HANGING WITH MY BOYS

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

With LAVERNE & CARMINE and life is good!!!

THE 2010 LAS D&D

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

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

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

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

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

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

IT'S OUT!!!

iLIGHT FESTIVAL

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

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

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!!!!!

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

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!!!

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

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

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

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

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!!!

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:

1. Get hooked up to an IV
2. Sit on a giant plastic bottomed table that's wet (it helps with the waves)
3. Find the stone on Ultrasound
4. Get some "happy juice" injected into your IV
5. Lock your body in place so you don't move
6. 60 minutes of tapping against your kidney
7. 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

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

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!

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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!!!

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

HAPPY CANADA DAY

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

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

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

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...

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

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

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

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

ANOTHER CLASSIC REBORN...

THE OLD REPUBLIC

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

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

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!