Stripped

Say it ain't so! A downtown Vancouver institution, The Cecil was home to one of the city's most legendary strip clubs (and the food wasn't bad either). The landmark 101 year old hotel, prior to being a "peeler bar" (yes, this is what Canadians call strip clubs), was the gathering place for many writers, artists, poets, musicians, and environmentalists back in the day. It is scheduled to be demolished as part of a larger neighbourhood redevelopment. Many entertaining Friday nights were had here with the boys during our college days. If I close my eyes, I can still smell the stale beer and cigarette smoke lingering in the air, and hear the chants of "Shower! Shower!" echoing off the walls, while the DJ asks, "Who wants to see one more dance?" I do...

Beer Testing - Round 16 (The Sweetness)

Next we put 3 "sweet" tasting beers to the challenge.

Defending Champ

Name: Asahi "The Master" Pilsner

Origin: Tokyo, Japan

Alcohol: 5.5%

Price: USD2.55/can USD0.73/100mL

Back to back title defenses, scoring 8.95/10 in its last outing.

Challenger 1:

Name: St. Ambroise Apricot Wheat Ale

Origin: Montreal, Canada

Alcohol: 5%

Price: USD2.00/bottle USD0.59/100mL

Good head of foam and nice apricot scent. Starts out sweet, and ends slightly bitter. Overall though, a simple, refreshing summer beer. Final score 6.9/10.

Challenger 2:

Name: Fuller's Organic Honey Dew

Origin: London, England

Alcohol: 5%

Price: USD4.10/bottle USD0.73/100mL

Looking at the bottle design, we had high hopes for this one, but were disappointed. It was not sweet smelling or tasting at all. In fact, it smelled like butter and just tasted weird. Final score 5.15/10.

Challenger 3:

Name: St. Peter's Honey Porter

Origin: Suffolk, England

Alcohol: 4.5%

Price: USD4.72/can USD0.94/100mL

It's at least the nicest looking bottle of beer we've had so far, with its unique oval flask shape. Definitely a strong honey aroma, with hints of chocolate and coffee. Nice complex flavour. Final score 7.3/10.

Again, some decent challengers, but Asahi "The Master" Pilsner maintains the title.

Beer Testing - Round 15 (Kelowna Challenge)

Back at home, this was the first of several rounds of beer testing done with my brother. We put a local B.C. brewery with 3 different contenders to the challenge.

Defending Champ

Name: Asahi "The Master" Pilsner

Origin: Tokyo, Japan

Alcohol: 5.5%

Price: USD2.55/can USD0.73/100mL

This is the first title defense since the impressive victory at the last Royal Rumble Japan, scoring 8.95/10.

Challenger 1:

Name: Tree Brewing Co. Kelowna Pilsner

Origin: Kelowna, B.C., Canada

Alcohol: 4.8%

Price: USD2.05/can USD0.41/100mL

A pleasant aroma, but a bit fizzy and a sharp bitter bite. However, it does get better after letting it settle down for a minute. Final score 7/10.

Challenger 2:

Name: Tree Brewing Co. Thirsty Beaver Amber Ale

Origin: Kelowna, B.C., Canada

Alcohol: 5%

Price: USD2.21/can USD0.44/100mL

A medium bodied beer, it has a smooth, malty flavour that lingers. Final score 7.1/10.

Challenger 3:

Name: Tree Brewing Co. Cutthroat Pale Ale

Origin: Kelowna, B.C., Canada

Alcohol: 5%

Price: USD2.21/can USD0.44/100mL

With a nice thick head on the pour, it has a pleasant floral aroma with hints of pine, and a full, rich flavour. Final score 6.95/10.

While all 3 challengers were solid performers, none were able to come close to taking the crown. Asahi "The Master" Pilsner keeps the title.

Stick To The Original

I'm back in Vancouver, so I need to catch up on junk food and crappy instant meals. Found this hiding in the cupboard:

I like mac 'n' cheese, and I like pizza, so this seemed to be a no brainer. Two minutes in the microwave later though, the "extreme pizza" tasted like "extreme garbage". Toss that.

Moving Violations

Those table legs sticking out the back look potentially really painful..

p.s. Why does everyone in China LOVE those welding mask/visors??

Road Rage

On our way to the train station, our taxi driver (on the left) gets cut off and is stopped by a motorcycle. The biker comes over and accuses our driver of cutting him off a while back (which he didn't). It quickly escalates into a full fledged, in-your-face argument. Our guy wants to kick his ass, while the motorcycle rider nonchalantly gets on his phone and I guess is calling for backup or something. Meanwhile, a crowd is gathering, and we're thinking, "Great, here we go.." AND, we were gonna miss our bus. Eventually however, we were able to persuade the driver to get back in the car and continue on. Just another day in China..

Talking Smack

See Food?

To the marketing manager of this failed seafood restaurant: I'm all for easy to understand messages, but pictures of lobsters and prawns randomly stuck on the glass, doesn't exactly make my mouth water.

Same But Different

I'm seeing this guy and thinking his whole look is wack. But then I paused for a sec and considered this:

There's some kid on the Lower East Side pulling off the exact same steez - shaggy hair, sleeveless button up, skinny jeans, and sneakers - and I guarantee he's a p*ssy magnet.

Build It And They Will Come

Better than doubling on a scooter, but not exactly like riding in the back of a private limo, these makeshift 'taxis' look like they are constructed out of a giant tin can, discarded plywood, and scotch tape.

Pony Up

Yep, That's A Chicken Head In My Soup

I wasn't that hungry anyway..

Hong Kong Hustle

Early evening view from my hotel room. The energy this city has never ceases to amaze me.

Contained

Back in Hong Kong for some meetings. On the Airport Express heading into the city, you pass by one of the busiest shipping ports in the world.

Wet Turban

China Eastern Airlines has thought of everything. For those times when you need a moist headdress.

The Prime Minister's Mansion

We visited the historic royal residence of Chen Tingjing, the prominent Prime Minister and teacher of Emperor Kangxi during the Qing Dynasty.

More than 500 years old, the well preserved castle complex is huge, with numerous courtyards, rooms, and towers, each having grand names such as the Tower of Rivers and Mountains, the Cave of Fighters, and the Courtyard of Young Ladies (guess which one I wanted to go see)..

Usually I'm not into visiting historical sites - they bore me to death - but this one was actually pretty cool. Mostly because we didn't have to follow any tour or route - we were free to just wander around, and there was lots to explore. We also lucked out, because we arrived right before they were going to have their daily morning parade. We didn't feel like seeing that, so while everyone else was sitting outside the palace gates watching this show, we were one of the few people inside, and we didn't have to fight the crowds. It was like being able to going on Space Mountain again while everyone else is watching the Main Street Electrical Parade.

You GO Girl!

Crimped hair extensions are back!

If you want it done right..

..you have to do it yourself.  Chinese people are unbelievably ingenious when it comes to making use of whatever's available.

"Hey, I need a splash guard. I know, how about this rice sack!"
"These CDs will make great rear reflectors!"
"What to do with this scrap piece of rubber? I'm thinking... anti-slip mat."

Bonus points for trying to make this ride bad ass by adding the faux leather gas tank cover with the flame and fringe. Ride to live, live to ride..

Men At Work (or maybe just standing around..)

It Was A Good Day

Took another sip of the potion, hit the three wheel motion..

- Ice Cube -

Get Low

Sitting On An Idea

I actually like the colour combo he's wearing: royal blue shirt with slim 2-tone grey shorts. Maybe a crisp white tank top under that, and you're good to go for next summer.

Planes, Trains & Automobiles

This afternoon, I left for a 4 day market visit tour to see what life in China's Tier 3 cities* is like. Checking out our itinerary, it looks like there's going to be a lot of time spent in transit to get to some of these smaller** cities. The trip began with a 6hr train ride to Wuhan..

* [Cities in China are ranked by spending power/quality of life. So Tier 1 cities would be like Shanghai and Beijing. And then it goes down from there, to Tier 5 or 6 I think, which would be like living in a village or small rural town. The fact is though, the majority of China's population live in Tier 3 cities, which makes it a very lucrative market for businesses to focus on.]

** [3-4 million people is considered 'small']

Body Dump