there's no MSG or salt. (Salt is listed under part of miso, though.) It's quite plain for someone who's used to the Japanese soy sauce flavored rice cracker like me. The seaweed tastes mild. Seems like taste and unhealthiness are inseparable.

Victoria Day

Last day of long weekend. Doesn't make a big difference for me, though.
Worked all night. Neeeed sleeeep... (T_T)

Spent the whole weekend drawing. The more I look at the picture, the more I dislike it. Hmm... (T_T) This is an entry to a mascot contest, and supposed to help me start drawing again. Yes I managed to pump something out, but... somehow drawing seems to have lost its magic. I guess I can still produce something when necessary. But that's all. At least for the time being.

Apple Kitkat

For every pack sold, 10 yen will be donated towards earthquake recovery effort in Iwate and Miyashiro Provence. Doesn't say if its a limited edition. Nor does it appeal how much real apple juice is used. But the smell of apple is prominent. Tastes fruity, light and pleasant. But the apple flavour is weakened by the chocolate. I'd say, smells like apple, tastes like chocolate mixed with some kind of fruit.

Prima slani stapici

Plain pretzel sticks. Thanks Andrew for this one. It's simple and good. Much better than trying to be fancy. Comparing to those available over here, the texture is lighter, softer, gentler, and the taste is less salty. The ones I've tried have been kind of tough and overly salty. (Yes I agree with you, Andrew.) Most of all, this feels a lot more healthier.

Lavender white chocolate

Meiji Hokaiddo Label winter limited edition. Awww white chocolate again. This time I wanted it. (Thanks Andrew.) Because... I like blueberry. Plus the lavender poked my interested. I've never seen lavender used in chocolate.

Honestly, it's not as good as I hope. The blueberry center does offer a degree of tartness, but doesn't neutralize the sweetness enough. There was something weird... was it the lavender? Hmm... probably. It's not ugly at all, but I think it needs time to get used to.

Calbee Soft Shell Crab...

"Soft Shell Crab flavoured potato chips" to be exact.

I expected it to be fishy, but totally surprised by the lack of it. Instead, it's very sweet. So sweet, it overwrites the taste of potato. Feels heavily seasoned with MSG. Not bad at all, but not outstanding enough for a second bag.

Milka White Chocolate

Thanks Andrew for this one. Yes Milka is a famous brand and their product is excellent. But... but... white chocolate isn't my cup of tea. (However, I'm eating it anyway. By the time this posting is published, the whole bar will be long gone.) In general, white chocolate is all cocoa butter and contains only the fat from cocoa beans. I'm sorry to say, it has none of the beneficial properties of chocolate. Too sweet and milky, this is no exception. However, I'll have to say, white Milka is nicer than, say, white Kitkat (of course).

Baby Star chicken mini

Thanks Kazuyo for this one. You probably won't believe me if I say I've never tried this. My impression of this has been... worse than chips. I expected this to be deep fried, greasy, and gives me a sore throat afterward.

How wrong I've been! This doesn't only taste good, it has no unhealthy feeling like chips! And, finally something salty! Yay~!

Crunky: strawberry

"Condensed milk strawberry Crunky" to be precise. Thanks Kazuyo again! (^_^) After a good experience with the plain Crunky, this strawberry variety is bit harsh. It's too sweet and too milky. Ah right, "condensed milk", of course. I used to like condensed milk as a kid, but somehow changed when I grew up. This chocolate is just too heavy for my liking.

Happy Mother's Day!

Bought mini fruit tarts and dinned out as usual. Nothing special. I offered a trip to Richmond but she wanted to work on the garden instead. Oh well.

Finally, the day has come. I was asked to drive my "Mrs. Always Right" aunt home. It's a bit of a hassle, plus I don't really like her. (Bad me.) Maybe she sensed it, and asked her usual church friend to drive her instead.

Yup, this is what bugs me. She already has a ride set up, but came to me because she doesn't want her church friend to make a special trip before going to work. Seem OK to her if she ask me for the same thing before I go to work? Nice logic, eh? Just because I'm a relative? The reason why she's kind of bossy in my household is because she took care of my mom before she got married. So my mom owes her lots. But hey, I'm not part of the deal.

Italian

Pastry for lunch, pasta for dinner. Too bad the restaurant wasn't that good. But at least we know now.

Classic cars

Dropped by Michael's in North Van after work. Dollar Giant had raised their price from a dollar to $1.25. (T_T) There was some kind of classic cars fan gathering in the parking lot. Plenty of interesting-looking cars with hoods opened. There was even one that looked like model T! Others were rounded, or huge (30's 50's etc). Didn't seem like there was a theme, though. Wish I had more courage to take pictures. (This one was taken from within my car.)

Turns out I have nine 40% off Michale's coupons for next week (from trying to use up coupons this week). Don't think I can use them all.

New office

My chiropractor moved to a new office. It's street level. For the past 20 years he's been on the 3rd floor of an office building. The new place is way bigger and nicer. It will be prime property when the new sky train opens. The rent is about the same as the old place. Wow.
Sakura in my area are almost all gone...

Flower pot etc

(Image has nothing to do with subject.)
Story told by mom again. After she swept the bathroom floor, dad saw that it was wet and didn't go in. Instead, he pee into one of mom's empty flower pots, then emptied it into the laundry room sink. Yes he rinsed it, but still super gross. Sigh... yet another story I didn't want to know or hear about.

Besides that, mom asked him to fetch some corn starch from the basement and top off the container in the kitchen. He did it with water chestnut powder instead. The packages are so different, there is no way to mix them up. Did he forget which one mom said? But that seasoning container has never held anything else but corn starch. Mom tried to salvage the water chestnut powder and made some water chestnut dessert (just in time for some kind of birthday gathering at the church). But of course the dessert failed.

My aunt dropped off a load of my late uncle's old clothes. Whatever fits went to my brother and his gang. The rest, donation box. Dad was trying things out too. With his z= 2x belly there's no way anything could fit. (My uncle was slim.) Observation made by my sister-in-law: dad kept trying on stuff that he had already tried on. So, did he really want to get some of those old clothes, or just his hording nature, or did he simply couldn't remember which one he had tried on?

Wind storm

Apparently the wind storm last night was strong enough to cause power outage in some area, but it wasn't that bad near where I live. However, most of the sakura are blown away. Oh well there's next year.

Crunky

Huh? Can this be considered Engrish? Anyway, thanks Kazuyo for this one! Yes, it became breakfast and (sometimes) lunch during my trip. And yes I brought the empty box all the way home just for this picture. The idea is like Nestle Crunch, with embedded rice puffs in milk chocolate. The difference is the size of the puffs. Japaneses style seems to call for more details and favors smaller puffs. I'd say for crunchiness, Nestle Crunch wins. However, Crunky is not bad at all. There was a third kind from eastern Europe that has way larger rice puffs, which is even less crunchy. Have I done a review...? Probably not...

BBQ

Was going to have a sakura picnic with my anime friends, but got a late notice that an ex-colleague came back from HK for a visit, and he was hosting a huge BBQ. This is a rare chance to see a bunch of ex-colleagues. So the day was spited between the two groups. Too bad I didn't get to eat any of the BBQ. Forgot the name of the vegetarian restaurant where we had dinner, but it was a pretty niffy place. Sakura? Too bad they were almost all gone and we didn't have a real picnic.

Sablefish

The sablefish dish at Cactus Club by Rob Feenie was the best fish dish I've ever had!

Beef noodles

Since mom asked, I drove them to dad's eye appointment. (And lost one day of work as a result, though.) Just like last time, we ate lunch at the beef noodle place downstairs from the clinic.