Pender Grocery

I dig the type and colours.

New Ink

I was wandering around Gastown and came across this new tattoo studio that I'd never seen before. It looked like a dope space, so I went in to check it out. The guys were all real cool, and I already had an idea for my next piece, so I decided to just go for it and get it done. Check out the studio here. I'll post some pics of the new ink later.

Save-On Meats

Downtown Vancouver, as you get closer to skid row, has a lot of colourful signs and even more colourful characters..  Save-On Meats is a Vancity icon.

Downtown Vancity

JD's

Stopped in for a quick clean up and indulged in a hot shave (which in total cost 60 bucks?! what the..) before heading back to my $1.50 ghetto cuts in Shanghai. Looks like that guy could do with a trim on that 'stache and ponytail too.

Pretty Fast, But Not Furious

At my bro's shop.

You can check out his shop here.

Is That A Wrench In Your Pocket, Or Are You Just Happy To Work Here?..

With my brother at Canadian Tire picking up stuff for his truck. I miss walking down the rows and rows of car parts, accessories, tools, lubes, sprays, hoses, and fixtures, along with the inflatable swimming pools, cheap plastic patio furniture, and tacky lawn ornaments, all with the ever-present smell of tire rubber and motor oil lingering in the air.

I always joke with him (but I'm kinda serious), that when I move back to Vancouver, for the first 6 months, I just want a job at Canadian Tire, stocking shelves, talking to guys about guy stuff, and finishing work at 5:00pm on the dot, with nothing to worry about after except whether there is beer in the fridge still, who the Canucks are playing that night, and what kind of meat I'm gonna grill on the BBQ..

Beer Testing - Round 22 (Canadian Open, Day 2)

Back in Vancouver again after my L.A. trip, the testing continues..

Defending Champ

Name: Asahi "The Master" Pilsner

Origin: Tokyo, Japan

Alcohol: 5.5%

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

With a score of 8.95/10 and 7 wins in a row, this beer is looking unbeatable.

Challenger 1

Name: Konig Ludwig Weissbier

Origin: Germany

Alcohol: 5.5%

Price: USD2.73/500mL bottle USD0.55/100mL

Pretty smooth, with no bite. Not a lot of depth compared to other wheat beers, but maybe that's why I liked it, as I'm not a fan of the strong tastes of cloves that most wheat beers tend to have. Final score 7.35/10.

Challenger 2

Name: Mt. Begbie Brewing Co. Attila The Honey

Origin: Revelstoke, B.C.

Alcohol: 5%

Price: USD4.50/650mL bottle USD0.69/100mL

A nice, deep caramel colour on the pour. It's sweet, and you can really taste the honey. I liked it, but my brother thought it was just ok. Final score 7.55/10.

Challenger 3

Name: Baltika 3

Origin: St. Petersburg, Russia

Alcohol: 4.8%

Price: USD2.54/500mL bottle USD0.51/100mL

It states on the bottle, "The Famous Beer of Russia." If by "famous" they mean "watery tasting, fizzy, and stinks", then I agree. Too bad we never saw Baltika 1 and 2. As with most sequels, they tend to get worse as they go. Sorry, but I say nyet. Please stick to making vodka. Final score 4.2/10.

Challenger 4

Name: Driftwood Brewery White Bark Wheat Ale

Origin: Victoria, B.C.

Alcohol: 5%

Price: USD4.63/650mL bottle USD0.71/100mL

This is a Belgian-style wheat ale with the addition of freshly ground coriander and orange peel, which gives it a slight citrus flavour. While we were choosing beers at the liquor store, my brother was reading the label on the bottle, when a girl walks up next to him and asks, "Have you tried that one before?" He tells her that he hadn't, to which she says, "I was just about to buy a couple bottles. It's friggen delicious!" Well, with that kind of endorsement, I guess we had to try it. Unfortunately though, it didn't quite live up to the glowing review. It was just ok. Final friggen score 6.85/10.

Asahi "The Master Pilsner" takes its 8th straight win!

Touch The Sky

No more skyscrapers to block the view, no more constant grey haze. Just the vast blue sky and fluffy white clouds of home..

Pushing Up Daisies

Late night in the garden.

Wasted Youth, Pt. 27

How does a short 2 1/2hr flight take an extra 30 minutes in the air?? It's not like we're driving on a single lane highway with a big truck in front of us. We're in the wide open sky! Just step on it!

Airline: Air Canada

Route: Los Angeles - Vancouver

Delayed flights: 27

Total time spent waiting: 1 day, 7.5 hours

Santa Monica Pier

The sights, sounds, and smells of a carnival can't help but put a smile on your face.

Surf View

I love the sun bleached colours.

Palms Up

I'm in L.A. for a creative workshop. Enjoying the warm summer nights cruising around the city.

Wasted Youth, Pt. 26

What the... We're lined up for take off, the engines thrust and we're gaining speed, when all of a sudden the brakes slam on 3/4 of the way down the runway..

After a few moments, the pilot comes on over the speaker system, "Sorry folks, we had to abort the take off due to an electrical failure." And I'm thinking, damn, this royally sucks, but on the other hand... better an aborted take off than having the power cut out while we're a mile up in the sky..

So we had to sit on the tarmac, wait for the emergency fire trucks and ambulances to come out and do a check of the plane as standard protocol, then taxi all the way back to the gate and deplane.

We waited to see if they would let us back on, or if they needed to fix the plane, but eventually they cancelled the flight altogether and I had to wait for a later flight (which also ended up being delayed!). So in all, I spent 8 hours at the airport and missed my first day of meetings.. Fack!

Airline: Air Canada

Route: Vancouver - Los Angeles

Delayed flights: 26

Total time spent waiting: 1 day, 7 hours

Travelling Mickey Launch Event on Hypebeast

Thanks Hypebeast for the event recap.

Beer Testing - Round 21 (Canadian Open, Day 1)

Being back home, here's my chance to get my fill of non-Asian beer, so my brother and I are trying all sorts of random brew. However, the defending champ has been looking pretty unbeatable thus far, and is going for it's 7th straight win.

Defending Champ

Name: Asahi "The Master" Pilsner

Origin: Tokyo, Japan

Alcohol: 5.5%

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

With a score of 8.95/10, this beer remains the crowd favourite.

Challenger 1

Name: Granville Island Brockton IPA

Origin: Vancouver, B.C.

Alcohol: 6%

Price: USD1.80/can bottle USD0.51/100mL

We thought we'd ease into it and start local. This beer is named after Brockton Point in Stanley Park, and is crafted in celebration of Granville Island Brewing's 25th anniversary. A nice golden colour, easy drinking and mild flavoured, it tastes a bit like Earl Grey tea. Fine, but nothing outstanding. Final score 6.7/10.

Challenger 2

Name: Wernesgruner Pils Legende

Origin: Germany

Alcohol: 4.9%

Price: USD2.10/500mL can USD0.42/100mL

Smells like pine needles? Tastes like fizz + alcohol. Anyone speak German? Does Wernesgruner mean 'this sucks'? Final score 4.05/10.

Challenger 3

Name: Schneider Weisse

Origin: Germany

Alcohol: 5.4%

Price: USD3.41/500mL bottle USD0.68/100mL

Caramel in colour, with good foam on the pour, and a floral aroma and taste. A mild wheat beer. Drinkable, but nothing too special. Final score 5.9/10.

Challenger 4

Name: Innis & Gunn Canadian Cask

Origin: Edinburgh, Scotland

Alcohol: 7.1%

Price: USD4.93/bottle USD1.49/100mL

Bottled in celebration of Canada Day 2010, we had really high hopes for this strong, oak aged beer, based on its fancy packaging, and its dark, rich caramel colour. It had a strong malt aroma, with hints of caramel and chocolate. On first sip, it had a bit of a bite, but gradually got smoother after airing for a few minutes. However, after a few more minutes, it started smelling like soy sauce? And it made my tongue numb. It scores a disappointing 6.35/10.

Challenger 5

Name: Fruli Strawberry Beer

Origin: Belgium

Alcohol: 4.1%

Price: USD2.46/250mL bottle USD0.98/100mL

Since we also had my sister-in-law on the judging panel this time, we decided to be nice and include a couple of fruit flavoured beers. This one claims to be brewed with pure fruit juice. It smells like strawberry jam, and tastes like Kool-Aid with alcohol. The irony is, the 2 guys liked it better than the girl did. Final score 3.2/10.

Challenger 6

Name: Liefmans Fruit Beer

Origin: Belgium

Alcohol: 4.2%

Price: USD2.46/250mL bottle USD0.98/100mL

This one is made with cherries. It smells like fresh raspberries, and looks like Ribena (even the foam is purple-y red). Sweet, with a slightly sour aftertaste (like a cherry!). Basically, you can drink it like a cherry soda. Final score 5.2/10.

No one came close to upsetting Asahi "The Master" Pilsner, so the winning streak continues.

Travelling Mickey on Overdope

Overdope.com from Taipei did a nice event recap for us. Here's a couple photos of the exhibition space.

Wasted Youth, Pt. 25

An extra 30 minutes flying time, due to headwinds or something, but who cares. I'm home!

Airline: Air Canada

Route: Shanghai - Vancouver

Delayed flights: 25

Total time spent waiting: 23 hours

Travelling Mickey Exhibition

Our Travelling Mickey exhibition launched today at Man Is In The Forest. Size Magazine did a great cover story for us. I love all the designs, but I have my eye on these few in particular that I'm gonna try to put a bid in for. Above is Golden Mickey, by Paris based graffiti artist Andre. It fuses a gold leaf-covered Mickey with Andre's famous Mr A character.

Makoto Azuma, a botanical artist from Japan, created this very unique Mickey Moss design.

But probably my favourite is Mickey Loco Does Compton by Mr. Cartoon, incorporating his East L.A. style of tattoo and lowrider culture to create this amazing candy-coated air brushed piece.

You can see all the designs and make a bid on our online auction here. A majority of the proceeds will go to charity, so please bid generously.

Shattered

What the?.. I came home from work and opened the curtains to my balcony to see one of my sliding doors completely shattered (thank goodness for the safety glass). I was thinking maybe a bird kamikaze'd into it, but no sign of any winged creatures on my balcony. I'm baffled..

Travelling Mickey on Hypebeast

Hypebeast did a feature article for us on our upcoming Travelling Mickey exhibition. We gave 10 notable artists/designers from around the world a blank canvas in the form of a white Mickey statue, and asked them to create their own interpretation of Disney's most iconic character. Contributors include Andre, Cassette Playa, Dr. Romanelli, Eric So, and Mr. Cartoon, to name a few.

The exhibition kicks off in Shanghai on July 15th at Man Is In The Forest, then moves to Hong Kong, and finally to the upcoming Man Is In The Forest Taipei. During the exhibition period, the one-of-a-kind statues will be up for auction via online bidding, with the winners announced at the conclusion of the exhibition tour. Limited edition tees have also been created as part of the project. A portion of the proceeds from the auction and tee sales will go to charity.

CLOT x Disney @ Taipei Toy Festival

CLOT will be exhibiting at the Taipei Toy Festival this year, featuring a number of our collectible vinyl figure collaborations, including our Year of the Tigger, BambiTron, a 5ft. tall Rex from Toy Story, and the 3-Eyed Mickey from the Disney animated film Chicken Little.