QIUCK UPDATE

• At GDC in San Francisco!
  
• MICHELLE is on her way down to SF after a harrowing tense adventure!
  
• New TIKI BAR episode just came out HERE!
  
• Lots of San Fran PICS HERE!
  
• Hooking up with BROOKLEY tonight!

More later...

WEEKEND FULL O' BIRTHDAY'S

We celebrated two birthday's this weekend, the first our buddy CLINT and the second, our nephew CHRIS.

On Saturday, we met up with Clint and the crew at Memphis Blues for some Hockey, beer and BBQ which was awesome. Before we all succumbed to meat-infused comas, we headed back to Eric's to party onwards into the wee hours before the last folk remaining ended up in a heated Poker game. PICS

On Sunday, a good chunk of the McKibbon clan hooked up at the Eaglequest Golf Club to have dinner as a family and celebrate Chris' birthday. It was a great time filled with stories and laughter and ended up with most of the boys heading upstairs to hit a few balls on the driving range. PICS

A good birthday-filled weekend to be sure!

TAG!!!

We got tagged...

1. What are your middle names?

Francesco & Darlene Mae

2. How long have you been together?

In April it will be 6 years total, 3 married.

3. How long did you know each other before you started dating?

A couple weeks, it was pretty fast.

4. Who asked whom out?

I called her and she invited me over for hockey & pizza, it went on from there...

5. How old are you?

We are both in our mid thirties

6. Whose siblings do you see the most? 

We "see" my family more often but we "talk" with Michelle's more often

7. Do you have any children together? 

None

8. Pets?

3: Pinchy (cat), Laverne & Carmine (Dogs)

9. Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?

Keeping the house clean, I am awesome at tidying but lousy at cleaning. She's awesome at cleaning but needs help tidying.

10. Did you go to the same school?

Not at all.

11. Are you from the same town?

Both from Vancouver but I was raised in North Van and she was raised in Surrey.

12. Who is smarter? 

She's a scientist, I wear funny hats on the internet... you decide.

13. Who is more sensitive?

She cries at television commercials, I laugh.

14. Where do you eat out most as a couple? 

Sushi or Breakfast on weekends

15. Where is the farthest you have traveled as a couple?

Italy for our Honeymoon but there is the potential for a move to Singapore, so that's pretty far.

16. Who has the craziest exes?

Neither. They are all pretty cool except for "that one"... you know who you are!

17. Who has a worse temper?

Neither really, no need to "Hulk out" for either of us... yet.

18. Who does the cooking? 

Me, I love to cook. She does the baking and rocks at it.

19. Who is more social?

Both but I think she is more likely to hang with friends while I'm more likely to connect with peeps online.

20. Who is the neat freak?

Neither. She's cleaner except for the bedroom, I'm more organized except for every room in the house.

21. Who is more stubborn?

Me. No question.

22. Who hogs the bed?

The dogs.

23. Who wakes up earlier? 

I do. I make coffee, breakfast and lunch while michelle gets ready. Then I get ready for the day.

24. Where was your first date?

The legendary night of Hockey & Pizza at her place.

25. Who has the bigger family? 

Michelle comes from a family of six siblings, hers is giant. I have a lot of relatives in Europe.

26. Do you get flowers often? 

Me? Never but Michelle gets them once in a blue moon when she deserves them :-)

27. How do you spend the holidays?

Relaxing and catching up on life.

28. Who is more jealous?

Michelle.

29. How long did it take to get serious?

Not long at all.

30. Who eats more?

We both enjoy good food.

31. Who does the laundry? 

Both 

32. Who is better with the computer? 

Me but not by much

33. Who drives when you are together?

Me ususally but that's cause she's crazy behind the wheel!!!

TAG... you're it.

SINGAPORE DAY 5

Last night we indulged in the "national dish of Singapore" CHILI CRAB. Now I am not the biggest crab eater, I find them difficult to maneuver, messy and a lot of work for very little payoff but when it's the "national dish", you gotta give it a shot. Boy, am I glad I did, we tried both the CHILI CRAB and the BLACK PEPPER CRAB as well as LONG SCOTTISH CLAM and all the dishes were fantastic. Even Aamir who has had this at other places said it was one of the best he's tried. Yes, they are messy, yes they are hard to maneuver but the flavor makes it all worth it, I will definitely be eating more crab in my life if it tastes like this. If you are ever in Singapore, try LONG BEACH SEAFOOD in Dempsey, you won't be disappointed.

Another tour around the busy city on Saturday night, then back to the hotel for goodbyes and right to bed as I had to be up around 5:30am to get ready for the long adventure home. So here's how it went:

5:30AM - Wake up

6:45AM - Leave Hotel for Airport

7:20AM - Arrive at Airport

7:45AM - Arrive at Cathay Pacific Lounge

9:30AM - Plane leaves for HONG KONG

12:50PM - Arrive in HONG KONG

1:45PM - Arrive in Cathay Pacific Lounge

5:00PM - Plane Leaves for VANCOUVER (SUNDAY PM)

MASSIVE SHIFT IN THE SPACE TIME CONTINUUM WHERE I LOSE 21 HOURS

1:30PM - Arrive in VANCOUVER (SUNDAY PM)

One thing to note, the Singapore airport is a well-run machine, very efficient and very quick. The Hong Kong airport on the other hand is a gong show, disaster area all over but I did manage to find my Johnny Blue for $187CDN and a great perfume for Michelle so it's not a total loss!

This has been one hell of an adventure and the reason for it all, the job interview, I think went quite well. It's a great opportunity but Michelle and I have much to discuss and I still have a few exciting opportunities to explore here and abroad in the next few weeks. Regardless, SINGAPORE was fantastic and I think it will be sooner rather than later when I return, job or not.

To see all of my SINGAPORE pics, click HERE!!!

SINGAPORE DAY 4

So last night we went to an area of town called CLARKE QUAY, it's kinda the hot club/lounge area of town but first we went to a Japanese joint for some eats. The thing about YUMEYA is that it's also a Sake Bar and I'm talking about 300 different kinds of Sake... wow. Now, I'm not the biggest Sake drinker but who am I to argue and believe it or not, this was some of the smoothest Sake I've ever had and have it I did. The food was fantastic as well, they have all the usual japanese fare but two dishes really stood out: the Chicken Karrage was so flavorful and light and the Popcorn Shrimp were actually little fried full shrimp. At first I was like "no way, I can eat the head and legs of a shrimp" but I was wrong, they were so crispy and tasty. We sat outside which was quite cool (thanks to the rain from the afternoon) and watched all the people on Muhammad Sultan Road (awesome name). I met a few of Aamir's co-workers who told me that this was a great area to live in, big places, dog friendly, lots of amenities within walking distance... nice. Good sell job all around!

After dinner we moved to a lounge called THE DOUBLE O which is a pool hall, bar and live music dance joint, I almost got denied since I was wearing shorts but I played the "foreigner" card. Steve however didn't make it as he was wearing shorts and sandals, he had to head back to his hotel to get some shoes. We drank, played pool and hung out for a few hours before calling it a night.

This morning I awoke with a slight hangover but luckily the Canucks were playing at 10am (or Friday night pm for you all) so as I listened to the game online, I got ready and confirmed my flight for tomorrow morning. At noon, I met up with Aamir and finally got to meet his wife Denise in person (she's awesome), we hooked up with some of their friends and went for Dim Sum.

Seven of us went for some of the best Dim Sum I've had in my life at this place called ASIA GRAND and after that monstrous meal (including Chicken Feet & Peking Duck), the walking tour began, we hit BRAS BASAH, THE NATIONAL LIBRARY, ARAB ROAD, PARKVIEW SQUARE, THIEVES MARKET, LITTLE INDIA, THE FINE ARTS SCHOOL and SIM LIM SQUARE. Wow, lots to soak in other than sweat and man was it hot. I was sweatin' to the oldies and a belly full of food didn't help matters much but it was great to see more of the city.

Tonight is my final night of adventure before an early morning flight and the long trek home.

More tomorrow....

SINGAPORE DAY 3

So the jetlag has hit big time and I only slept for 4 hours altogether... wow.

Okay like I said, this is a cool, clean city but I'm starting to notice one thing, it's really expensive. A bottle of Vodka will cost you around 100$S, cars will cost you close to or more than 100,000$S but food is where it's all over the map, you can go super cheap or you can go super pricey but overall it's all good. They have a lot of places to eat, they even have malls dedicated to restaurants. It's nuts. Nobody cooks at home because it is cheaper to eat out!

I think there are triple the amount of restuarants here than in Vancouver, like I said, they have malls filled with restaurants rather than stores and so far all the food has been awesome. Last night my buddy Aamir took me to a place called HOUSE that is a refurbished Army Barracks in DEMPSEY HILL and all the food and booze is served in little tin army cups and bowls, pretty cool and good too. We had the Crispy Beef Salad, Spicy Hasina Prawns & Mango and the Pork Tenderloin and to drink Tiffin Punch (fruit, champagne and Vodka served in four army-style cups). Very tasty.

I spent the morning boarding the MRT (the Sing subway system, clean, fast, efficient) to get lost in the city. I went to see ORCHARD STREET (it's like Robson Street except on crack and gigantic, each block is a different mall filled with shops and restaurants, I'm not kidding - you could spend a month here just shopping, it's the national pastime), then I was on my way to CHINATOWN when the skies darkened and it started to pour... hard. I made it back to my hotel like a drowned rat and will wait out the rain before heading on my next adventure. 

More tomorrow...

SINGAPORE DAY 2

So last night, I met up with Bobby the recruiter and he took me to this place called CHJMES (pronounced "Chimes") which seems to be a massive monastery converted into a collection of restaurants. We ate at the aptly titled CARNIVORE which as you can imagine is a restaurant focused on meat, Brazilian style, it was great. After that we met up for drinks with a couple of Bobby's co-workers for drinks but I was done, the long travel and lack of sleep was catching up with me, so I was done for the night.

And up at 6am, still jet-lagged, but I got ready for my day of interviews with excitement and some nerves. A 20-minute cab ride, 4 hours of interviews and hundreds of questions later, the official part of my trip was done and now, exploring the city it top priority. Why? Cause it's not only the job... it's also the place. Singapore would be a big change for us.

Another plus is that I will be able to hang out with my old friend Aamir who I haven't seen since my days at Mainframe. He's been living and working here for the last four years and he loves it. So much so, he met and married his wife Denise and they have no desire to come back to Canada anytime soon. I will be hanging with Aamir tonight and then for the next two days exploring the city and soaking it all in.

More tomorrow...

SINGAPORE DAY 1

So it's 4pm my time (around 1am Vancouver time) and I am sitting on the 51st floor of the Stamford Hotel in downtown SINGAPORE. From my balcony I can see the Port, the Convention Center, the under construction monstrous Casino and the legendary Raffles Hotel (home of the original "Singapore Sling" cocktail). 

It look 13.5 hours from Vancouver to Hong Kong, then I had a 90 minute layover and another 3.5 hour flight to Singapore. The flights were good, I flew with Cathay Pacific and was fortunate enough to sit in Business Class so I had my own little "seating pod" with retractable seat bed and my own monitor filled with movies & TV shows. I also had kick ass meals, real silverware and non-stop Johnny Walker Gold... booya! Despite the long hours, reasonable seating and booze, I still only slept 3 hours so right now I'm a bit of a zombie but hey, I think I should be good to go for a solid rest tonight.

First impressions of Singapore? Hot, clean and friendly. I walked around the area of my hotel (known as CITY HALL), lots of little shops and cafes and my hotel is connected to a big mall so I explored that as well (and found the Crumpler store right away - awesome). I had a Tikka Chicken Wrap with some Mushroom Soup at one of the street vendors and it was fantastic. I had numerous people tell me that the "street eats" are some of the cheapest and best food in Singapore and they were right. As for the heat, I am a big boy so I sweat like it's going out of style and it's so humid here you feel like you are scuba diving constantly. It's going to be interesting how many times I have to change clothes here just to stay ahead of the sweat-storm. Tonight I am meeting up with some work folk for Dinner before my day of interviews tomorrow. Hopefully I get some further insight into the company and the position as well as some great snaps of the city at night.

More tomorrow...

NEXT STOP: SINGAPORE

Well the search for employment is taking me global as March will see interviews with companies in both North America and Europe but first up, a trip across the globe for a job interview in SINGAPORE!!! My flight leaves tonight (or tomorrow morning) at 3am and I arrive some 20 hours later in 30 degree weather, a far cry from the snowfall today. I will spend 4 full days in Singapore before coming home and I will be snapping pics the entire way. Thursday is my big interview day (Wednesday night for you at home) so wish me luck. 

Now, you are probably asking yourself, "who is he interviewing with"? Well, they will remain nameless so I don't jinx it but the potential position is ripe with possibilities. I am interviewing them and the city as much as they are interviewing me since a move to Singapore for Corsiworld would be a HUGE step. With that in mind, I will try to update this blog daily once I arrive to keep you up to date on my adventure here. 

See you next week. I miss you already Michelle.

VIDEO #1: THE BEASTS

I've been fooling around with iMovie for a couple days and it's brutally simple yet brutally fun! I used some pics of Laverne and Carmine and created this little ditty I call, THE BEASTS! Enjoy!

CIAO FOR NOW FEBRUARY...

A look at the shortest month of the year...

• While searching for work (still don't have a job but I have a lot of good leads), I started fooling around with Web Design and the cool mac tool IWEB'09, check out my in-the-works efforts HERE!!!

• VANCOUVER EATS was busy, reviewing four new restaurants: THOMAS HAAS PATISSERIE-CHOCOLATE & CAFE, SLICKITY JIM'S CHAT N' CHEW, ANDUCCI'S and LUX AT CAPRICE!

• We celebrated the BIRTHDAY of our good friend ALISON!

• Check out my FEBRUARY DVD ROUND-UP reviews at GIO'S ENTERTAINMENT NEWS as well as reviews for FROST/NIXON, FRIDAY THE 13TH and GRAN TORINO!!!

• DINE OUT VANCOUVER 2009 was a huge SUCCESS for us as we loved all four restaurants we hit this year! Awesome!

• Michelle travelled to PRINCE GEORGE for work and found the OBJECT OF HER DESIRE at her blog, RAINY DAY WISHES!

• Anyone interested in trying my TOP 10 SAMMICHES???

• And as always, here's a look at all of our PICS for FEBRUARY!