Icing Challenge

Lunch today -> Lucky Dragon Delight Chinese Restaurant
Reza, Carmelo, and I went to the grand opening of Lucky Dragon Delight Chinese Restaurant. It was OK. It was typical Canadian Chinese food.
We ordered 3 dishes:
- Beef with Chinese Greens. The Chinese greens we got were not the kind I expected to get. No garlic in the dish too.
- Curried Chicken. This dish lack more curry flavor. Alot of carrot and celery filler too.
- Chinese Style Canton Chow Mein Speciality Dish. The chow mein was not crispy and lack some seasoning.
We also paid $2 each for a bowl of rice!


^ Lucky Dragon Food.
Overall, I rate the food as below average for the price. The major faux-pas was the use of all the celery as filler!
I might try them again in a month or so, and see if they improve. Right now it doesn't look good for them to expect me as a repeat customer. I would rather drive the extra 5 minutes to go to Rideau Restaurant, for some real Chinese food.

Useless Cake News:
Ed brought me some left over chocolate cake from one of his project celebrations.


^ Chocolate Cake.
Don't know what it was for, but I can't turn down free cake.

Later, there was a special celebration for the whole company with more cake! After most of the people left, we challenged Ethan to eat all the remaining icing from the cake tray for $20 :)


^ Ethan Eating Icing.
There was about a pound of icing on his plate, and he ate the whole thing. I thought for sure he was going to spew after eating all that sugar :)

Useless Softball News:
CMC Strike Fighters beat GDC in our final regular season game. We won 13-11. Our defence was really strong until the last couple of inning where we gave up most of the runs. We almost lost it in the last inning.
I went 0 for 3 with 1 RBI. My worst game of the year.
MVP: Stefano. He shows up right before his 1st atbat and hits a 3 run homer.

Line was Too Long

Lunch today -> T&T Food.
Had to run an errand and T&T was nearby. The line for their combo meal was too long, so I picked up some ready-packed food for lunch today and tomorrow.


^ T&T Chow Mein, Female Capelin, and Fried Squid.
Nothing else going on today.

Too Many Fries

Dinner today -> Steak with Fries and Rice.
I went to "Five Guys Burger and Fries" just to get a Large Fries to go with my steak for dinner.


^ Steak with Fries and Rice.
I got a ton of fries. What you see in the pic doesn't include about 2 more handfuls of fries in the bag!
At the end, I got overwhelmed by the fries and couldn't finish them. My eyes were more hungry than my stomach :)

Useless Idol News:
I got 2 of my AKB48 "Flying Get" CDs in the mail today: Normal Versions Type A and B. The bonus photo from HMV Japan is Yukirin with Mayuyu. I also got the Election Results Mook.


^ AKB48 Stuff.

Twins!

I'm copying Steve and Kurt. I now have twins too :)


^ Twins.
I found these 2 babies after cleaning my fish tank on Saturday. I'm surprised I didn't suck them up with the water change... or maybe they used to be triplets?

Hey Steve... my twins don't wake me up at 3 in the morning :)

Food this weekend ->


^ Ramen with Fish Roll, Fried Crab Cake, and Lettuce.


^ Mushroom Soup Volcano.
The volcano was made from fried rice made with BBQ pork, egg, and mixed veggies.


^ Steak with Tomatoes and Rice.


^ Black Forest Cake.

Useless M:tG News:
Picked up the From the Vault: Legends set from Wizard's Tower. They only got 20 sets of this extremely limited set.


^ From the Vault: Legends.
The collector box is so nice that I'm not sure I even want to take the cards out of the box.

BTW: the new Innistrad Mechanics Rules. Check out the double-faced cards! These cards are going to mess up my booster pack battles.

Beef Rib Fingers

Dinner today -> BBQ Beef Rib Fingers.
I picked up some Beef Rib Fingers from Sobey's on Tuesday after softball. Rib Fingers are the meat cut out from between the ribs. It's like boneless short ribs. I didn't know you can get a cut of meat this way!
I marinated them for 48hrs in Korean BBQ Sauce for Short Ribs.
We BBQed them today at my parent's house with sausages, Chinese eggplant, and mini-burgers.


^ BBQ Food.
The Rib Fingers were really tasty and slightly chewy, but that's how rib meat is and the way I like it :) The 48hr marinating made the meat really savoury and a little sweet too. If you like ribs, I recommend you get some rib fingers.

Useless Idol News:


^ AKB48 "Flying Get" - AKBingo! Version.
FYI: Kasai at the #3 position.

Gigantic Sushi!

Dinner today -> Bacon & Cheese Perogies.


^ Bacon & Cheese Perogies.

Useless Sushi News:
There is a place in Japan where you can order Gigantic Sushi! Watch the 8min news clip about the restaurant.


^ Giganitic Sushi.
That 15,000Yen maki roll is insanely huge and cool. There is so much rice too! How many cups of rice are needed to make these?!?!
(Credit to Japan Probe.)

Wacky Erasers

Lunch today -> Ikea Hotdogs.
I went to Comic Book Shoppe at lunch to pickup my subscription. On the way back I hit Ikea for some hotdogs. Did you know that they increased the price of the hotdogs to 75 cents! 50% increase!


^ Ikea Hotdog wrappers.
I ate the 4 hotdogs on the drive back from Ikea to CMC. Only the wrappers are left to take a picture of.

I picked up some Wacky Packages Erasers from Comic Book Shoppe. I got the rare "Chimps Ahoy!" eraser. I think these would be fun to have for school... or at my desk :)


^ Wacky Erasers.

Useless Softball News:
CMC Strike Fighters had a re-match against Alcatel Anonymous tonight. We won 23-19. The game was closer than it should have been. We took a big lead early, but Alcatel kept inching back into the game.
This was also my worst game in a long while. I only went 2 for 4 with a single and double. I ground out and pop out the other times.

Dinner today -> Spaghetti with Bacon, Garlic, and Mini-Bakchoi.
Mmmm... Bacon. Threw this together after the softball game.


^ Spaghetti with Bacon, Garlic, and Mini-Bakchoi.

Pre-Steamed Gyoza

Went back to Five Guys Burger and Fries for lunch today with James and Ethan. I got a hamburger with everything on it and regular fries. (No pic... forgot my phone)
Today, my burger seemed extra messy as toppings kept oozing out of it :) James somehow got an extra 3rd patty in his burger too?
They also put a ton extra fries in my bag and I couldn't finish them all.

Dinner today -> Pork and Chives Gyoza
I tried out a new brand of Gyoza. They are pre-steamed so they only cook in 4 mins from frozen, but the bottom doesn't brown properly like normal gyoza. Probably because there isn't extra gyoza skin flour on them (cooked off by the pre-steaming). This brand cooks quick, but I'd rather cook the real stuff for the better taste.


^ Pre-steamed Gyoza.

Weekend Report:: Late Night Snack

Ben, Susanna and I went to the Night Market on Friday around 9:30pm. I was way smaller than I thought it would be. We were completely disappointed with the market and the food selection available. We decided not to get anything from the market and go to ChuShing and order from their late night snack menu instead :)
We order alot of snack food from ChuShing:
- Duck and Perserved Egg Congee, Fried Breadsticks, Wonton Soup, Fried Squid, Pan Fried Rice Noodles, Fried Tofu, Greens, and Deep Fried Intestine!
All that only came to $32.


^ Snack Food.

Useless Gaming News:
Ben, Gordon, and I played some Magic, Monoply Deal, and Pandemic on Saturday. We also went to the new Five Guys Burger and Fries in Kanata for dinner. Pretty good burger and fries. There's free peanuts while you wait, and I put the shells in the garbage this time (not on the floor like I did in Connecticut).
I have no pics of any of this :( I was only reminded to take pics by Gordon and the end of the night.
BTW: My new Magic decks kick butt. I agree with Yuko that they are 2 thumbs up.


^ 2 Thumbs Up.

Useless Wrapper News:
I got a few more wrappers...


^ Wrappers.
... and I put them to good use :)


^ Steve's Monitor.

Nasal Spray from 2006

I think I'm catching a summer cold. I had a stuffy nose all day today. I didn't have any Advil Cold medicine with me at work, but I did find a 5yr old expired nasal spray in my desk.


^ Nasal Spray: Aged from 2006.
I wasn't sure if I should still use it or not. I know not to use expired medicine, but this isn't medicine that you ingest. You shoot it up your nose. Does that rule still apply?

Dinner today -> Mini-Hotpot.
I made a mini-hotpot for dinner: slice lamb shoulder, chicken liver, and mini-bok choi. I just ate it infront of the stove.


^ Mini-Hotpot.

Useless Ottawa News:
This Friday from 6pm to 1am and Saturday from noon to 1am, there will be a multi-cultural Night Market held in Chinatown. I think it's suppose to imitate the night markets in Asia.
I'm going to go and tryout some street foods and hopefully there will be a takoyaki vendor? Susanna's going to eat a deep fried tarantula on a stick ;)

On Saturday, starting at 11am, there is a Japanese Summer Festival at Vincent Massey Park. Free Onigiri and other food. Hosted by JETAA.
If anyone is going, let me know if there is any AKB stuff, cool stuff, or takoyaki.

Pitchers Duel

Useless Softball News:
CMC Strike Fighters defeated Alcatel Anonymous, 8-4. Unlike the high scoring game on Monday, it was a pitchers duel today. Tyler started and Mark finished with the save.

MVP: Stefano. He pulled off 2 double plays and was a threat at the plate.

Today I went 2 for 2: Single, Double, and a Walk. I was also left stranded at 2nd base all 3 times. It was partially my fault. I should have set the line-up so it went me, Steve, Stefano. If Stefano hit that third spot, we would have scored more runs.

FYI: We saw Daniel Alfredsson in the parking lot after the game. He was picking up his kids from the soccer field right beside us.

Dinner today -> Rib Steak, Corn on the Cob, Cheese & Garlic Bread, and Lemonade.


^ Rib Steak, Corn on the Cob, Cheese & Garlic Bread, and Lemonade.

#1 vs #2

Dinner today -> Rib Steak and Salad.
FYI: Rib steaks on sale at Farmboy.


^ Rib Steak and Salad.

Useless Idol News:
AKB48's 22nd single "Flying Get" will be released next Tuesday. The top 21 fan voted members will perform in the PV. The PV tells an action story focusing on Maeda (#1) and Yuko (#2). It's like a classic Chinese Kung-Fu movie :)


^ AKB48 - Flying Get.
The full version will 18 mins long.

Genki Desu Ka?

Useless Softball News:
CMC Strike Fighters lost in a slugfest against Chipworks today. We lost 29-25 in 5 innings. If we hadn't given up 10 runs in the 1st inning and another 10 in the 5th we would have easily won. What happened to our D?!?!
Jake and I pulled off a cool pickoff play at third base. I almost beaned the guy in the head during the play, if the runner didn't duck at the last second. But because he ducked, Jake was able to catch the ball and tag him out :)
I went 4 for 4 today: 2 Singles, 2 Doubles, and 4 RBI.

Dinner today -> Beef Chow Mein.
Picked up some beef chow mein from Rideau after the softball game. I think they cooked it in only 3 minutes. It was piping hot too. I burned my tongue on the 1st bite :(


^ Super Fast Beef Chow Mein.

Useless Japan News:
I got my Japanese learning book from Amazon today. It's highly recommended as one of the best Japanese learning books. The workbook that goes with it is backorder for another week.


^ Genki: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese.

Weekend Report:: Lively Blue Crabs

Useless Hockey Pool News:
We finally had the CMC Championship Breakfast this weekend. Of the 8 poolers, only Chuck Norris, Forty2, MinusOne, and myself were able to attend. We went to Summerhays Grill by College Square. It's a pretty nice place and the breakfast is good too.
Too bad no one attempted The Hulk breakfast. I would have, but I normally don't eat or get hungry til around noon.

Food this weekend ->
I got 5 lively blue crabs from T&T. Is $6 for 5 a good price? I should have looked up how to tell the male and female crabs apart before buying them. Only 1 was female :(
In the sink, the crabs were really lively and snapping their claws at me. I dumped some ice cubes on them and their reactions slowed until they didn't even move when I picked them up.


^ Blue Crabs: Alive & Cooked.


^ Blue Crabs: Trophy Heads.


^ Ramen with Korean Ribs, Mini-BakChoi, and Egg Yoke.

Picked up some fresh vegetables from Sobey's and made a Steak Salad. It's so handy to have Sobey's to be just a 2 minute drive away :)


^ Steak Salad.
Lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, and corn slice from the cob topped with rib steak.

I also picked up a little dessert for myself.


^ Personal Size Black Forest Cake.

Useless Transformers News:
Picked up TF: Generations Warpath on the weekend.


^ Warpath.

Happy Birthday Will!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WILL!!!

3 Mythics in 8 Packs

Dinner today -> Pork Ribs.
I marinated some center-cut pork ribs in Korean BBQ short rib sauce over night.


^ Marinated Pork Ribs: Uncooked and Cooked.
They came out really good and super tasty. The only way these ribs would have been better, was if I had marinated the ribs for 48hrs.


^ Korean Pork Ribs with Rice and Tomato.

Useless M:tG News:
James and I played some more M12 booster battles today. The packs are from the same Fat Pack box from last week, where I got the 2 mythic rares. Today, I got another mythic rare in a pack. It was a Grave Titan! That's 3 mythic rares in 8 booster packs! (1 pack still left to open.)


^ Grave Titan.

BTW: M12 Event Decks are out Friday Aug 12.

Won't You Be My Neighbour?

Useless StrikeFighter News:
With Gary and Marc on vacation, I was temporary Captain of the CMC Strike Fighters today. I was all ready to lead the team into battle, wearing my +2 Battle Gloves of Power, but today's softball game vs Pylons was rained out due to lightning. We should have waited it out. I think it stopped raining 10 mins later.

Dinner today -> Ringmaster Whopper from BK.
I tried out the new Ringmaster Whopper from Burger King. It's not that good. The bacon was meh, and I only had 2 onion rings in the burger, both were soggy. I give it a 2 out of 5. The regular Whopper is way better.


^ Ringmaster Whopper.

Useless House News:
My next door neighbour is moving away. Anyone want to live next to the Mighty Fongpay? *CoughGavinCoughEmiCough*


^ Neighbour's House for Sale.
At most, it will sell in 1 week, but I think it'll probably go in 2 days.

Useless Cartoon News:
I got my MASK DVD boxset in the mail. The complete series in a 12 DVD set!


^ MASK DVD Boxset.
Only a few more old cartoons I need to get when they (hopefully) get released: Visionaries, Bionic 6, Godzilla, Transformers: Beast Wars... and probably some others that I don't recall right now.

Peasant Pizza

Another perfectly opened wrapper today :)


^ AKB48xPuccho Wrapper.

Dinner today -> Peasant Pizza with Bacon Strips.
Fresh Peasant Pizza from Sobey's. Simple and cheap. I upgraded it by adding bacon strips and pan toasting it in bacon drippings :)


^ Peasant Pizza with Bacon Strips.

Useless Transformers News:
25 years ago this week, the original Transformers: The Movie was released. It includes the final battle between Optimus Prime and Megatron.


^ Transformers: The Movie - Prime vs Megatron Final.