CORSIWORLD: LIVE FROM SINGAPORE

LAS D&D 2011

2011-12-19T02:58:00.000-08:00

Another year, another Christmas party but this one was different... this one was amazing. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from the LUCASFILM SINGAPORE 2011 DINNER & DANCE other than a few cocktails and some well-dressed work mates and I got that, with a whole lot more.

The party took place on the 63rd floor of the Altitude Building in downtown Singapore (much higher than the Marina Bay Sands Hotel/Casino) and on this semi-clear night we were treated to a Lunar Eclipse (awesome)! Everyone looked fantastic, especially Michelle, and an extremely good time was had by all! Thanks for another amazing year LAS and thanks for the great holiday party!!!

Pics of the event can be seen HERE!!!

VICTOR & AMANDA TIE THE KNOT

2011-11-23T03:03:00.001-08:00

11/11/11... to some it's Remembrance Day, a time to acknowledge the memories of those brave men and women who fought for our countries, for others it's just a day off of work (if you live in Canada) but for my brother Victor and his blushing bride Amanda, it was their WEDDING DAY. Despite the cool clouds outside, it was all warm smiles inside the Community Center at Olympic Village as the bridge and groom said their "I do's" surrounded by 100+ family and friends. Michelle and I made it out from Singapore and I am glad that we did, so we could be part of this festive event but don't take my word for it, see the pics HERE. Congrats and much love to you both!

NOTE - More pics to be added in December once we download them from Michelle's camera!

HALLOWEEN 2011

2011-10-28T23:59:00.000-07:00

One of our most favorite times of year has arrived, HALLOWEEN and this year the work party promised to be a doozy! The theme of the event was "Comic Book Superhero & Villains" and I think that Corsiworld represented well! Michelle went retro as the blue and silver pin-up gal COSMIC GIRL, while I took a popular hero and put him in the seventies with SATURDAY NIGHT THOR. A good time was had by all and some of the costumes were absolutely amazing! Check out the pics HERE!!!

SEPTEMBER 2011

2011-10-01T19:07:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a busy month!!! Our Sixth Wedding Anniversary, my Birthday, the Chilli Challenge, Aamir's Fried Chicken, F1 Singapore, Oktoberfest... the list goes on and one but you can see it all for yourself through our pictures HERE!

SIX YEARS STRONG!

2011-09-16T19:17:00.000-07:00

September 17th marks our SIX YEAR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY and I am happy to say that life is grand. We are spending the day with a few cool activities: An introductory course in Muay Thai Kickboxing, a 7km+ walk along East Coast Park and dinner tonight at one of our favorite places, Mario Batali's Mozza. Great way to spend this great day with the greatest gal in the world. Happy Anniversary Michelle, I love you!

A MONTH OF VANCITY & SAN FRAN

2011-09-02T23:47:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a while since we've updated the blog and here's the reason why... we've been away for almost five weeks. A little over two weeks in our hometown of VANCOUVER and then two more weeks in SAN FRANCISCO. It was a blend of vacation and work but overall it was a lot of fun. Judge for yourself, Vancouver pics HERE and San Francisco pics HERE!

THE MOTHER OF ALL BRISKETS

2011-07-27T18:46:00.000-07:00

I didn't need to go to church to see "the light", I didn't need a near-death experience to see God, no, all I need was a little BBQ and thanks to my buddy Roman, he delivered with THE MOTHER OF ALL BRISKETS!!!

Roman runs a site called THE BIG GREEN ASIAN EGG which is basically a blog of all his attempts at BBQ'ing various things on his Egg BBQ. Last week, I mentioned to him that we should do a Brisket and last night Roman delivered. I wont repeat the amazing, time consuming process he went through to create this taste sensation but you can read about it HERE, it's an epic take of patience, ingredients and meat.

I do love me some BBQ and as most of you know, I am a true carnivore, so I was excited for this brisket. The meat was juicy, sliced like butter, melted in your mouth and the cornucopia of flavors was to die for. Bravo Roman, you hit a home run with the Mother of All Briskets and our stomachs thank you for it!!!

24 HOURS IN MELAKA/MALACCA

2011-07-25T07:51:00.000-07:00

Despite over 2 years of living and loving in Singapore, neither of us have ever crossed the closest border to our neighboring country, Malaysia. We rectified that this weekend as just a few hours by car is an oasis called MELAKA (or Malacca depending who you talk to), a mix of Asian, Portuguese and Dutch influences, this tiny little town is a food Mecca.

We arrived just after noon which turns out to be hotter than ever, seriously, I know I complain about the heat in Singapore but imagine it hotter and take away the humidity, man, that's hot! We were staying just off of Jonker Street which seems to be the foody cultural area of town, rows and rows of gift shops, bakeries, food stalls and art houses. There's the odd restaurant, hotel, bar and massage shop as well but the real draw seems to be the "street food" - Chendol (Icy dessert with coconut, palm sugar, pandan & red bean) and Chicken Rice Balls (the best flavors of Haianese Chicken Rice rolled up into a perfect bite sized ball). Wherever both of these are served, there is always a que, all day long. We ate at the famous Nancy's Kitchen for some down home Peranekan food, walked up and down Jonker then I went for a nap while the girls got a foot massage. We met up for a drink in the late afternoon and let me tell you, nothing beats a G&T when you are overheating, take note!

At night, the cars are pulled off the road, tables & chairs come out and an impossibly busy street becomes even busier as Jonker Street is turned into a walking market filled with even more toys, trinkets, flavors and smells. I think the highlight for me was seeing the massive stage which seemed to be reserved for dressed up ladies to sing Karaoke in front of hundreds of people. I knew Karaoke was popular but not that popular! After trying a bunch of new foods (DingDing Candy - named after the sound the chisel makes as the baker breaks it apart, yes, its that hard & sticky too) and juices (thick Honey Lime juice - its good for alcohol... Alcohol what I ask?) we retired to the room.

The next morning we woke early and had a great breakfast at the hotel. I should stop here and throw in a great recommendation for our accommodations, The Hotel Courtyard @ Heeren, friendly staff, beautiful rooms, best shower in any hotel I've ever stayed at in all of Asia, ever and reasonable rates, plus it's a two minute walk to the middle of all the action on Jonker Street! I highly recommend this hotel! Anyway, we took a tour of all the historical sites around the center of Melaka including Christ Church, the ruins of St. Paul's, up the rotating tower for a birds eye view of the city, the riverside and then back to Jonker for some lunch.

Afterwards, we checked out of the hotel, the ladies grabbed another foot massage and I came to a roadside bar to write this blog entry, enjoy a beverage and soak in the last few minutes of Jonker street before heading back to Singapore. Melaka is a cool town, lots to see and lots to eat, it is extremely busy with tourists especially on the weekend but of you can survive that, then Melaka is definitely worth checking out. There are cool sites, cool ruins, great people watching and amazing food, an added plus, everything is way cheaper than it is in Singapore, so huzzah!!! A big thanks to our friend Cheng for taking us out this weekend, it was a great adventure and you can see our pics HERE!

SUMMER PARTY TIME

2011-07-16T22:54:00.000-07:00

It's our third summer in Singapore and that means it's time for the annual LAS SUMMER PARTY. Once again we invaded the shores of Sentosa Island for an afternoon of fun at the fabled Cafe Del Mar. The afternoon started with Summer Olympics, which were fun despite the fact that we had the smallest team and came in dead last (it was fixed!!!). Then a few of the staff got DJ'ing, the food was served and what a surprise, virtually everyone was thrown into the pool at some point. A good time was had by all and despite and the sand, sun and libations, we managed to snap a few PICS! Enjoy!

S'FUNNY...

2011-07-14T01:03:00.001-07:00

JUNE 2011

2011-07-06T01:06:00.000-07:00

Hell of a month! Despite the mightiness of my playoff beard, the Canucks lost to the Bruins in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup, sad. Otherwise there was good times, good friends and good food o' plenty in the month of June. Check out the pics HERE!!!

CANADA DAY SING STYLE

2011-07-01T22:29:00.001-07:00

July 1st marks the birthday of our home and native land, so to celebrate CANADA DAY in our adopted home of Singapore, Michelle and I threw a BBQ party! We invited a few Canadians as well as a few of our closest friends and everyone decided to bring some amazing food as well.

Michelle and I stocked up on Clamato so we could start the evening off right with some Bloody Caesars, then will grilled up some Hot Wings on the Q. Brett brought some Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins and Roman made some BBQ Baby Back Ribs. James & Vic showed up with a special little gift for me, a can of Granville Island Honey Lager which I happily downed to show my Canadian pride! Kelly showed up with a Monster Mixed Salad, Chris & Star came with even more Ribs, Singapore Slow Cooked Ribs - yum and we threw some Chorizo Sausages (not really Canadian but they are a crowd pleaser) onto the grill for good measure as well as making a Canada Salad (Red for Tomatoes, White for Feta). Bobby came with a surprise for the entire party, a cooler filled with Canadian Moosehead Beer, now I know what you are thinking, Moosehead? Trust me, it's liquid gold here in Southeast Asia since you cant get any kind of Canadian Beer anywhere, but Bobby found a source and we all reaped the rewards. For Dessert, Cheng made her famous Maple Syrup Pie, Carin made Apple Tartine and Michelle knocked it outta the park with Vanilla Strawberry Cupcakes and her first attempt at Nanaimo Bars. Since the Bars were all gone in under a minute and she didn't even get one, I think they were a hit!

We BBQ'ed for the majority of the night, argued Hockey, drank cold beer and sang the national anthem. It was a multicultural night but for a few hours we were all happily Canadian and that's what it's all about. Happy Canada Day everyone!!!

CROSS ONE OFF THE BUCKET LIST

2011-06-27T01:57:00.001-07:00

"Everyday you make an impact on the world, it is your choice what that impact is"

-- Dr Jane. Goodall

Michelle had one of those memorable weekends as she got to see lectures not once, but twice, by one of her long time heroes: DR. JANE GOODALL! Dr. Goodall who many of us would know from National Geographic and her amazing work with Chimpanzees was in Singapore this past weekend for a number of appearances and lectures around town. Michelle managed to see her twice as well as watch a new documentary, Jane's Journey, about her life and career. I tagged along on Sunday to hear her speak and I must admit, she was pretty mesmerizing. The fact that she is 76, travels 300 days a year, is part of a massive volunteer movement that reaches all corners of the globe, that's just the tip of the iceberg. I'm glad we got to see her in person, hear her wisdom and Michelle was able to meet one of her heroes in person. Very cool indeed!!!

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ART STILL RULES!

2011-06-21T20:45:00.000-07:00

Last night, we were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to view the classic adventure film, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK on the big screen. I am happy to say that one of my all time favorite films ever, still hods up 30 years later. I wish more people had the chance to see this amazing movie in theaters today because the old saying is true, "they don't make them like they used to". The acting, the story, the stunts, the action - it all holds up and the scene where Indy chases down the Nazi Truck Convey via horseback still remains my all-time favorite action sequence ever! It looks and sounds so awesome on the big screen! Happy 30th Anniversary Indy, you truly are a cinematic Icon even more so today!!!

THE MIGHTY BEARD

2011-06-17T01:43:00.000-07:00

Click on the link to view the RISE AND FALL OF MY 2011 NHL PLAYOFF BEARD! Until next season when the beard reappears! Go Canucks Go!

HEARTBREAKER

2011-06-15T22:56:00.000-07:00

On the day before the VANCOUVER CANUCKS played Game #7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, I wrote the following on my Facebook page...

For us in Singapore, it's the morning before the big game, the final battle for the Stanley Cup and for me, I've been waiting 17 years for this moment. While I've always followed the Canucks (thanks Dad), I really got into Hockey when the boys made their famous run in the 90's and lost to the Rangers. From that moment on I was hooked and for 17 years, I've been following faithfully - the end of the Bure era, the mess of Messier, the return of Linden, the debacle of Cloutier, the brief appearance of Esa Tikkanen, the maroon jerseys, the disappointing appearance of Mats Sundin, the rise of the Sedins. I've supported it, I've lived it and I've loved it and now we are all 24 hours away from what is sure to be an epic game, win or lose, I am glad I stayed a fan.

Win or lose, I am still a Canuck.

Win or lose I will be there next season!

Win or lose, ah fuck it, win it all boys! WIN IT ALL!!!

Go Canucks go!

Then Game #7 happened and I was heartbroken. An amazing season with broken records, trophies won and sights set high all brought down like a tumbling house of cards in one game... the most important game. It's a tough loss, made even tougher because we were outplayed and out-goaltended from beginning to end, Canucks lost 4-0. It's the most bitter pill to swallow.

It was a fantastic season overall but a disappointing end. I am still a diehard fan and I will follow faithfully next year. You did me proud Canucks, I just wish the result of the final game could have been different. Go Canucks go!

RETURN TO BALI

2011-06-07T21:54:00.000-07:00

On a whim, we decided to go back to BALI. This would be our fourth visit to the little Indonesia paradise (see previous visits: HERE, HERE and HERE) and this time we decided to stay in the little artistic mecca of UBUD. One difference, we decided to splurge a bit and stay and a somewhat "nice" place called The Mansion Resort & Spa which was actually just outside of Ubud.

We arrived 90 minutes late due to a delay in our flight (side note: Air Asia does not serve booze and their seats are tight - boo). Luckily our Hotel pickup was still there waiting for us and we took the 60 minute drive to Ubud in good spirits chatting with our Driver. We arrived at the Mansion and it was beautiful, an old mansion retrofitted into a hotel with three pools, villas, restaurants and spanning grounds. Michelle had secretly upgraded us to a Villa (off season promotion - stay 3+ nights, upgrade to a Villa for free) which was awesome but when we got to the room we were greeted with an open air bathroom (minus 1 point for Gryffindor) and a big spider on the wall (minus 2 points - Gryffindor out). Needless to say, while we ate a late dinner in the restaurant, the staff moved us to a different room (again ground floor but enclosed bathrooms and only one massive cockroach that Michelle valiantly fought to the death). With that, we tucked in for the night.

For our first full day, we decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and explore Ubud as I had only seen it once on our first visit to Bali for 45 minutes or so. After breakfast, we took the complimentary shuttle into town and started walking the busy streets of Ubud. Now don't get me wrong, I like Ubud but people call it "the Artistic Capital of Bali" when really it should be called "The Tourist Trap of Bali"! While there are cool temples, bars and restaurants and some unique pieces of arts, 60% of the entire town is all selling the same paintings or sculptures in the same style of storefront, it's still beautiful but its a disappointing observation nonetheless. We walked, drank and ate our way through Ubud until the late afternoon. We then shuttled back to the hotel, had a dip in the pool, Michelle had a foot massage and then we taxied back into town.

It was time to cross off one of my Bucket List goals by eating crispy duck at most famous restaurant in Bali, the DIRTY DUCK DINER. Basically, you get a half duck crisped up and served with a variety of sauces, it's a bit weird having an half carcass on your plate but trust me, it was delicious! A Bucket List Success! Afterwards we headed to the Laughing Buddha Bar to hear some great Salsa Music and chat with some travelers from the Netherlands. A great night!

The next day was for Balinese touring and that meant, we were hooking up with Meta. Now Meta is a tour guide that Michelle met when she went to Bali with Chad. They met up again when Michelle returned to Bali with Michelle Dall and because of all the good times, Meta and Michelle have become friends. She's a sweet Balinese girl whose studying Hospitality and getting in with one of the big hotels on the island but in the meantime she works for her father's tour company. Meta and her dad (who doesn't speak a lick of English) picked us up at 10am and we were off to three big destinations: Coffee Plantation, Lunch at the Volcano and the enormous Mother Temple.

We are both fans of Balinese Coffee and no trip to Bali is complete without a stop at one of the many Coffee Plantations. They are a bit touristy but its still cool to sit down, try a bunch of different coffees and enjoy the scenery. Our favorite is the Ginger Coffee and yes, I have tried Luwak Coffee or as it is commonly known as "the weasel poo coffee"... very earthy. Next stop was Mount Batur, one of two major Volcanoes on Bali. There is a string of restaurants on a hill that overlooks the valley of lava devastation and the Volcano itself, again touristy and the food is only so-so but the scenery is epic.

Final stop was the immense and beautiful Mother Temple, a grand and ornate structure of worship that goes up a hill, meaning there's lots of stairs. You have to wear a sarong to enter (no showing leg skin dont' wanna offend the gods) and its a solid 15 minute walk up various stairs and hills to get to the top. Once there, it's awesome... that is until I saw the friggin' huge spiders that are everywhere. These were honestly the biggest spiders I have ever seen outside of captivity (bodies of small lighters and legs as thick and long as toothpicks). Needless to say I got cold and sweaty right away (I am an arachnophobe) and immediately made my way back down to the bottom but ofcourse all I could see was tons more spiders. After that, it was the long ride back home. Once back at the Mansion, we settled in for a long massage at the spa and a quiet dinner at the hotel.

We woke up, packed, ate breakfast and then Meta picked us up to take us to the airport. All in all, it was the perfect relaxing weekend. We had great weather, we got massages, we ate great food (I tried Tempeh for the first time and loved it) and we got to see an Indonesian Band play amazing Salsa music! On the downside, I finally saw my first real big tropical spider but I wont let that ruin the positives of our trip, Bali was great and you can view our pics HERE!!!

MAY 2011

2011-06-01T21:42:00.000-07:00

Not a lot of pictures this month due to hectic work schedules but still managed to snap a few here and there, mainly with the iPhone. John's going away shindig, dinners with friends, work and the playoff beard pretty much sum up the month of MAY. The big focus for us has been the Canucks Playoffs run and prepping for our Bali weekend in early June. Anyways enjoy the goodness HERE!

CANUCKS BEAT SHARKS

2011-05-25T01:46:00.000-07:00

THAT MEANS WE ARE GOING TO THE STANLEY CUP FINALS!!! WOO HOO!!! GO CANUCKS GO!

2 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

2011-05-17T16:12:00.000-07:00

Today is May 18th... two years ago today I officially started work for Lucasfilm Singapore! That means that we have been in SINGAPORE for just over two years. Wow. Two years. We've met some great people, we've seen some great countries and we are both working at jobs we are being challenged at! Time flies when you are having fun!

I included the picture above as it was taken at one of our first group dinners during our first week in Singapore, wow.... two years.

APRIL 2011

2011-05-05T05:16:00.000-07:00

What a whirlwind month! It started with a short trip to San Francisco/Vancouver, then back to Singapore for the groundbreaking of the new LucasFilm Building, Birthday shenanigans for both John & Michelle and finally, departures of our good friends John & Lisa. Check out all the pics that are fit to print HERE!!!

GOODBYE JOHN & LISA

2011-05-01T01:33:00.000-07:00

It's a sad, sad start to the month of May for Corsiworld as some of our closest friends here in Singapore, JOHN & LISA, are leaving for good to start a new chapter in New Zealand. For the last two years, John & Lisa have been our "partners in crime" on many an adventure here in Singapore including trips around the region (Macau & Krabi), new restaurants (Mimigar & Em Cafe) and new bars (Coffee Bar K & Orihara Shouten) but that's all coming to an end. Lisa got an amazing job opportunity in her home country so after five years in Singapore, they decided to head out to the land of Kiwis. Lisa is already there as she had to start right away but John left today and it was really sad.

John has been my Video Game buddy as well as one of the few folks in town who would watch bad zombie movies with me and now that's come to an end. This last weekend has been melancholy for all of us, it has been since Lisa left but it really hit home today. Our friends are leaving, they aren't just a call away, they are off on a new adventure and as happy as we are, we are equally sad. Good luck in New Zealand JOHN & LISA, we shall miss you and cannot wait to see you again.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHELLE!!!

2011-04-26T18:10:00.001-07:00

'Tis a glorious day today as it is the day of birth of my lovely wife MICHELLE! I've said it before and I'll say it again, she's the greatest part of my world and I love her so very much! I hope she has a fantastic day celebrating. All the best baby, I love you!!!

9 DAYS IN NORTH AMERICA

2011-04-14T02:43:00.000-07:00

I came to SAN FRANCISCO for a week of work (which went well by the by) and decided to take the brief opportunity to head to VANCOUVER for the weekend. You see, it's my dad's birthday this coming weekend so I thought it would be a nice surprise to pop in unexpectedly and wish pop an early birthday. It went perfectly, Lesley picked me up at the Airport, Victor had my dad at the pub, I walked in, tapped him on the shoulder and "surprise"!!! It was a great week at work, a fantastic weekend with the Family and a whirlwind of pictures for one of my shortest trips yet for work from Singapore. Check out the pics HERE!!!

CARMINE & LAVERNE

2011-04-10T15:59:00.000-07:00

Just had to post this pic of the beasts during my whirlwind visit to Vancouver. Say hello to CARMINE & LAVERNE, they are doing fantastic!!!

MARCH 2011

2011-04-05T10:05:00.000-07:00

Another busy, footloose and fancy-free month. We started off with a weekend in Thailand, many many dinners out, a Site Blessing ceremony for the new building, Rango, goodbye events for John & Lisa and ofcourse Earth Hour. Oodles and oodles of PICS to capture these memories as well! What will April bring? Looking forward to finding out!!!

EARTH HOUR 2011

2011-03-28T07:55:00.000-07:00

So Michelle took part in her first official WWF event, EARTH HOUR 2011. Singapore did it big by having an event at Marina Bay with bands, booths and a 3.5km walk around the Marina during the actual hour where the lights were off. While the downtown core shut off about 40% of their lights (a little disappointing - especially the Sands Resort that didn't seem to turn off anything), about 3000 supporters took part in the walk. What's extra cool is that the WWF team were expecting about 1500 but one day before the event, the website got hammered with signups, so much so, they had to shut the site down. Michelle was running the Registration Booth with about 12 ass kicking Volunteers and they were busy for the entire night. Overall, it was a successful event, a well run event and a good time was had by all at Earth Hour Singapore.

BLESS THIS GROUND

2011-03-25T21:32:00.001-07:00

As a manager for my team, I was lucky enough to be invited to the blessing of the site that will eventually house the new LUCASFILM SINGAPORE building. The small band of rebels, err, managers, gathered for a Feng Shui blessing at 9:28am exactly (if we missed it, we would have to reschedule) as that was an optimum time to bless the ground. We read a blessing, made some offerings and buried a small wooden box, housing the elements and topped with a dragon protector. It was a cool ceremony and I am happy that I was part of it. Next month, we have the official Groundbreaking, so stay tuned for that!

BACK TO KRABI

2011-03-10T03:22:00.000-08:00

It's the new year and we decided to visit one of our favourite places from 2010, AO NANG: KRABI but this time we went with our friends John & Lisa. One quick 90-minute flight, a 30-minute taxi to Ao Nang and voila, we were at the hotel and walking through the sunny streets of Thailand. This trip consisted of two major events: A Curry Cooking Course at the Krabi Cookery School & the Hong Island Speedboat Tour.

The cooking course (a fantastic belated Christmas present to us from J&L) was a four hour affair where we learned how to make 4 curries from scratch: Red, Green, Yellow & Panaeng. We also learned Tom Ka Kai Soup, Pad Thai, Morning Glory, Papaya Salad and Stir-fried Peppercorn Chicken. The chef teaching the class, Mrs. Ya, was wonderful and entertaining for the entire afternoon and it was a blast. We learned a lot and more importantly cooked a lot and then ate it all. It was a great memory and we will definitely use some of those recipes we tried.

The next day, we took part in a speedboat tour that took us around a number of the tiny little paradise-like islands around Krabi and it ended with a few hours at the large Hong Island. There we swam, scuba'ed, ate lunch and I fell asleep in the sand - yes it was that relaxing. While it is High Season and there are tons and tons of tourists doing the same type of tour as us making all of the islands a little crowded, it's still cool to see all those limestone formations and walk along the white sandy beaches or swim in that aqua blue water, it's beautiful.

Finally, Michelle crossed off a goal from her "bucket list" by getting an official Thai tattoo done in the traditional bamboo style. She decided to "put a bird on it" by getting five birds flying around her forearm to her wrist but instead of having it done by the gun, she got it done with the sharp bamboo stick. Mr. Tattoo (yes, that's his name), said it wouldn't hurt as much as the gun but he was a charlatan as it hurt more. Luckily it's much faster than the gun, it heals faster as well and bottom line, it looks fantastic.

After all that, we spent the rest of the time sunbathing, swimming, looking at the shops, drinking G&T's, playing pool and ofcourse indulging in that amazing Thai food. I would heartily recommend a great restaurant called The Massaman (located at 382/2-3 Ao Nang Muang 81000: that's on the main road that McDonalds & Starbucks is on a few minutes up from those shops), it's cheap, friendly and the food is fantastic. If you only eat one thing, try the namesake, the Chicken Massaman Curry, it's kind of like a Thai version of mexican mole and well worth a visit.

Overall it was a fantastic weekend and even though it was our second time here, I can totally see us going back for a third visit, yes, it's that good. Check out our pics HERE!!!

FEBRUARY 2011

2011-03-03T17:22:00.001-08:00

What a month!!! Chinese New Year! Valentine's Day! Singaporean Basketball! BBQ's! Rock Band Parties! Art Museums! Out-of-Town Guests! Steamboats! It goes on and on!!! For the shortest month of the year we sure packed in a lot of FUN!!!

THE ULTIMATE SLIDER

2011-03-01T15:20:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we had a BBQ and came up with THE ULTIMATE SLIDER!!! A Pork & Beef Burger spiced up Mexican Style, covered with cheese, served on a homemade Jalapeno Cornbread muffin with some mustard, lettuce, red onion & tomato.... that's good BBQ!!!

THE 2011 ACADEMY AWARDS

2011-02-27T20:43:00.000-08:00

So here's my thoughts on tonight's ACADEMY AWARDS:

BEST PICTURE: The King's Speech

Although I don't agree with the new 10-picture nominee system for Best Picture, I am glad that King's Speech won. It's a great intimate film that focuses on the relationship of two different men amidst the backdrop of royal politics and WWI. See it if you haven't yet, it's magnificent!

BEST DIRECTOR: Tom Hooper for The King's Speech

Great film but not an astounding achievement in direction in my opinion as the acting and writing really make the film for me. In my opinion, Fincher got robbed!!!

BEST ACTRESS: Natalie Portman for Black Swan

Agreed, she was awesome, fragile, violent and haunted all at once!!!

BEST ACTOR: Colin Firth for The King's Speech

Well, well deserved. Firth knocked it out of the park in this role. Fantastic!

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Melissa Leo for The Fighter

Can take or leave this one. Leo was good but not as memorable as Bale and his performance.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christian Bale for The Fighter

Agreed, Batman was amazing in this part. One of the strongest performances all around this year!

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: David Seidler for The King's Speech

Agreed, this was a fantastic script that focused on the relationship between two very different men from different worlds.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Aaron Sorkin for The Social Network

Well deserved, this is a fantastic film with deep characters and riveting dialogue. I never thought I could enjoy a movie about Facebook but I was wrong plus Sorkin is a proven writer (The West Wing, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Sports Night)

BEST ANIMATED PICTURE: Toy Story 3

Wow, this must be the political win of the evening as How To Train Your Dragon is clearly the more original and far superior film over this cashgrab threequel!

BEST FX: Inception

Agreed, any awards this film picks up are worth it!

BEST SOUND: Inception

Agreed, any awards this film picks up are worth it!

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Wally Pfister for Inception

Agreed, any awards this film picks up are worth it!

BEST ART DIRECTION: Alice in Wonderland

A beautiful looking film indeed! Rich in color but dark in tone, it's like Tim Burton's mind exploded and the Art Team put back together the pieces to create this world.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN: Alice in Wonderland

See above. Very cool costumes and reimaginings of those classic characters!!!

BEST MAKE-UP: The Wolfman

Say what you will about the overall film, the practical Wolfman make-up were dynamic and frightening. Award well deserved.

There you have it, I can't comment on the job Franco & Hathaway did as co-hosts as my Oscar experience was based on updating IMDb in Singapore from time to time rather than being at Wally & Geo's house in Vancouver for an Oscar Party. Until next year...

DREAM JOB PART 2

2011-02-25T18:51:00.001-08:00

While it has been well documented that I am living the dream by working for Lucasfilm, Michelle has finally been given the opportunity to live one of her dreams as well. A few weeks ago Michelle started a full-time 5-month contract with WWF SINGAPORE. No, not the wrestling federation but the World Wildlife Fund. As a Project Coordinator for this International Team she will focus on Outreach on a bunch of different topics including sustainable seafood and saving the Sharks (it's shocking how many are left to die simply for the fins to be part of Shark Fin Soup - yes, sharks are endangered). I'm super happy for Michelle as this new job is challenging and exciting and now it's true when we say "we are living the dream"!!! Congrats Michelle and save those sharks!!!!

SPRING CLEANING

2011-02-23T21:24:00.001-08:00

Chinese New Year has come and gone but with that, I've given the Blog a new paint job for the new Lunar Year. Same great CORSIWORLD taste but with an all-new package...

BATALI TIME

2011-02-22T05:16:00.000-08:00

I was excited when Singapore opened a Vegas-style Casino with the Marina Bay Sands. I was really excited when word came that some "Celebrity Chefs" would open restaurants at said Casino. Then, I became super excited when I found out that one of those restaurants would be MARIO BATALI'S MOZZA. I've been a fan of this Iron Chef since I tried his eateries in Vegas at the Venetian but I never tried his legendary Pizza. So when Mozza opened, we checked it out, dined like gods and loved every bite of it. Me thinks that the Batali name would be very popular in Singapore!

A few weeks later, we were eating Valentines Dinner at the DB Bistro Moderne (which was great as well) and as we walked out, lo and behold, there's the man himself, Mario Batali, talking on the phone. Turns out, he was in town for the week to check out his new place, he was extremely pleasant, we chatted about Vancouver and Singapore and then I was lucky enough to grab a quick pic. Michelle got to meet him as well but before a second pic could be snapped, he was off! At least we got to meet one one of our favorite chefs in person, a great way to end Valentines Day! Thanks Mario Batali!!!

RUN TO THE HILLS!!!!

2011-02-19T03:46:00.000-08:00

Since 1975, the Heavy Metal band known as IRON MAIDEN has been rocking stages all over the world and in 2011, I finally got the chance to see them live! I've been a fan of Maiden ever since I heard their single 2 Minutes to Midnight off their fifth album Powerslave in 1984 (thanks to Michael Arnold for introducing me). I then went on to hear some other works by the crew including their '82 album The Number of the Beast and one of my all-time favorite Maiden tracks, Run to the Hills.

You see, I was a little chubby rocker back in the day as I was a fan of bands like Van Halen (still am), Kiss & Motley Crue and I considered Iron Maiden the last member of my "Metal Fearsome Foursome". I've seen both Kiss and Crue live once, Halen live three times and now I can add Maiden to that list. My fearsome foursome is complete.

So anyway, Maiden is on "The Final Frontier" tour promoting their grammy winning album and they came to the Singapore Indoor Stadium which was completely sold out. Guess what, they were awesome! They kicked ass and the crowd loved them, for 120-minutes of old and new metal. They have definitely aged but they are still rocking out and lead singer Bruce Dickinson can still belt out the hits including 2 minutes to Midnight but not Run to the Hills (I guess he cant hit those high notes anymore).

This little metal head finally got to see some childhood favorites live and I for one am extremely happy I got that chance. They lived up to the hype and they gave it their all and yes, I would gladly see them again!

THE LOVE OF LAGNAA

2011-02-12T18:01:00.000-08:00

As you faithful Blog readers are fully aware by now, Michelle and I love good food. We love to read about it, we love to cook it and we love to try out new restaurants in whatever city we are hanging our hat in. But whenever we find a really good one, we make sure to become repeat customers and whenever we find one that we truly love, we make it our second home.

Such is the case with LAGNAA BAREFOOT DINING. Now, this name should not be a mystery to you if you've seen our photos or have come to hang out with us here in Singapore, you've most likely seen pics from our adventures or had the pleasure to dine there. Michelle and our friend Brett stumbled upon this place in 2009, when they were showing my parents around Singapore and we've been going back since! Lagnaa is an Indian restaurant like no other, it's located in the aptly named Little India district on Upper Dickson Road, nestled between a bunch of historic buildings with extremely subtle signage, so blink and you'll miss it. When you walk in, you are greeted by bright yellow walls adorned with the comments of happy customers past singing their praises about the amazing food, the amazing service and the amazing memories they had. The bottom floor is mainly comprised of the kitchen and a handful of tables with a trophy wall of survivors from their monthly "Chili Challenge" (more on that later), while the other wall is decorated with pictures of happy customers and signage promoting all their activities and there are a lot of them. Upstairs is the namesake of the eatery, barefoot dining. Shoes off before going up the stairs and there you will find a relaxing room in muted tones with low tables where everyone sits on cushions on the hardwood floor. It's casual, pleasant and all around relaxing.

What makes this place work is the staff, it's a small core crew of familiar and friendly faces that do all of the hosting, cooking, serving and cleaning (They share all the duties). SHANTI and KUMARI, the two ever-pleasant hostesses and ofcourse the energetic Head Chef and owner of the place KAESAVAN (known as K7). These three not only make each experience at Lagnaa memorable, they have also become friends of ours here in Singapore. They are always open to letting you ask questions, share a joke and sometimes they will even take you into the kitchen to experience the heat of the tandoor oven. They treat their establishment like their home and they treat their friends like family.

Like I said, the family at Lagnaa is more than just about serving food, they offer a whole host of other experiences as well:

THE FULL MOON PARTY & CHILLI CHALLENGE: A monthly party where K7 cooks up some amazingly spicy Masala and a friendly competition is held to see who can eat the spiciest dish. Put it this way, there are 10 levels of heat, no one has done level ten, only one person has done level nine and only five people have done level eight. I am personally a level seven and don't know if I can go any higher but that doesn't mean I won't give it a shot one day - it tastes that good.
MENU TASTINGS: Each month, Lagnaa does specials and in an attempt to find out which special dishes are worthy of going on the menu, they hold a tasting night. Regular customers are informed of the date and time and the first 10 people to respond to the call are invited to the tasting. Each chef comes up with a few dishes, the customers taste each one, votes are tallied and the winning dishes make the cut. The chefs love it, the customers love and in the end, our bellies love it.
SLAVE LABOUR: Volunteer for a few hours of service at the restaurant and be rewarded with a great meal - seems fair to me! Michelle has done this and loved it, she got to hang with the staff, serve some tables and indulge in some tasty food.
COOKING CLASSES: Every few weeks a cooking class is held where K7 teaches the secrets behind his awesome food. We've done this before and will definitely do it again!

Which brings me to the real reason we frequent Lagnaa so much, the food. Spellbinding!!! The Indian dishes that K7 and his team come up with is just astounding. Traditional delicacies with a hint of flair, modern takes on classics and just some really fresh, really flavourful comfort food. We always try something off of the specials menu but then we always order our favorites as well: Cranberry Naan, Chili Cheese Naan, Dahl Makhani, Prawns Goa, Butter Paneer, Fish Curry, Aloo Gobi, Mutton Masala - the list goes on and on and no matter how many times we dine there, each time we taste it, it tastes absolutely fantastic.

So thanks Lagnaa, thanks for the continued hospitality, thanks for making us welcome, thanks for feeding us with hearty goodness and thanks for the memories old and new. See you again soon!

LAGNAA BAREFOOT DINING

No. 6 Upper Dickson Road

Little India, Singapore, 207466

+65 6296 1215

JANUARY 2011

2011-02-02T20:03:00.000-08:00

After our trips to Vancouver and San Francisco, we settled back into life in Singapore with our friends. Good food, good times and ofcourse lots of memories. In January, we found a kick ass BBQ place (finally as it only took 1.8 years) called Smokey's. Brett celebrated a birthday with a visit from his mom and a great homemade Southern-style Breakfast. John & Lisa moved into their new place on the 43rd floor! We tried out Mario Batali's new place Mozza at the Casino! Stuart held a Scotch Tasting and we ended the month with a great night of Rock Band.

All in all, a strong end to the month that started on the other side of the planet! Enjoy the pics HERE!

THAILAND BOOKED!!!

2011-02-01T16:39:00.000-08:00

We are going back to KRABI for a weekend in March! Why?

1) Good deals on flights

2) Michelle really wants to go rockclimbing

3) Relaxation

4) The food

There are other countries to explore and other parts of Thailand to see but when you find a good deal, you take it and thus we did! See you in a few weeks Krabi!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAVERNE!

2011-01-28T16:05:00.000-08:00

The Super Potato! The Princess! The baby Girl! The littlest Verny!

Our Boston Terrier (and Carmine's older half-sister) LAVERNE turns 4 today and we miss her so much its palpable. She joined us in Deep Cove and East Van and is now hanging out with my parents and Carmine while we continue our Singaporean adventure which is great! But one day, we will be reunited and we look very forward to that day.

I love hanging out with Laverne, she's probably the best snuggler on the planet, she's got attitude (the Daycare used to call her "the cruise director" as she used to get all the dogs going), she's sensative but also a dirty fighter when she plays tough with Carmine, Baxter (Schwartz's pup) or Bozlee (Chad's boston and Laverne's full brother) as she always goes for the feet or the collar. She smart, knows all her commands, walks without a leash and to me she has the cutest face in the world!

Happiest birthday Laverne, we miss you so and look forward to seeing both you and Carmine again soon!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARMINE!

2011-01-21T06:55:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that our little man is three years old already... three!!! I still remember him as a puppy afraid to go down the stairs because they were too big, or chewing a hole in the middle of our couch, not the side, the actual middle of the couch. He's not the smartest dog in the world but his bat ears and googly eyes make up for almost any trouble he causes. We miss him so, so much but know in our hearts that he is well taken care of and well loved by my parents. Still, three years goes by pretty fast, even faster when half of that time has been separated from him. Alas we will see him again soon on our next visit but until then, happy Birthday CARMINE!!!

STAY CLASSY SAN FRANCISCO!

2011-01-16T22:17:00.000-08:00

And just like that, a 13-day work trip in SAN FRANCISCO has come to an end. The only difference with this one was that Michelle joined me for the last 5 days of the trip, which in fact were the last five days of our month long stint out of Singapore. Time to go back to reality.

San Francisco is a great city, it's filled with amazing Architecture, colourful people and rummies o'plenty that will happily sing you a tune, even if you don't want one. For the most part, there was sun and blue sky most days with only one or two cloudy/foggy ones and one day of rain. One of the biggest memories will be experiencing my first earthquake (a small but noticeable 4.1 - see entry below) as well as watching Michelle dance it up on Kinect Dance Central, always a treat when Michelle plays Video Games!

The work portion of the trip was great, a strong way to kick off the year to be sure! It was also a great time in the city: drinking Demurara Dry Floats at SMUGGLER'S COVE, Caliente Deep Dish Pizza at PATXI'S, exploring the city, dinner at MISSION BEACH CAFE, OPUS ONE Napa Valley Wine Tours, SAN RAFAEL FARMER'S MARKET, shopping with Victoria and last night chilling with Adam & Jen. Michelle and I got to see a lot of the city as well as spend time with a lot of our San Francisco friends and our Vancouver friend Victoria who came down to SF to spend some time with us which was just awesome! Thanks for the good times Matt, Kim, Adam, Jen, Ellie, Matt, Julie, Devin, Beth, Jason, Zack, Kara, EJ, Sue & Jen Tiki.

A great trip to be sure but don't take my word for it, check out the pics HERE!!!

QUAKE!!!

2011-01-07T21:47:00.000-08:00

This afternoon, around 4:15pm, the Bay Area experienced an EARTHQUAKE that measured 4.1 on the Richter Scale. This is the first time I've been in an earthquake and while it was "cool" it was very, very weird. I was sitting at my computer when I heard a dull rumble and my chair slightly shook. I thought, "man that's a big truck going by" but then I realized that my office is nowhere near a road so I wouldn't feel a truck going by. Then the rumbling got louder and I felt the building shift slightly, it felt like I was dizzy or drunk but then so was the ground I was sitting on. Very weird feeling. I got up and then realized that people were pouring out of there offices talking about an "earthquake" and sure enough a few minutes later reports came in that a 4.1 magnitude earthquake had occurred. Wow...

It lasted only seconds but it felt a lot longer and as excited as I was this afternoon to actually be in an earthquake, I dread the thought of being in a larger one. If buildings moved that much in a 4.1, how much would they move in "the big one". Whoa!

HELLO 2011, BACK TO REALITY

2011-01-04T10:21:00.000-08:00

It's January 4th and I am packing up to head to the airport so I can go to San Francisco and back to work... back to reality. Michelle will remain in Vancouver for another week, then join me in SF on the 12th, we then fly back to Singapore together on the 17th.

My 18 day adventure in Vancouver has come to an end and the old saying is true, time does fly when you are having fun. It was great to spend Christmas with all the family, both Michelle's, mine and the crew from Portland. Great to see old friends, great to go to a live Canucks game again (thanks Michelle) and ofcourse it was great to spend time with the puppies. I was amazed at how cold it was here and how truly acclimatized I have become to the weather in Singapore. I was amazed at how pricy the HST is and how cheap groceries are here compared to Spore. It felt great to drive again but I was shocked at how expensive taxis are here. But all good things must come to an end and it's time to go back to work. When will we be back? Who knows, only time will tell.

Thanks for the memories VANCOUVER, you stay classy!!!

Pics of the holiday HERE!!!

HANGING WITH MY BOYS

2010-12-29T17:44:00.001-08:00

My buddy Jeff cut together this little piece from the night we went out with "the old crew", good times! Thanks Jeff!!

Vancouver Xmas 2010 from JackMac on Vimeo.

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

2010-12-21T02:15:00.001-08:00

With LAVERNE & CARMINE and life is good!!!

THE 2010 LAS D&D

2010-12-14T19:30:00.001-08:00

The 2010 LUCASFILM DINNER & DANCE was another resounding success. Our holiday party this year was held at the fantastic One On The Bund @ Fullerton Bay Hotel, it's an old Ferry Terminal that has been restored into the lobby/restaurant of this new hotel. It's beautiful. The theme this year was "Asian Historical" so there were loads of people dressed in traditional outfits and some ceremonial ones as well. We decided to be a bit different, Michelle went for a 30's inspired retro look while I went for the classic all-white with a few modern accents. Regardless, it was a fun night filled with good times and a great way to cap of the work year in Singapore.

Here are some pics from the D&D!!!

MICHELLE'S 2010 ITALIAN ADVENTURE

2010-12-11T00:18:00.000-08:00

This fall Michelle went to the home country, not her official one but definitely her adopted one... ITALY!

She joined the Corsis (Mario, Gina, Antonio, Edith and my sister Marisa) for a 17 day adventure through seven different Italian cities: OSTIA, ROME, MAENZA, FLORENCE, VENICE, SIENA & SAN GIMIGNANO.

Ofcourse it was an amazing time to be sure and here are some of the PICTURES to prove it!

Viva Italia!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AAMIR & BARBARA

2010-11-30T02:06:00.000-08:00

This time last year, we were in Vietnam for the weekend but this year, things are different. This past weekend we celebrated the birthdays of two dear friends AAMIR & BARBARA. What made the day even more special is that our friend JBROWN was visiting us from Vancouver for the weekend and Aamir, Barb, Jbrown & myself used to work together at Mainframe Entertainment.

So first off we went for the Singaporean Tradition of Champagne Brunch. Basically, all the hotels in Singapore offer a All you can eat/drink buffet and you just have to find the one that appeals to you the most. We chose the GREENHOUSE @ RITZ CARTON. It was my second Champagne Brunch and it was just just as good this time around, fresh Seafood, Wygu Beef, Ham, Turkey, Pasta Bar, Salad Bar, Sushi Bar, Cheese Bar, Bread Bar, Dessert Bar and Alcohol Bar. I highly recommend it.

Afterwards, we all went to the MARINA BAY SANDS CASINO and in a strange turn of events, we all ended up winning at the Roulette Table (except for Barb) which is rare cause usually it's only Aamir or John, this time it was Aamir, John, Kelly, Jbrown and myself. With our winnings burning a hole in our pockets, we headed up to the top floor of the Hotel and its new fancy schmanzy sky bar, CU DE TA for some afternoon bevvies. It was a great way to end a spectacular birthday with friends.

You can check out the pics HERE!!!

THANKSGIVING: SINGAPORE STYLE

2010-11-27T18:07:00.000-08:00

It was American THANKSGIVING this weekend and although I am Canadian and most of the nationalities at our office are scattered across the globe, a few work folk decided to get-together to celebrate Turkey Day. It was a great lunch filled with three Turkeys, Honey Ham, Lamb, Ribs, Roasted Veggies, Stuffing, Pasta Salad & Dessert. While it may not have been Family Thanksgiving at home, it was still nice to have a holiday feast with my new Friends in Singapore. I am definitely thankful for that! Happy US Thanksgiving all!

Pics from the lunch HERE!!!

THE 43 FEZ

2010-11-15T15:05:00.000-08:00

Sweet Fancy Moses! I got myself a 43 FEZ from the makers of the best fez (fezes? fezi?) in the whole wide world FEZ-O-RAMA! That's right, the guys who created my amazing fez for Mr. Ambassador on TIKI BAR TV, have done me a solid and created an extra special 43 Fez for me to wear proudly in Singapore. The Fez-O-Rama team make a special custom fez each week and for their 43rd entry they made me a 43 fez, I feel honored! Here's the write-up:

Behold the amazing power of 43, a number near and dear to the creators and cast of TIKI BAR TV. Long before Doctor Tiki & Johnny Johnny set sail on the SS Tiki, they along with Mr. Ambassador were part of an improv troupe called 43 LBS. OF WASTED SPACE. These experiences were a grand precursor to the current misadventures of Tiki Bar Crew and they have a fondness for the 43. Now you too can bask in the awesomeness of the 43 and be part of numerical history… be part of tiki history or just be that guy with a 43 on his Fez!

So when we go back to Vancouver at Xmas, I will have this 43 Fez as well as a new Mr. Ambassador Fez ready to come back to Singapore with us so I can introduce these fine folks to the powers of the fez. It's going to be great! Thanks Fez-O-Rama for the awesomeness!!!

OCTOBER 2010

2010-11-05T09:31:00.000-07:00

Work parties, Whiskey tastings, a trip to San Francisco, friends birthdays, light festivals, a game release & Halloween... it's been a busy, busy OCTOBER!

THE FORCE UNLEASHED II

2010-10-27T03:01:00.001-07:00

IT'S OUT!!!

iLIGHT FESTIVAL

2010-10-24T16:33:00.000-07:00

We took the opportunity of a lazy sunday to enjoy some of the culture of our adopted city and walked the iLIGHT FESTIVAL, Asia's first Sustainable Light Art Festival around Marina Bay. There are 26 pieces of illuminated artwork placed all around the Marina from the Casino, to the Esplanade, to the Fullerton, to the Promenade and around back to Bay Sands Resort. Altogether it's a 3.5km walk around the bay looking at cool art. The exhibit is free, the lights are on from 7:30-midnight and the whole shebang runs until 7:30, check it out for yourself or you can see our pics HERE!

5 DAYS IN SAN FRANCISCO

2010-10-18T03:46:00.000-07:00

Just took a quick trip to SAN FRANCISCO for a week of work-meetings. Good stuff work wise, lousy time sleep wise as I never quite cracked the jetlag aspect of the flight this time around. I left sleepier than when I arrived and to top it all off, I did not manage to squeeze a trip back to Vancouver. I did however get to see some friends, meet some Tiki Bar TV peeps and eat some In N' Out. I will be back in January for two weeks after a Christmas visit home in Vancouver, so until then... you stay classy San Francisco.

TASMANIAN WHISKEY TASTING

2010-10-02T20:12:00.000-07:00

On Friday night, we went for dinner with our friends Barb & Brett to one of our new favorite places in town CUGINI TRATTORIA. It's an Italian joint on Club Street that is run by two Italian Brothers (one cooks, the other is on the floor - sounds familiar) and it excels in great pizza (thin crust, savory sauce, fresh cheeses etc) and out-of-this-world pasta (the best I've found in Singapore so far). After talking to the waiter, we discovered that a lot of the great flavors like pancetta are imported from Italy directly, hence the great tastes in all the dishes. It's a tiny joint that looks like it might have one time been a Greek Restaurant (all blue & white) but the staff are friendly and the food is worth the repeat visits.

After a fantastic dinner, we walked down the street to check out this place called W WINE BAR for a nightcap but when we came through the door, we walked into a WHISKEY TASTING. Now, I loves me some whiskey and Michelle immediately started talking to the host Mark who was from Tasmania and here to share his wealth of knowledge and smokey flavored whiskies from the regions distilleries. It was great and what was even better was that it was "free"! That's right, a free tasting to promote Mark's Whiskies, the W Bar and Maison De Whiskey in Robertson Quay (a great place to buy Booze). We topped it off with some Cigars and a wee little hangover the next day but it was worth it. A great night with friends, food and fine, fine Whiskies. Great night!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIO!!!!!

2010-09-22T18:12:00.000-07:00

Mr Corsiworld is another year older, er I mean finer and more distinguished!!

My main man, my partner in crime, my love and my world.

Happiest Birthday!!

AO NANG/KRABI

2010-09-21T03:41:00.000-07:00

So as Corsiworld hit the momentous Fifth Anniversary in the Business of Marriage, we decided to do something special and spend the weekend away from home, more specifically, in KRABI, THAILAND. Wow, what a place. Krabi is the Thailand you imagine Thailand to look like when you picture Thailand in your head if that makes sense. The town is surrounded by amazingly shaped limestone mountains, the water is crystal green (thanks to said limestone), the people are uber-friendly and the food is sensational.

We arrived on Friday the 17th to AO NANG and our Hotel, the Somkiet Buri Resort, where we were greeted by a huge room with Rose petals strewn about the bed and in the bath (An Anniversary gift from the hotel). This place is pretty cool, located in town rather than at the beach and nestled in a tropical section away from the main drag, you hear more insects and birds than sounds of civilization. The whole resort is filled with lagoons and wooden walkways that take you all around and you walk up the long driveway to get back to the main road and the town.

We dropped off the bags and walked down to the beach (only 10 minutes from the hotel) to grab some lunch (Pad Thai, Tom Yum Soup & Thai Beef Salad), and explore a bit of the shops. It's low season in Thailand so the town was pretty quiet which suited us just fine, they still have the usual salesmen, mainly Tailors wanting to make you a suit but you are not fighting throngs of people to move about! We grabbed a massage, caught the sunset, walked to the other side of town, had dinner (Massaman Curry) then went to the bars to drink and play some pool. A nice intro to Ao Nang!

Day two was "tourist day", we were picked up at 8:30am for the JAMES BOND ISLAND SIGHTSEEING TOUR, yes! I was about to cross something off my personal Bucket List by visiting the famous island from the James Bond Flick, The Man With The Golden Gun and I was excited! We took a 90-minute Busride to the other side of Thailand (well that's what it felt like) and got onto a longboat with 5 other tourists (a nice small crew) at Phang Nga Bay where we sailed for 30 Minutes to Khao Phing Kan and the reason for our trip, the James Bond Island. Obviously the entire sequence wasn't filmed here (not enough land to build a secret lair for the worlds top assassin) but you recognize the place instantly. It was busy but not crazy busy so we were able to explore and snap pics for about 40 minutes before heading off.

Next we said through the Lod Cave, a crazy cool limestone mountain filled with stalagmites and stalactites. We then stopped for a nice little Thai lunch at Panyee Island, a giant floating Muslim Fishing Village that plays hosts to tourists like us daily. As lunch was wrapping up and we were exploring the village, a bad rainstorm rolled in and as we passed some amazing Viking Pictographs we goat soaked. Rather than wait it out or turn back, we boated straight into the onslaught and within minutes we were drenched but as soon as it started it was done and a light drizzle accompanied us back to the pier. From there we bussed to the Suwakuha Temple to see the Monkeys, explore the cave and see the giant 2000-year old reclining buddha. The big caves were actually the best part for me, as they were truly amazing, it made me want to explore more caves if I ever get the chance. Lastly we drove to a nearby Waterfall for a little dip before another 90-minute trip back to the hotel. An amazing tour day to be sure!!!

We got back to the hotel at 6:30 and immediately got some dinner at the Food Carts conveniently located across the street from our Hotel. Now, I know what you are thinking... "street carts? Are you serious?" Yes, yes I am! These street carts (think mobile woks on motorbikes where the sidecars are usually placed) sell everything from Curries, to Soups to Skewers to salads and beyond. There are eight carts that start cooking around 11am and close during the wee hours of the morning, cooking fresh food constantly. Our meals usually consisted of a combination of Green Curry w/ Chicken, Spicy Basil Fried Beef, Roasted Corn on the Cob, Pad Thai, Banana Pancakes and what I called Muslim Fried Chicken (the best tasting Fried Chicken I've ever had... ever) but seriously that was only scratching the surface of what was available. The crazy thing is that not only were all these meals delicious, they are insanely cheap! If we ordered one of everything I listed here at once it would cost 180Baht, that's less than $8 Sing, that's less than $6 Canadian. Take a tip from me true believers, if you are in Thailand and see a Cart that lots of people are eating at... eat there, it's good and both your wallet and your tummy will be happy.

After that meal in particular, it was back for another massage at the same place (yes they were good, yes they were cheap and yes I fell asleep during them. Michelle was practically floating after her foot massage she liked it so much), we then headed back to the bars for more pool and people watching.

Day three was all about the Rancho Relaxo. Up at 9:00 for breakfast, at the pool by 9:30. The best part of coming to Thailand during the low season is that it means there is very little occupancy at the hotel as well, so for us it meant that we had the pool to ourselves for 90% of the day, awesome! We grabbed some lunch at the Street Carts at noon, back at the pool by 12:30pm, back to the room at 4:30 to shower and change before heading to the beach to capture the sunset on film. Now I've seen sunsets and I've seen sunsets but I was stunned silent and the colors and beauty of these sunsets. I truly felt like I was witnessing burning skies with reds so deep and oranges so vivid I could not turn away, they were truly awe-inspiring! We then got some dinner and for our final night, another round of Bars in Ao Nang. Really, there's not much else to do in Thailand at night other than eat, drink, play pool and get hit on by Beer Girls and Ladyboys.

Day four, we woke up, had breakfast, walked to the far end of Ao Nang Beach and back, had a coffee by the seaside (where I finally got some WiFi), went back to the Hotel, packed, checked out, had lunch and then headed to the airport for the afternoon flight home. Word of advice, if you are flying Tiger Air (one of the budget airlines around SE Asia) pay to sit in Row 1. Not only do you get extra legroom but you get priority boarding to boot as sitting in Row 1 means you have to help out in case of emergency, worth the extra few bucks in my opinion.

All in all it was a fantastic weekend in Thailand and a fantastic way to celebrate and remember our Fifth Anniversary and here are the PICS to prove it! We will definitely be going back to Ao Nang/Krabi in the new year!

FIVE YEARS!!!

2010-09-16T17:16:00.000-07:00

Woo Hoo, it's a milestone! Five years married, 8 years together! In modern relationships we're considered "old-timers" but it doesn't feel like that, every day is still fresh and exciting. She's the most beautiful, most important and most amazing person in my life. She challenges me, she encourages me, she supports me like no other. She's a fantastic travel companion, a adventurous foodie and to her, family is just as important as it is to me. I love my life with Michelle and I can't imagine life without her, sappy but true, she is my world and it's a great world to live in.

Happy 5th Anniversary baby, here's to another year of pure amazing adventure! I love you!

OAKLEY AWESOMENESS

2010-09-12T17:02:00.000-07:00

THE 2006 DUCATI OAKLEY SUNGLASSES

Back in 2006 while we were visiting Las Vegas with Chad & Lorissa, I decided to splurge and buy myself a pair of Oakley Sunglasses. Not just any pair mind you, a pair of the DUCATI OAKLEY SUNGLASSES that I found at the Monte Carlo for $250 US (and that was at 40% off). I loved these glasses and wore them everywhere which was a far cry from my usual sunglass standard of $10 for a decent gas station pair of shades.

OUR NEW GLASSES PURCHASED IN VEGAS

Anyway, while in Singapore I realized that four years of constant wear and globetrotting tear have taken a toll on my favorite pair of sunglasses! The lenses were scratched to hell, the Oakley symbol chipped and the ear-stoppers worn, cracked and faded. I loved these glasses so much I didn't want to give them up so I took them to my favorite Eyewear Shop in Singapore called SEEN.

Seen is on Dempsey Hill and it was the place that fitted me with my first pair of Eyeglasses, which for the record were also Oakleys as well as my second pair of sunglasses which again are Oakleys (see a pattern forming).I walked in asking for some new lenses to be put in and they said "give us two weeks and we'll see what we can do but it will be no more than $160S"

Fast forward to six days later and they told me the glasses were ready. So I came in to find the shock of my life. As these were the 2006 model, they no longer make these exact type of Ducati Oakleys, so what they did do is take the current model and re-form them to match my model, then they added brand new lenses and the same model of red ear stoppers (as the current models are black), they also gave me additional ear-stoppers. So basically, they created a brand new pair of 2006 Ducati Oakleys for $160S (that's $120USD). Seriously, that's customer service my friends, I get a new pair of Oakleys, my favorite Oakleys and they are 50% cheaper than what they were four years ago.

Sweet fancy Moses!!!

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

2010-09-09T16:29:00.000-07:00

That's right! Flights are booked and Corsiworld is coming back to Vancouver for two weeks at Christmas!!! We are very excited to see our friends, family and puppies together! So book the parties, break out the eggnogg and let's have some fun!!! See you December 17th @ 2:45pm!

SARAH PALIN BACKLASH

2010-09-03T03:39:00.000-07:00

There was a recent article in Vanity Fair about Republican SARAH PALIN that did not paint her in the best light shall we say (read the article HERE). Anyway, reading the comments about the article have proven to be where the real gold is found. We can't figure out if this guy is real or just having a laugh, either way, it's hilarious:

"True Americans take note! This is perexactly an example of what Sarah Palin likes to say when she tries to means by the lame-stream media. You progressive democrats like you are just progresive media’s trying to show us good american’s conservetives how uppidty smart you all are with your ivy leage educations. Is it really an wonder that real Americans have been opened there eyes and see the light that America is finally begnning to becomeing 100 cents all-republican/tea-party world. Trying to find a smart-aleck democtatic socialist is a-like trying find butter in a haystack. It is unpossible. You democratic socialist types try to show how smart you are with your educations and your fast trucks. And quite calling Sarah Palin names like QUITTER. Sarah Palin quit mayor job career as head ruler of Alaska because you elites made it unpossible for her to do a job. She had to quit so she could spend all of her rest of her time with Todd and baby Trip and those other kids. Plus she had to do some tv shows for Fox News and make books. How many of you lame-stream elites have made books and been on tv shows. None, that’s how many. Now leave Sarah palin alone so she can spend all of her time with with family unit. Your are just scared of Srah Palin because she is going to be president in two years and you cant handle the truth. Go Sarah! She's so pretty."

Go Sarah indeed! That's the comment, spelling & structure mistakes and all! The real fear is that despite all the negative stories surrounding Palin, she is gaining popularity and could potentially be a candidate for the Presidency! Even bad press is good press it seems for the ex-Governor of Alaska. Wow...

CANADIAN BEEF & BEER IN SINGAPORE

2010-08-31T04:19:00.000-07:00

Woo hoo and it isn't even Christmas!!!

Last night, Michelle and I attended a little gathering called the END OF SUMMER PARTY for the CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF SINGAPORE at the home of the Canadian Consulate. It was pretty cool. While Michelle was searching online she found out about the Association and saw that this meet n' greet party for Canadians was happening and signed us up! She managed to snag the last two tickets and we thought "hey, why not! Let's go meet some other Canadians while we are here in Singapore".

I'm glad we went. First off, the house (located close to Dempsey Hill) is breathtaking, huge and amazing. Second, we walked up and were greeted by two massive BBQ's by the front door (now that's Canadian). We were fashionably late so we arrived as speeches were underway and we were introduced to all the members of the Canadian Association of Singapore and then we were told something absolutely astounding.

For the party, they flew in Alberta Beef, Molson Canadian and Labbats Blue! That's right my friend, we were about to dine on some good old Canadian BBQ'ed steak (which normally is not available in Singapore), mashed potatoes, grilled veggies and Canadian beer! It's good to be Canadian!!!

We met some good folks, ate like Canuck Gods (the beef was so good - they had tenderloin, striploin, ribeye and chuck burgers - all done on the BBQ), had a cold one or two and were home by 9:30pm. It was a fantastic way to be introduced to the Canadian Association of Singapore and damn good to eat some Alberta Beef again! Thanks Canada for that little slice of home here in Singapore!!!

THE STONES!!! THE STONES!!!

2010-08-24T20:33:00.000-07:00

Back in February I got hit with another case of KIDNEY STONES. This time it was a 6mm bugger stuck in the ureter (tube between the kidney & the bladder) that came out of the blue to wreak pain-inducing havok on my insides. I met a great Urologist at the Emergency Room who booked me into a rushed NON-INVASIVE SHOCKWAVE LITHOSCOPY procedure the next day, basically, they blasted the stone with ultrasound waves and over the next week, I had to pass the remnants. Still painful but much better than trying to pass a 6mm stone through a 1mm tube.

While prepping for that procedure, I had a number of x-rays taken on my insides and much to everyone's surprise they located another stone, a much larger 9mm stone lodged in my kidney. This sucker was too big to move on it's own, so it would have to be blasted as well but at a later date.

Well that date has come.

Last Friday I was admitted to the hospital for my second SHOCKWAVE procedure. The difference being, this one is a larger stone and it's still up in my kidney rather than being more than halfway down the track in my ureter! Meaning, I am going to have to pass the remnants of this monster stone from beginning to uncomfortable end! The procedure itself it quite simple:

Get hooked up to an IV
Sit on a giant plastic bottomed table that's wet (it helps with the waves)
Find the stone on Ultrasound
Get some "happy juice" injected into your IV
Lock your body in place so you don't move
60 minutes of tapping against your kidney
Voila! Finished & wheeled into recovery

Overall it went well and by the early afternoon I was at home. The weekend was bearable (I compare the discomfort to being hit in the kidneys with a sledgehammer) but much better than the pain of passing a full stone, I can take comfort in that.

I am now of meds to help with discomfort and another one to help minimize the creation of future stones so we will see how that goes but for the moment, I am almost stone free!!!

BALI: TAKE 3

2010-08-20T16:27:00.001-07:00

While Michi was visiting us in Singapore, the girls decided to spend five days in a different location and what better way to spend five days than to spend it in BALI. Three nights in Ubud and two in Seminyak was the order of the trip and by all accounts, the girls had a grand time. Michi had only been to Bali once for under 24 hours as part of a flight layover while Michelle has been there twice, it's a great spot worthy of multiple visits and there's always something fun to do in Bali. The weather was decent, the food was fantastic and both girls managed to buy some art to take home (a painting for us and a carving for Michi). All in all, a good week trip. Check out the pictures from Bali HERE!!!

MICHI COMES & GOES

2010-08-15T16:04:00.000-07:00

When Michelle returned from Vancouver, she came back with her oldest friend Michelle (called MICHI from this point forward to avoid confusion) who decided to visit with us for two weeks. These gals have been friends forever and they wanted to travel together, so they decided to come back to SE Asia and show Michi a little more of this side of the planet. It was awesome to have another houseguest from Vancouver (hint, hint) and we did our best to show her as much of our adopted home as we could. We did the usual sites: Arab Street, Little India, Raffles, Chijmes, Chinatown, Sentosa, the Casino, plus all the usual food stops but to top it off, the girls spent five awesome days in Bali (see separate post coming soon), they had a blast.

Michi left last night to return home and now for the first time in two months, Michelle and I have some time to ourselves which is even more exciting! That said, it was awesome to have Michi here for just under two weeks, it was a great visit and we hope she had an amazing time!

Some pics from her Singaporean adventure can be found HERE!

MICHELLE IS A PUBLISHED WRITER!

2010-08-11T07:09:00.000-07:00

That's right, Michelle is published!!! She wrote an 8-page travel article on our home city of Vancouver for Singapore's ESCAPE MAGAZINE! It's awesome! She took the chance, wrote what she felt strongly about, talked about her favorites in VanCity and they published it! It's an amazing article and she did a fantastic job, I'm so proud of her! Maybe it will lead to more writing gigs (I think she would love to be a travel writer) but at the very least she got a chance to write and it turned out great!

As soon as an online version of the article comes available we will post it but we will also bring some copies of the magazine home at Christmas!!!

Congrats baby, this is fantastic work!

RETURN TO CHINATOWN

2010-08-08T18:56:00.001-07:00

It's been almost a year since I've toured around Singapore's CHINATOWN, while Michelle has taken guests there or gone shopping on a few occasions, I really haven't been back to that area much (other than looking at apartments when we were moving). Anyway with Michelle Dall here for a visit, we decided to do a day in Chinatown.

We started with Dim Sum as it had been a while since we've had it and Michelle is a fan so we went to our usual haunt, ASIA GRAND on North Bridge Road, pretty reliable and tasty. After that we hopped the MRT to Chinatown and the stop lets you off right at the market. It's an open air market selling clothes, tourist trinkets, bags, toys, statues, food, you name it, you can find it here. It's pretty busy and congested but if you are patient and willing to work, you can find some good deals.

We then went to a new place for me, THE CHINATOWN HERITAGE MUSEUM, a look back at the rich history of this section of Singapore. Built inside a three story shophouse, this is actually quite a cool museum filled with pictures, videos and actual pieces from back in the day. Seems like Chinatown has had a lot of highs and lows in its time and it's all pictured at this museum. Very interesting stuff and I will definitely go back next time we have a guest in town.

The next stop was THE BUDDHA TOOTH RELIC TEMPLE, a beautiful, modern (opened in 2007) and fully operational Buddha Temple and Museum. Why is it called Buddha Tooth? Cause on the top floor, adorned in a room of 24 carat gold sits an actual buddha's tooth. Pretty amazing, all this gold and in the middle of it, a tiny tooth. The other floors of the museum are filled with relics and art from the history of Buddhism which is quite interesting but on the main floor is the worship chamber filled with chanting monks, buddhists and tons and tons of statues, a very cool space...

After that we had a fantastic coffee and toured the shops on CLUB STREET before calling it a day. I'm glad we decided to go back to CHINATOWN and visit these two museums as I had never been to either of them, they were great and the Michelles enjoyed them as well. Big Trouble in Little China this was not!

MICHELLE IS HOME!

2010-08-05T16:46:00.000-07:00

Phew! After five weeks of vacationing in VANCOUVER, Michelle has come back to Singapore and I for one am super glad to have her back! She had an amazing time and ofcourse got to spend an enormous amount of it with the beasts: LAVERNE & CARMINE. Two rehearsal dinners, two weddings, one baptism and numerous family outings were the main events of the trip but that didn't mean we didn't do anything else. Friends, Fireworks, Food and Fun made up the rest of the trip, hikes in the forest, girls night out, and a weekend visit with our Singaporean friends JOHN & LISA who came to Vancouver for their first ever visit, it was awesome! It was a great vacation and we will returns at Christmas for two-weeks together (first time traveling to Vancouver together since we came to Singapore), exciting!!!

Here are the pics from our Summer in VANCOUVER!!!

BACK IN THE LION CITY

2010-07-28T16:41:00.000-07:00

41 hours of flight... 22 days of travel... 3 different cities... 2 weddings... 1 baptism.

It's been a hell of a trip but I am home in SINGAPORE. While I am suffering from some Jetlag, it is good to be back at work and living at home rather than from a suitcase and a hotel. Michelle returns on the morning of August 3rd along with her friend Michelle Dall who will be staying with us for two weeks. I can't wait for them to get here.

In the meantime, here's some pics from my adventures in SAN FRANCISCO, as you can tell it revolved around two main things: work & food! We'll post some our VANCOUVER pics once when Michelle returns so we can upload her more recent snaps.

CROSSING THE RUBICON

2010-07-25T08:27:00.000-07:00

My work trip is complete but I decided to stay in San Francisco for the weekend so that I could actually spend some time in this city with a few friends, it's a rare opportunity and one that I jumped on. Saturday was a great day, Steve picked me up at 9am and we headed to his place in Marin County, we then met up with Mattman and forged ahead for a day in WINE COUNTRY.

Our first stop was Sonoma (a wine town on the other side of Mount St. John from Napa), a cute little berg filled to the brim with Wine & Artisan Shops. People come from far and wide to spend the day in the local square having family picnics or tasting the latest Sauv Blanc. We then headed into Napa for the main event but not before a quick stop at the Oakville Grocery for a fresh Deli Sandwich! Dear god, these were tasty, I had the roast beef & blue cheese and it was to die for!

Finally, the main event! Our afternoon was spent at the Rubicon Winery which is Francis Ford Coppola's home. We had a VIP tour with a great guy named Harold who told us about the history of the house and the winery itself, took us on a tour and ended the afternoon with a private tasting of some amazing wines. I even bought a bottle to take back to Singapore for Michelle to enjoy, wish I could bring more! This place is amazing and I highly recommend anyone who has the chance to spend and hour or three at the Rubicon (which was named after Ceaser crossing the Rubicon river for his commitment to Rome and Coppola's personal commitment to making wine).

We ended the evening with a swim and kick ass BBQ and then as Gamers tend to do, played some Green Day Rock Band while enjoying to spoils of our day. All in all, a great Saturday with the boys!!!

Check out the pics HERE!

THE KING OF PHILLY CHEESESTEAK

2010-07-22T08:54:00.000-07:00

Growing up in Canada and now living in Singapore, one of the many "classic" food delights that I have never had the honor of trying is a real-deal ALL-AMERICAN PHILADELPHIA CHEESESTEAK... until now. That's right, while I am not in Philly, I was able to go to a Philly owned and operated Cheesesteak restaurant here in San Francisco.

Why is it so important that it's from Philly? Well, the Cheesesteak Sammich was created in Philadelphia as a hoagie with grilled beef, peppers and cheese whiz. It may not sound appetizing to some but trust me, this sammich is a behemoth in popularity and despite its simplicity it's often imitated but rarely "the real deal".

So when I had the craving for a Cheesesteak, the guys here at the office took me to this little hole in the wall called THE CHEESESTEAK SHOP just off of Sutter & Divisadero. It's tiny and it's rundown but when you walk in you are greeted with the amazing scent of grilled meats and peppers, awesome. This joint flies in its bread daily from Philadelphia, it also flies in the local Philly Dessert, Tasty Cakes (think Hostess cupcakes without the cream in the middle) which come in a plethora of flavors. The default cheese here is Provolone but you can get the classic Cheese Whiz if you ask for it, otherwise it's all the same: bread, meat, peppers and cheese.

At the Cheesesteak Shop, you can add additional fixins to your 7", 10" or 15" Cheesesteak to create an even more monolithic sammich but I opted for the KING OF PHILLY. A 10" Cheesesteak with 50% more meat & cheese. That's right, I added even more meat and cheese to my already meaty cheesy sammich. They grill up the sammiches fresh to order and wrap it up tight so the juices soak into the bun. Then you unwrap the sucker and dig in for the ride of your life!!!

The Cheesesteak is amazing: hot peppers, grilled beef and melted provolone all mingle together on this fresh juice-infused bun to deliver a taste sensation that will keep you eating. It was truly a taste worth waiting for an one I think all of you should experience at one time or another in your life. Yes, it was that good. Six of us went for lunch that day, six of us ordered various types and sizes of Cheesesteaks and all of us were filled to the brim with meaty/cheesy goodness... it truly was worth the wait.

Chalk one up for the Philadelphia Cheesesteak, it really is a great sammich!!!

CONGRATS SARAH & GEORGE

2010-07-20T07:53:00.000-07:00

As you can see see from the last post and this one, one of the major reasons for us to come back to Vancouver this summer was for weddings. This last weekend, we were lucky enough to attend the great ceremony of our friends SARAH & GEORGE at a cool patio wedding/reception at Bridges on Granville Island. Although I was not an official photographer, I was co-emcee along with my buddy Gamble and we still managed to snag some good pics as well. Sarah looked fabulous, the evening was filled with laughs and tears and went one until the wee hours of the morning. Congrats again to Sarah & George and check out our pics HERE!!!

CONGRATS LANCE & RAYELLE

2010-07-14T12:51:00.000-07:00

One of the major reasons we came back to Vancouver this summer is for the wedding of Michelle's nephew LANCE and his longtime girlfriend RAYELLE. On Sunday, July 11th, a small contingent of family and friends gathered at Eaglequest Golf Course in Surrey for this great day, our friend Chad even joined in to help take some photos throughout the day. The ceremony was sweet, the dinner tasty, the speeches tear-inducing and we all partied well into the night. It was really great to spend some quality time with Michelle's family at the wedding and again the next day at the fantastic Gift Opening BBQ!

Congrats once again to LANCE & RAYELLE, enjoy the honeymoon and enjoy our PICS from the day!!!

IT'S OUT!!!

2010-07-08T09:01:00.000-07:00

The Secret of Monkey Island 2 Special Edition available on XBLA, PSN, PC, iPhone & iPad. Check it out yo!!!

HAPPY CANADA DAY

2010-07-02T03:00:00.000-07:00

It was CANADA DAY! Michelle was in cold & rainy Vancouver, I was in warm & rainy Singapore. Michelle was out with friends, I was at work with friends. We however, as you can tell, were not together. Nope, we were on opposite sides of the globe, which is fine... it's ball-sucky but fine. It just means that in one week today, next friday, I will fly to Vancouver and get to spend some quality time with Michelle in our hometown. To me, that's a great way to think about Canada Day!!! So wherever you are in the world you Hosers! Happy Canada Day to you and yours!

OUR NEW PLACE

2010-06-29T05:35:00.000-07:00

So as you know from reading this fantastic blog, we moved at the beginning of the month to our new place in Singapore in an area called BEDOK. It's a great ground-floor 2 bedroom/2 bathroom unit with a deck and our very own Bomb Shelter. Yes, a lot of places in Singapore have a bomb shelter (for that great water war with Malaysia that never happened), some are converted to offices, some into bedrooms but most (like ours) are used for storage and the odd atomic scare! Anyway, this place is only a 25-minute walk to work for me, it's close to the MRT and lots of shops and restaurants. We love it and truly feel like this will be the perfect place to hang our hat in Singapore. Take a look at some of the PIX!

THE BEASTS

2010-06-27T03:29:00.001-07:00

Michelle has landed safely in Vancouver and better yet, she's already having fun with out pooches LAVERNE & CARMINE. The both look great and seem very excited to see Michelle! I can't wait to see them in mid-July!!!

MORE RAIN = MORE FLOODING

2010-06-25T00:30:00.001-07:00

Another freak MONSOON hit Singapore this morning causing mass flooding, damage and delays all over the city. I managed to sneak an iPhone shot during the torrential downpour but it doesn't do justice to the actual storm... wow. Ah the joys of living in this subtropical climate!!

AND THERE SHE GOES...

2010-06-23T08:57:00.003-07:00

Just got back from dropping Michelle off at the airport. She is now on the worldwide journey back to VANCOUVER for a few weeks of fun, family, friends and ofcourse Laverne & Carmine. I will be joining here in a few weeks for nine days (with work on either side of the trip) and am looking forward to some hometown time with the crew and the Beasts all with Michelle. It's going to be awesome but I miss her already...

FLOODING IN SINGAPORE

2010-06-18T05:07:00.000-07:00

The other day it was raining hard, not too surprising for a tropical country or peeps from Vancouver, but this rain was really intense, some may have called it a "torrential downpour". What was more surprising, was that it didn't stop either, usually a rain storm lasts for about an hour in Singapore but this one was a good half day. I didn't think anything of it at work, and Michelle was not worried about it at home but in the heart of Downtown Singapore, another story unfolded.

Orchard Road is the hub of downtown, think Vancouver's Robson Street on Steroids filled with Malls and Malls and you guessed it, even more malls, it's a Shopaholic's dream but this day, that dream became a nightmare. Thanks to the rain, Orchard Road and most of it's ground floor and basement-level stores flooded. It was a rare sight in Singapore and one that made the news quickly. Cars stalled, MRT's stopped and buses rerouted, people were late if they could get into downtown at all, it was a catastrophe of rainy proportions.

The stores are okay now, they just have some soiled goods and wet interiors but on that day of super-rain, they were close to becoming underwater establishments. And in true Singaporean fashion, the city planners and all the over-construction were not to blame as the "official" cause of the floods was "foliage blocking the drains".... ummm, sure.

Crazy potatoes!!!

MONKEY ISLAND 2 SPECIAL EDITION

2010-06-16T16:12:00.001-07:00

Video Games | Monkey Island 2: SE | E3 2010: Debut Trailer

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

ANOTHER CLASSIC REBORN...

THE OLD REPUBLIC

2010-06-14T19:26:00.001-07:00

Video Games | Star Wars: The Old Republic | E3 2010: Hope of Alderaan Cinematic Trailer

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

MORE LUCASARTS GOODNESS...

THE FORCE UNLEASHED II

2010-06-14T17:08:00.001-07:00

Video Games | The Force Unleashed II | E3 2010: Exclusive Betrayal Cinematic Trailer

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

VERY PROUD... VERY EXCITED...

PILAU PANGKIL, INDONESIA

2010-06-11T18:18:00.001-07:00

One of the places we have hardly explored is our neighboring country of Indonesia, which makes sense since Indonesia is made up of 11,000 different little islands. We've been to Bali and the island of Bintan but this past weekend we were lucky enough to visit the remote tropical paradise of PILAU PANGKIL.

Last week JOHN & LISA tied the knot in Singapore, but when they were planning their wedding they wanted to get married on the beach somewhere. So following the civil service and celebratory drinks in town they "rented" this tiny little island in the middle of Indonesia to gather their families and a few close friends to help them celebrate. We at Corsiworld were invited along and, boy are we happy we were!

On Sunday morning the entire crew met at the ferry terminal, and after some initial confusion with incomplete names on each ticket we headed off on the first of 3 boat rides to the island. We took a ferry from Singapore to Bintan (90 minutes), a bus to the other side of the island (45 minutes), then another boat ride to the actual island (25 minutes) and finally a quick dingy ride to the beach as there is no dock and voila, you are seriously in paradise!!!

As we arrived the lovely staff handed us welcoming lime drinks and we were set to explore. The accommodations were reclaimed driftwood huts on stilts with roll away walls that provided unobstructed amazing views of the ocean. Each hut had soft beds with mosquito netting (for a touch of romance and safety of course), small decks and hammocks perfect for lazy days of reading and listening to the waves. There are no televisions, no internet, no computers, only sun, sea, beaches and cords to plug in your ipod into the stereo system, it truly is Rancho Relaxo. The other cool thing is that "the Main House" (the main hub of activity on the island) is where the 24-hour constantly stocked bar and the two big tables for meals are located. The food over the entire weekend was amazing and the staff was totally invisible. Setting up, clearing and helping out without no one noticing, pure professionalism.

Anyhoo, we arrived and as soon as people dropped their bags off in their huts, the ocean became the order of the day, swimming, snorkeling, seashell investigations and ofcourse Gin & Tonics on the beach. After dinner we were treated to a bonfire on the sand and a cool little fireworks display to cap of the night.

The next day however was not all sunshine and lollipops as a tropical wind storm came rolling in around 9am. This did nothing to dampen the mood however as people still did some swimming and island exploration as well as starting up a Bocci Tournament that took up a lot of the afternoon. Oh, the island staff were also offering one-hour massages for $20 a pop which most folks took advantage of. Then despite the light rain and the wind, at 5pm we all changed and came back to the main house for the wedding ceremony. A beach alter was set up despite the wetness and all of us were handed big umbrellas to keep us dry. I gotta admit, the weather added to the tropical nature of our surroundings and actually helped to make it more intimate. Lisa looks gorgeous, John looked great, the families were all ready and the friends were armed with cameras, it was a great little ceremony. Afterwards was party time as the good mood of the day carried on into the night as more food, drink and fireworks took us into the wee hours of the morning.

Our final day on the island was a short one as the weather was still lousy and the hangovers were more abundant. After lunch we packed our bags and about half of the guests including us, headed back to Singapore. The rest stayed for one more day and on the last day they were rewarded with clear skies and abundant sunshine.

We both really loved Pilau Pangkil and we were so happy to be included in John & Lisa's wedding weekend. We would love to go back to this little tropical paradise and if we can round up 10-15 people, I am sure we will.

Pics from the weekend can be seen HERE!

CONGRATS JOHN & LISA!!!

2010-06-04T23:10:00.000-07:00

Our friends John & Lisa tied the knot in a private civil ceremony with only their parents attending but that didn't stop the celebrations. We met up with the Newlyweds to party the night away on Friday and this sunday about 35 of us are going to Indonesia for the "official" wedding celebration on a private island. I think this will be a good time.

John & Lisa have become very good friends of ours here in Singapore. We go on many foody adventures with them, traveled to Macau with them, hang out a few times a week with them, carpool to work with them (they work with me) and ofcourse laugh continuously with them!

Congrats to JOHN & LISA and enjoy your 4-month worldwide honeymoon.

See you in November!!!

MOVING DAY!!!

2010-05-30T19:04:00.000-07:00

So as our first year in Singapore is officially at an end, as is the one year lease on our apartment. Today we are moving into our new home in Bedok which for me is much closer to work. That's right... it's MOVING DAY!!!

Think of it this way. If Singapore is Vancouver, then my office is in Richmond and we currently live just outside of downtown. Our new apartment would be in South Granville. Closer to work but further from Downtown, the apartment however is bigger, better and cheaper. Pics coming soon!

Anyways, the next few days will be chaos, living out of boxes as we re-sort our lives and fit it into our new abode but we are both excited. Let the next Singapore chapter begin!!!

CONGRATS BROOKE & BUCKLEY!

2010-05-23T05:45:00.000-07:00

A few short hours ago, our friends BROOKE & BUCKLEY tied the knot in Vancouver in what was sure to have been one hell of a wedding ceremony/party/hootenanny! We couldn't be there as we are here but we were there in spirit and wish them nothing but the best, much love and happiness. See you in a few months guys and once again, Congratulations!!! We love you!

40 SING FOODS WE CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT

2010-05-19T22:24:00.000-07:00

Came across this awesome article exploring some of the most popular foods in Singapore, 40 dishes in fact, and I thought I would put some comments beside each. Thanks to CNN for the article! Enjoy friends...

So what Singapore food can you eat day after day after day? Singaporeans are simply obsessed with eating. For the best food, they will queue endlessly, they will traverse the island, and they will eat at all hours. Many have been known to come back after migrating simply because they miss their favorite foods. Much of it is humble but insanely delicious street fare found in food centers and coffee shops throughout the island. CNNGo rounds up 40 of the best, "die-die must-try" foods from the little red dot.

1. Chicken Rice. It’s everywhere -- at hawker stalls, food courts, luxury hotels and even at the zoo, but Singaporeans just can’t get enough of it. Chicken rice is often called the “national dish” of Singapore. Steamed or boiled chicken is served atop fragrant oily rice, with sliced cucumber as the token vegetable. Variants include roasted chicken or soy sauce chicken. Don’t miss out on the dipping sauces -- premium dark soy sauce, chili with garlic, and pounded ginger. Play around with different combinations to discover new tastes. GioNote - A staple, cheap & awesome.

2. Char Kway Teow. There is no stopping Singaporeans from indulging in this high-fat hawker favorite. Flat rice noodles stir-fried with lard (for best flavor), dark and light soy sauce, chilli, de-shelled cockles, sliced Chinese sausage, bean sprouts, Chinese chives and sometimes prawns and egg. Essential to the dish is good “wok hei” or breath of wok, the qualities and tastes imparted by cooking on a wok using high heat. Many now choose to omit the cockles but char kway teow will always be incomplete without the sinfully rich fried pork lard pieces. GioNote - very rich and the cockles can make it taste extra fishy. Get it without cockles.

3. Wonton or Wantan Mee. The name “wonton” literally means "swallowing of cloud" in Cantonese. Indeed, the dumplings with their flowy translucent skins resemble wispy clouds when suspended in soup. Most Singaporeans prefer the dry version of the noodles. Wonton noodles look simple but the perfect one is elusive. The thin egg noodles need to be of the right texture, the sauce has to be well-balanced, and the pork or shrimp dumplings ought to be juicy and meaty. At many places, you’ll find the sliced char siew (Chinese BBQ pork) is often papery dry and red with artificial dye but that hardly deters fans of the dish who seem to prize the noodles and dumplings. GioNote - That's good stuff!

4. Carrot Cake (chai tow kuay). No, not the sweet Western cake loaded with orange carrots. This "carrot" is more of a white radish (daikon). Rice flour and grated radish is mixed and steamed into large slabs or cakes. These are cut up into little pieces and fried with preserved turnip, soy sauce, fish sauce, eggs, garlic and spring onions. It’s amazingly good. You can have it “white” or “black” (with sweet dark soy sauce added). Also known as fried carrot cake or chye tow kueh, this grease-laden belly warmer is available at many hawker centers. GioNote - Prefer it black with extra chillies.

5. Chili Crab. Another national signature, chili crab is one of the most requested dishes for anyone who comes to Singapore. There are more than a dozen ways to do crab (black pepper, salted egg yolk, cheese-baked, etc) but chili crab remains the bestseller. It’s certainly not something to be consumed daintily. The spicy chili-tomato gravy tends to splatter, but crab enthusiasts love it so much, they’ll mop everything up with mini mantou buns. GioNote - Chili Crab is good, Black Pepper Crab is mind-blowing! BPC is definitely in my Top 5.

6. Bak Kut Teh. Bak kut teh, meaning "pork rib tea" is most likely of Hokkien or Fujian origin. Meaty pork ribs are lovingly boiled for hours with lots of garlic, pepper, medicinal herbs and spices. Early 20th century port coolies often relied on this as a tonic to strengthen bodies and health. These days, bak kut teh is simply enjoyed for its taste. There are two styles -- the clear, peppery Teochew broth and the darker, more herbal Hokkien stew. You tiao (fried crullers) are the perfect croutons for soaking up the soup, and a hot pot of Chinese tea (ideally Tieguanyin) helps dissolve or wash down the fats ever present in the meaty ribs. GioNote - Awesome, in my personal Top 5.

7. Sambal Stingray. Singaporeans love their seafood and they love their spices. Sambal is a versatile chili paste blended with spices, shallots, candlenuts and often belachan (fermented shrimp paste). Sambal-coated cuts of stingray are wrapped in cleaned banana leaves and grilled to smoky perfection. The sweet, tender flesh is a perfect canvas for all the complex spices and BBQ flavor. GioNote - Only had it once and it was only okay.

8. Fried Hokkien Mee. Yet another dish favored by hardworking laborers of the past. Thick yellow egg noodles mixed with rice vermicelli are cooked in a rich seafood stock, and tossed with prawns, squid, small strips of pork belly and deep-fried lard pieces. A small kalamansi lime is always given should you prefer some tangy juice to cut through the greasiness of the dish. GioNote - Have not tried it.

9. Rojak. Rojak is actually a Malay word used to describe something made from a random mix of unrelated things. But any derogatory undertones are erased when one refers to the fruit salad that bears the same name. Rojak does have an odd mixture of ingredients. Bite-size pieces of fruits, vegetables, dried tofu, fried you tiao (dough fritters) and cured cuttlefish are tossed in a prawn paste sauce topped with crushed peanuts. Grated bunga kantan (pink ginger buds) add a sensuous fragrance. The result is a wild mix of sweet, spicy, sour and savory flavors. GioNote - Intensely pungent but I like it.

10. Bak Kwa. This chewy snack is like salty-sweet BBQ jerky. Bak kwa (dried meat) is made from pork although now halal versions made from chicken exist. These squarish BBQ meat sheets are popular as gifts for friends and relatives at Chinese New Year. Throngs will form at shops despite elevated prices. Bak kwa can be eaten on its own, with bread or with homecooked food. GioNote - Think of extra think super-sweet bacon but not as good as it sounds.

11. Economy Rice. Possibly one of the best value meals you can get at hawker centers and food courts. Choose from a wide array of meats, vegetables and side dishes to accompany white steamed rice. Popular choices include sweet and sour pork, curry chicken, steamed egg custard, braised tofu and stir-fried mixed vegetables. It’s predominantly Chinese food, and very much like what many Singaporeans would make at home. GioNote - Think Shopping Mall Chinese Food, cheap & easy.

12. Kway Chap. Delicacy for some, Fear Factor food for others. The Chinese have always made full use of the animal they eat. Here, pork offal (stomach and intestines in particular) are braised until tender in soy sauce and herbs along with meat, tofu, boiled eggs and fish cake. If you are lucky, pig’s tongue and ears may be available too. Best eaten with kway (rice flour sheets) in broth but some opt for steamed rice or yam rice. Tangy chili dipping sauce is a must. GioNote - Have not tried it.

13. Oyster Omelette. Known as “or luak” or “hao jian” locally, this Southern Chinese dish is another grease-laden supper favorite. Potato starch is mixed into the egg batter to give it a thicker and semi-gooey consistency. Oysters are added just a few seconds before serving, so that they are not overcooked. Hawkers have now started using plump Korean oysters, instead of smaller oysters. As a healthier option, they are also replacing lard with vegetable oil. GioNote - Have not tried it.

14. Katong Laksa. This is a Peranakan (Straits-born Chinese) influenced dish consisting of thick rice vermicelli in a rich, spicy coconut gravy. The soup is thick, opaque and slightly gritty from the abundance of ground dried shrimp, which gives it the umami kick. The Katong version has noodles cut into smaller lengths, so it can be easily scooped up with a spoon alone, along with a good amount of soup. No chopsticks or forks are given. Stir in the dollop of sambal and fragrant laksa leaves or daun kesum and inhale. GioNote - Very rich and enjoyable if you get a proper one, bit of a stomach ache if you don't.

15. Fish Head or Fish Soup Bee Hoon. The freshwater toman (snakehead fish) is boiled in milky fish stock along with a handful of healthy greens. Fish head aficionados will devour the bony meat, lips, cheeks and eyeballs. If you’re squeamish about fish head or prefer boneless convenience, go for the boiled fish slices or fried fish chunks, which are just as popular. GioNote - Have not tried it as written here but I have tried Fish Head Curry and Crab Bee Hoon, both of which are fantastic.

16. Yong Tau Foo. One of the healthier options in the hawker food arena because it features fresh vegetables and tofu. Yong tau foo (stuffed beancurd) will see items stuffed with fish paste or minced meat paste (Hakka-style). Pick the items you like (including choice of noodles) and have it served either dry-style with generous lashings of sweet sauce and chili, or soup-style with clear soybean and anchovies broth (some stalls offer a curry gravy option). GioNote - Plain but tasty especially if you are sick of overly fried foods.

17. Bak Chor Mee. Bak chor mee (minced pork noodles) gained some notoriety a few years ago when it starred in a satirical podcast. A good rendition of this popular Teochew dish will have fluffy minced pork, succulent stewed mushrooms, crispy tee por (small deep-fried pieces of flatfish or sole), springy noodles in a dark vinegary sauce. Let the hawker know if you wish to omit the sliced liver pieces. GioNote - Pretty good when you omit the sliced liver pieces.

18. Peranakan Kueh. These desserts are a carnival of color, much like the culture of the creators. Under the Peranakans’ deft touch, simple local ingredients like tapioca, banana, glutinous rice, coconut milk and gula melaka (palm sugar) are transformed into a huge assortment of delectable kuehs. GioNote - Depending on the dish, some are good, some aren't but you gotta admit, these are unique.

19. Bak Chang. The legend is somewhat morbid -- Chinese peasants throwing rice dumplings into the river to distract fish from eating the body of beloved poet and patriot Qu Yuan who drowned himself as a protest against corruption. Today, more than 2,000 years later, these dumplings commemorate his life during the Duan Wu Festival. The rest of the year, they are a great snack in a pack. The Hokkiens who love salty food fill the glutinous rice dumplings with braised pork belly, mushrooms and chestnuts. The Peranakans lean towards the sweeter side with minced spiced pork and chopped sugared melon strips. GioNote - If you like glutinous rice with pork, you will like these Rice dumplings. Not my personal favorite.

20. Kaya Toast. Kaya is a coconut custard jam, sweet and fragrant. When slathered onto thin slices of warm toast with ample butter, the sandwich it makes is simply divine. Down it with a cup of thick black coffee. Many locals have this for breakfast supplemented by two soft-boiled eggs with soy sauce and pepper. GioNote - Too sweet but Awesome once in a blue moon.

21. BBQ Chicken Wings. In many a hawker center, you will see rows of chicken wings glistening and turning on a roasting spit. Singaporeans love ordering these wings as a side dish, frequently as a large plate to share among family and friends. Best eaten hot and with a garlic chili dip. A spritz from calamansi limes add sweet tang to the wings. This finger food is great with beer or sugarcane juice. GioNote - BBQ Wings??? Now you're talking! In the Top 5 for sure!

22. Chin Chow Grass Jelly. The kids love the slippery jelly, and the adults appreciate its yin or cooling properties. Dubbed chin chow (immortal grass), grass jelly purportedly helps prevent indigestion and lower blood pressure. The herb Mesona Chinensis is boiled and cooled to make deep black slabs of firm yet chewy jelly. It can be made into a drink or served in a bowl as dessert. Modern toppings like palm seeds, longan and honey sea coconut make this traditional dessert more appealing to youngsters. GioNote - I like grass jelly in my iced coffee.

23. Teh Tarik. Teh tarik or pulled tea is tea with showmanship. Indian tea-makers pour a stream of hot milk tea back and forth between two vessels held as far apart as possible. It looks a lot easier than it is. The result is a frothy drink that’s well-mixed. You can request for teh halia (milk tea with ginger) as well. GioNote - Michelle's all time favorite drink, one of mine too.

24. Satay. This is Southeast Asia’s rendition of the kebab with a few unique twists. There’s the peanut dip, sweet and spicy. The marinade of local spices that totally transforms the meat. The thin wooden skewers made of bamboo or stem of coconut leaves. And the refreshing sides of chopped raw cucumber and onions, along with ketupat (rice cakes steamed in woven coconut leaves). It’s a joy to watch your satay being grilled over an open charcoal fire. The aroma heightens the anticipation and the enjoyment. GioNote - Pure Awesomeness!

25. Ayam Penyet. What? Flattened chicken? Yes, that’s what ayam penyet is. Large pieces of chicken are smashed with a mallet to allow the marinade of many spices to permeate thoroughly. The chicken is then deep-fried to a crisp golden brown. It’s originally Indonesian but has taken Singapore by storm in the past few years. Ayam penyet is usually served with lots of crispy batter, fried bean curd, tempeh (soybean cake) and vegetables. The real star is the delicious sambal belachan relish that’s an explosion of complex flavors. GioNote - Have not tried it.

26. Ngoh Hiang. Once the snack of choice at street wayang (theatre) performances, this medley of fritters is now popular as a teatime nibble. It’s a strange combination of deep-fried bean curd, prawn fritters, pink pork sausages, liver rolls, fish cakes, century eggs and cucumber slices. Ngoh hiang (five spices) itself refers to the Hokkien minced-pork roll that is made with lots of five spice powder but can also be used as the generic name for the fritters. GioNote - Seen it, even seen one called "Vader" but have not tried it.

27. Nasi Lemak. Singaporeans are in love with lemak (richness bestowed by coconut cream). The Malay breakfast dish of nasi lemak (rich rice) has rice cooked in coconut milk served with a spicy sambal, fried anchovies, fried peanuts, and perhaps an egg and cucumber slices. It’s simple but satisfying. The Chinese have adopted the dish and thrown in a multitude of other side dishes like sausages, fried chicken wings, luncheon meat, fish cake, and various cooked vegetables. GioNote - Not my favorite but supposedly there are great ones and not-so-great ones, I must have tried one of the latter ones.

28. Mee Siam. Despite its name, Mee Siam (Siamese noodles) did not come from Thailand. It’s a Malay breakfast dish. Pre-fried thin rice vermicelli is served in a spicy light gravy made from taucheo (fermented bean paste), dried shrimp, sugar and seafood stock. Tamarind gives the dish its signature tartness. Toppings include cubed fried bean curd, chopped chives and sliced boiled egg. But note, there are no cockles in Mee Siam. GioNote - Have not tried it.

29. Indian Mee Goreng. This Indian-Muslim classic of spicy fried noodles is a hybrid invented in this region in the 1950s. Indian immigrants borrowed the use of the wok from the Chinese and started frying yellow egg noodles with their own favoured ingredients -- tomatoes, egg, green chilies, mutton mince, cabbage and diced potatoes. It takes skill to wok-fry the noodles to a moist but not mushy ensemble. Oddly, in Singapore, mee goreng tends to sport a bold, almost garish red appearance not found elsewhere. GioNote - Fantastic! A staple!

30. Popiah. Sometimes lauded as the Asian burrito, this healthy snack is like a Chinese spring roll that’s not deep-fried. The name popiah refers to the soft, paper-thin skin made from wheat or rice flour. It’s smeared with a sweet sauce, chili sauce, minced garlic and is used to wrap ingredients like braised turnip or bangkuang (jicama), carrots, bean sprouts, Chinese sausage, shredded omelette, crushed peanuts and even shrimp or crab meat. Many Singaporeans love to hold popiah parties at home, as rolling your own popiah (easier than it looks) can prove to be the best entertainment at times. GioNote - Just like a burrito, good ones are amazing, bad ones are not.

31. Roti Prata. You will find roti prata (flat bread) in practically every neighborhood in Singapore. Watch as the Indians knead and flatten an oiled ball of dough, and flip it with practised flair until the dough is a tissue-thin sheet. This is then folded into multi-layered pancakes and griddle-fried til crisp. It’s usually served with curry or a sprinkle of sugar. Nowadays, prata makers get creative with all kinds of fillings and combinations -- cheese, mushroom, durian, ice cream, honey, banana, cashew nuts, and even sardines. GioNote - Love, love, love the Roti Prata (curry not sugar). In my Top 5!!!

32. Murtabak. These are huge and for the very hungry. The dough is similar to that used in roti prata, but it is super-sized and stuffed with minced mutton and onions. Like roti prata, murtabak is often fried in a pool of ghee or oil. Chicken and sardine versions have surfaced for those who find mutton too gamey. GioNote - The Chicken/Cheese Murtabak is the absolute best hangover food in Singapore!

33. Otak/Otah. It isn’t clear how the name otah or otak (brain) came about for this snack, but perhaps it is brain food after all, since it’s predominantly made of fish. Fish that’s mashed and mixed with coconut milk, chili paste and spices, wrapped in banana leaves and grilled over charcoal. Otak is a frequent accompaniment to dishes like laksa and nasi lemak, although it’s also eaten as a snack on its own. GioNote - Have not tried it.

34. Fish Head Curry. Waiter, there’s a decapitated head in my soup! Well, that’s the highlight. A whole large head of red snapper stewing in curry gravy. Surprisingly, there’s a lot of meat to be had on the bony head, but the best (and most tender) part is the cheeks. This dish is purely a Singapore creation. About 30 years ago, an Indian restaurateur here decided to use fish head (not an Indian delicacy) in his curry to please Chinese customers. It became a runaway hit, spreading even across the Causeway to Malaysia. GioNote - Despite it looking at you while you eat it, this is good food!

35. Nasi Padang. The cuisine of Padang from Sumatra, Indonesia, features many spicy dishes to go with rice. A bedazzling smorgasbord of more than 30 dishes is available at some places. Nasi Padang also suits communal dining as a group can share dishes and enjoy a bigger variety at the same time. GioNote - Again, similar to the style of Shopping Mall Chinese Food but with more unique choices.

36. Dum Briyani. Briyani or biryani originated from Persia and eventually found its way into the hearts of spice-loving Singaporeans. The fluffy basmati rice grains, dappled gold and orange from saffron and spices, go so well with meat and gravy. Dum cooking is the method where pre-fried boiled rice is layered with par-cooked meat, and then pressure-baked in a sealed vessel. This way the meat infuses the rice with its flavours. GioNote - Good times.

37. Curry Puff. The curry puff is possibly the country’s favorite tea-time snack. Deep-fried like samosas, these are generally filled with curried potatoes, chicken and a slice of egg. The popularity of the curry puff has spawned puffs with other fillings like sardines, black pepper chicken, tuna and sweet yam. GioNote - A classic but that's a lot of deep fry.

38. Goreng Pisang. The Malay snack of goreng pisang (banana fritters) have found fans from all races in Singapore. The deep-frying helps caramelize the natural sugars in the bananas, making them even sweeter than before. Some Chinese versions have unusually delicate and puffy batter. GioNote - I like Banana Fritters!

39. Ice Kachang. Shaved ice desserts are always a popular treat in the hot tropics. Ice kachang (ice with beans) evolved from the humble ice ball drenched with syrup to be the little ice mountain served in a bowl, drizzled with creamed corn, condensed milk, gula melaka and brightly coloured syrups. Dig into it and you’ll discover other goodies hidden within -- red beans, palm seeds and cubed jellies. GioNote - Some of these are some of Michelle's favorite desserts.

40. Cendol. This dessert is named for the soft, greenish noodle bits it comes with. The very best cendol is still the simplest -- just coconut milk, shaved ice, gula melaka, light green cendol and a dash of salt. These days, other toppings like kidney beans, grass jelly cubes, creamed corn and even durian paste and vanilla ice cream have found their way into this dessert. GioNote - Have not tried it.

So there you have it, a look into the foods of Singapore. We've tried a lot but we still have a lot to try. You can see some of our food pics HERE and HERE!!! The foodie adventure continues...

MY GAMASUTRA INTERVIEW

2010-05-17T15:21:00.000-07:00

While I was at GDC this year, I was asked for a quick, informal talk with one of the guys from GAMASUTRA (one of the web's big gaming sites), I thought nothing was going to come of it but to my surprise, the interview was put online yesterday. Pretty cool! Check it out HERE!

CANUCKS SEASON ENDS WITH A THUD

2010-05-11T22:12:00.000-07:00

Wow...

Speechless...

THE VANCOUVER CANUCKS came roaring back in Game Five only to lose 5-1 to the Chicago Blackhawks in Game Six, in front of a Vancouver crowd and watch the Hawks go on to face San Jose in the Western Final.

Wow...

Lou played inconsistently, Kesler & Burrows disappeared, the Twins were shut down, Alberts took so many useless penalties, it had to be some kind of record! The list goes on and on.

Chicago was the better team, they played faster, they played harder, they played smarter, they wanted to win more. It's a shame, I really thought that the Canucks would go further this year. I mean, three times in the last four years, the Canucks have been knocked out of the second round, three times! I thought we would break the cycle... I thought wrong.

As disappointed as I am, it was an entertaining season, especially watching the whole thing from Singapore. And I will be right back on the bandwagon for Game 1 with the Nucks next season as well. I'm bitter but I am still a fan!

But what about the rest of the playoffs? Luckily, Chicago is my second favorite team and the Habs are now the last Canadian team in the mix so there's still lots of good hockey to watch.

One thing for sure, this playoff beard is coming off tonight!!!

SINGAPORE = 1 YEAR

2010-05-10T16:09:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe but as of today, May 11th at approximately 1:30pm, Michelle and I have been in SINGAPORE for exactly one year.

One year...

Time flies pretty fast, so much has happened in that time frame it's hard to believe. I've been to Taiwan, Tokyo and San Francisco (three times) for work. I've been to Vancouver three times, Michelle has been twice. Together we've been to Bali, Thailand, Bintan, Vietnam & China. Michelle has been to Bangkok and Bali without me as well. We've found an apartment, made friends, built a life, had a visit from my Parents, had a visit from Chad and found a second apartment within that time frame as well. The job is going extremely well and I am looking forward to another year of adventure.

How long will we be here? Who knows for sure but while it lasts, we are going to enjoy it as much as possible because opportunities like this don't come along every day.

Thanks for a great year Singapore! Here's to continued good times!!!

To see some of our Sing Adventures, click HERE!!!

WE LOVE YOU MOMS!!!!

2010-05-08T18:29:00.000-07:00

Although we are across the planet, know that we love you both and hope that you have a great MOTHER'S DAY! See you in the summertime when we are both back in Vancouver! Lots of love and enjoy the day!

RUSSIA WINS!!!

2010-05-04T23:55:00.000-07:00

Check out this cool piece of TIKI BAR TV fan art from Matt! It's all the Russian characters from the podcast including mine, Mr. Ambassador! Pretty sweet stuff in my opinion!

48 HOURS IN CHINA

2010-05-02T21:11:00.000-07:00

While we were in Vancouver, one of our favorite weekend getaways was the city of sin, Las Vegas. The gambling, the hotels, the food, the spectacle, it's guaranteed fun in a compact package!!! In Asia, it's much more difficult to go to Vegas for 48 hours since it's a days flight away but if the itch to gamble and live the high life gets too much, you can always visit Macau.

Considered the Vegas of Asia, Macau is the only area in China where gambling is legal, so as you can imagine, it's very popular. So popular that Macau has decided to follow in the footsteps of it's Big Vegas Brother and set up some monster hotels and casinos. You'll find familiar faces like the Wynn, MGM Grand, Sands, Hard Rock and Venetian plus a whole host of other places as well! The Macau versions are pretty similar to their Vegas-counterparts in most ways (decoration, lighting, fonts etc.) but the biggest different is the lack of booze. It seems that the Chinese don't drink when they gamble, they smoke like chimneys but alcohol consumption remains at a minimum and since the Casino has maybe only one or two bars, you have to find your own drink... and pay for it. That's right, you still have to pay for your booze even if you are gambling. Vegas this is not.

Okay enough about the Casinos, let's talk about the weekend...

Michelle, Cheng and I arrived in Macau at about 9am on Friday. We hooked up with Aamir, Denise, John & Lisa, dropped off our bags at the hotel and proceeded to get some breakfast at a local Dim Sum joint (awesome - the spicy green beans & pork were probably the best I've ever eaten). We then decided that today would be a Hong Kong exploration day so we went to the pier and took a 55-minute Turbojet ferry ride across the bay to HK (Turbojet is great and I recommend Super Class, more expensive but you get bigger seats and free food/drink).

HONG KONG is an amazing sight to behold, it's massive, dense, busy, loud, grimy and vibrant. It's grabs a hold of your senses and doesn't let go at all. We arrived on Hong Kong Island and proceeded to walk around the Central District, checking out some of Aamir & Denise's favorite shops. We walked, took photos, shopped and walked some more, eventually finding ourselves in the Lan Kwai Fong District. This is where you will find a good collection of pubs, bars, clubs and restaurants. After a rest and a few drinks, we continued to explore the area until we happened upon the Stanley Street Food Stalls. Think of this as a roadside Hawker Center and while you might think there are a ton of these, there are actually only 28 official food stalls left in HK and some of the best are here. We stayed for dinner, had an amazing street meal and then caught the Turbojet back to Macau. We ended the night with a few hands of Blackjack at the Wynn and then back to the hotel for 2am.

The next morning was MACAU day, so the whole crew got up and had brunch at a local Taiwanese place before separating. The girls went to explore the city, taking in all the sights, shops and bakeries that this Portuguese-influenced city has to offer while the guys gambled at a multitude of different casinos... and proceed to lose big. We then headed back to the Hotel to get dressed up for a night at the Venetian. I think out of all the Casinos, I saw, I was most impressed with the Venetian, as it is a bang on replicant of the monster Hotel/Casino in Vegas plus it was the only casino that had Star Wars Slots! We arrived in time to catch an amazing Cirque Du Soleil show there called Zaia, which I would heartily recommend. We then went for a fantastic Italian meal at their Portofino Restaurant, the food was amazing and since it was John's birthday, the staff sang to him and it was honestly, the best version of "happy birthday" I have ever heard in a restaurant. After that, the boys continued to gamble while the girls explored the hotel and the shops. We then headed back to our side of Macau to go for drinks & cigars at the Wynn, then topping it off with more gambling fun.

We got back to the hotel around 2:30am and got up at 6:30am to pack, shower and head to the airport for our flight home. 48 hours in China is over sooner than it starts it seems!

Great weekend people, great weekend. We both loved Hong Kong and cant wait to explore even more of this amazing city. And even though it isn't our beloved Vegas, Macau is as close as we are going to get over here and it's still a lot of fun so we will definitely be going back.

Pics from the weekend can be seen HERE!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHELLE!

2010-04-26T14:55:00.000-07:00

At this time last year, we were in a mad dash trying to sell our house and packing up our life for a move to Singapore. This year, we are in Singapore and seem to be a little more relaxed. No house selling, no packing, no cross-planet travel, which means it gives us a lot of time to properly celebrate MICHELLE'S BIRTHDAY!

I cant express how much it means to me that Michelle came to Singapore to allow me a chance to live my childhood dream, she gave up her job to do that. Now, one could argue that we are married and that's part of the deal but you'd be surprised how many married people we know here who's spouses remained behind because of work, family etc. Not Michelle, she was up for the adventure, she was up for the challenge, she was ready to try something new.

It hasn't been easy either, it's a lot more difficult to find work here for the spouse than we were lead to believe, really difficult and she has been trying. She's made some friends, she's going to do some volunteering, she's done some of the "lady of leisure" lifestyle and ofcourse we have travelled: Bali, Thailand, Indonesia & Vietnam so far (Macau is next). But no matter what is going on with her, she's always supported me and my career here and for that I will always be thankful.

She's my lover, my best friend, my partner-in-crime, source of energy and I love her with all that I am.

The happiest of birthdays baby! Who knows where life's adventure will take us next but who cares, as long as we are together it's going to be a blast!!!!

GLEE: VOGUE

2010-04-17T03:18:00.000-07:00

Michelle's favorite show (GLEE), one of my favorite comedic actresses (Jane Lynch) doing one of our favorite Madonna songs, shot for shot. Good stuff indeed!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

2010-04-15T07:25:00.000-07:00

Wow, my dad MARIO is another year older and it's weird for me to be on the other side of the world for his birthday.

I think this is the first time I haven't been around to celebrate with him, especially since my mom passed away. As I write this, he's enjoying his last day in Mexico with my stepmom Gina, where they went to a family wedding for two weeks of fun. I love the fact that my dad gets to travel more now. Growing up, he worked so bloody hard, he rarely had time for a vacation but now he's taking more time to explore the world, and I love that.

He deserves it, he deserves to see the world and to enjoy himself because he's earned every waking moment of happiness he gets! He deserves to fall asleep on the couch at 5pm on a Sunday or laugh with his friends at the Red Lion. I think that's the secret to a good life... enjoying the little things! And that's one of the great things about my dad, he takes pleasure in the little things, a snuggle with Laverne & Carmine, a good plate of pasta, talking to the family on Skype, traveling with Gina.

I look forward to seeing him in July, I look forward to swapping life stories with him, I look forward to enjoying a glass of wine with him and I look forward to wishing him a happy belated birthday in person. But for now dad, enjoy the day, enjoy your birthday and know that from across the planet we love you a lot!

UPDATED PIX

2010-04-02T20:59:00.000-07:00

Lots of pics to look at including this one of my Dad Mario and his friend, also named Mario, enjoying some Olympic fun in Whistler!!!

A new set featuring updated pics from our favorite beasts LAVERNE & CARMINE

Pics from life in Singapore 2010: JANUARY, FEBRUARY, and MARCH!

Michelle's OLYMPIC odyssey in Vancouver!

Enjoy!

I GOT MY STAR WARS ADIDAS

2010-03-31T04:02:00.000-07:00

And all is good - thanks for buying them Fred!
Thanks for bringing them home Michelle!