Happy Thanksgiving!

Wrong way to cook a turkey. Plus a fake Oktoberfest. Was hoping to do something with Oktoberfest, but I think it's over already. Oh well. There's something on Granville Island this coming weekend, but it's only beer. Nothing else.

Finally went to the Richmond night market. Today is the last day this year. There weren't many people comparing to all the previous times I've gone. There were even some street parking left. Perhaps it's just the last day, or people have to work tomorrow, or everyone's still on their way back from cross-border shopping, or the $5 parking.

Gotta have some fresh takoyaki. Unfortunately, the one of 3 takoyaki stands I bought from, store the finished products in a warmer until it's sold, and it wasn't as fresh as I hope. The people are real Japanese, though.

And then, rumor has it that the night market gives out gifts to balance the $5 parking fee. Yes it's true, and here it is. A cheap cell phone strap, an ugly logo key chain, and a balloon. There's also a big orange plastic bag with the "Yeah!" logo. Completely useless. Most people discard the bag right away.

I'd say, the $5 parking is robbery. If they feel guilty, they should just lower the fee! A "gift" like this is not sincere at all. Anyone can get it regardless of parking there or not. They had a hard time getting people to line up, though. Out of curiosity, I lined up for a few minutes, and then decided it's a waste of time, and went on with my browsing. By the time I was done, there was no line up and still tones of "gifts".

$5 for parking is not worth it. If I can't find free street parking, I simply won't go. I'm pretty sure that's why attendances dropped drastically this year.

There's something I don't really understand. The organization collects rent from the venders, right? So that should cover the rent of the venue, right? So, does this mean, the parking fee is net profit? And how can they fence off parking area from surrounding malls and collect parking fee? Especially when the stores are closed, do they still need to pay rent? Or do they just "claim" the area? (Sigh... conspiracy mode on.)

Seaweed Wasabi Pretz

Thanks Sora again for this limited edition Pretz. She gave me plenty of warning, but I don't think it's yucky at all. It is true that if you haven't looked at the box first, you might get a somewhat confusing impression. The seaweed is dominant, though. The wasabi is very mild and on a much lower tone. Normally, I'd say it's a little bit over on the salty side. However, with my current salt craving, it tasted alright. This combination works and makes an interesting flavour. But again, it's only my personal opinion.

Hard-baked Pretz

Thanks Sora for a whole bunch of goodies! (^_^) I enjoy them very much!

This hard-baked Pretz is available locally, and has pretty standard buttery flavour. Quite fragrant. However, it's just slightly on the hard side. Some people think hard and brittle = crunchy, but I think crunchy has a lower density and includes some flakiness. Especially with my overly-worked-on teeth. Well, it's all personal preference.

And sorry I've been whining a lot lately. Can't help it. Sigh...

Backyard tomatoes

Pictures taken on Sept 24th. Filed away and forgotten...

Pinkys

Thanks Sora, Andrew, and Steven for the Pinky help! (^_^)

Autism?

Watched Wired Science tonight. There was a segment on facial expression recognition software and Autism. One of the characteristics of Autism patients is, they focus on the mouth instead of eyes during conversations. Thus missing the emotion of other people, which makes an impact on their social skills.

Wait a minute! That's what I've been doing all my life! It's only natural, right? The mouth moves, and you look at what's moving, right? I do admit, I'm somewhat socially challenged. (For those who disagree, You don't see the whole picture.) I always blame it on my English. Or is there actually something else???

Hibernation season?

Just feeling so tired. Like there's no energy. I need more blue sky. This was taken last Thursday. Today was rainy again.

It's October! Yikes!!! The weather's like late November already. So wet and cold. There's still one last weekend for the Richmond night market. I haven't been there this year. Would like to drop by if the weather is nice.