Saturday, April 22, 2006

Stars on Ice and Playoff Hockey

Stars on Ice is on tour again. And it's also time for playoff hockey. Just having a look at the schedule for Stars on Ice makes me think how tough they must be having it. 12 cities in 20 days. That's more intense touring than the NHL players have been doing since the format's been revamped to intentionally reduce travelling.

I had the good fortune of making it to the event at Scotiabank Place (formerly Corel Centre) free of charge, volunteering. If you want to see Kurt Browning, Elvis Stojko, Jennifer Robinson, ..., this is the event not to miss. Lots of fancy moves, looks like lots of fun but definitely no less technically demanding than competitive figure skating.

Ottawa's slugging it out with Tampa Bay, Calgary with Anaheim, and we'll see how Montreal does again on Monday after thrashing Carolina 6-1. After the olympic disappointment both sides of the 49th parallel (largely due to the players' strike last year resulting in the lack of match practice, no?), the fans are back, all but Leafs fans. No, Toronto does not get to represent Canada in the competition for the Stanley Cup this year.

The removal of Corel's name from the arena in Ottawa continues the slow fade of a name that once faced off with Microsoft in the ring. But you know what? Corel is going IPO again, for the second time in its history. Don't believe me? Check out http://www.corel.com/ yourself.

Monday, April 17, 2006

Luskville Falls again (This blog is one year old!)

In April 2005, this blog came into existence with a post on the Luskville Falls trail. I am happy to say that I made it there again a year and a day after. Did I see any difference? Firstly, unlike last year, there was absolutely no trace of snow left anywhere. The falls looked a little more of a torrent and the day was just beautiful, more beautiful than last year I think. I forgot to bring my camera this time so no pictures, unfortunately. The warmest winter ever recorded in Canada might have something to do with it.

So where are the falls exactly? They are on the west side of the Eardley escarpment overlooking the Ottawa River and can be accessed via the 148. Coming from Ottawa/Aylmer, turn right at the gravel/mud Chemin de L'Hotel de Ville shortly after where the 148 becomes dual carraigeway and park along the road, then walk towards the falls past the ranch (where you can rent horses to ride, by the way). There should be quite a number of cars there at this time of the year. Google maps "Luskville, Quebec" and you will find it. If you have reached Luskville proper, you've passed Chemin de L'Hotel de Ville.

Sunday, April 16, 2006

Going on an adventure? File a trip plan with safetrip.ca

Having a trip plan filed with someone before going on an adventure has always been good practice. Now, trip planning goes online with the launch of safetrip.ca. It's great that something like this is now available online. From what I can tell, Safe Trip Canada is more of a west coast outfit at the moment. I don't know enough about search and rescue to know for sure, but it might be beneficial for someone to start something like this in central or eastern Canada. Leave me a comment if you think it's something worth doing.

Friday, April 14, 2006

Genji Sushi is become a habit in Ottawa

Genji Sushi, a family run place on Lisgar between Elgin and Metcalfe is reasonably good for sushi and tempura. It's not top-of-the-line Japanese food, but well worth the price. $20 to $30 buys you an excellent meal in a casual, comfortable and relaxed atmosphere. They keep filling your cups with green tea even after you have finished your meal, so you can stay and converse as long as you want. They have been open since December and appears to be increasingly popular. From their accents, I think they they are from Hong Kong. So long as you don't mind your Japanese food a little chinese style, that should not matter. And in case you equate chinese style food with "dunked in oil" junk, it's not like that at all - this is fine cuisine.

Monday, April 10, 2006

Get Real Christianity

There is a new wave of "get real" Christianity happening these days, accompanied by an surge in artistic expressions of biblical faith. I just returned from a conference on the evolving church in Toronto featuring Chris Seay, Donald Miller, and Brian McLaren. To some, post-modern christianity may be an oxymoron, but questions over terminology and debates over micro vs. meta narratives aside, I think there is much good to be said about getting real about one's faith. I'll allow the keynote speakers to speak for themselves online. Chris Seay is the pastor/lead elder of Ecclesia, Donald Miller is a writer and the author of the groundbreaking Blue Like Jazz and Brian McLaren's blog speaks for himself.

The way to avoid Rideau Street traffic

I learnt something new today. The way to avoid heavy traffic along Rideau Street is to use Laurier Avenue instead, connecting via Charlotte Street just west of Cummings Bridge. Charlotte is the street that leads to Strathcona Park.

Bright Pearl Seafood Restaurant - Toronto

Another good place for dimsum in Toronto. Everything is above average for a very reasonable price. Be prepared to wait a little while for a table on the weekends though, as it does get rather busy. Nevertheless, the dining hall is large enough to ensure a regular turnover of guests. The restaurant also provides a leaflet in English explaining dimsum to guests, which comes in really useful. Despite the obvious efforts put in to cater to the "caucasian market", it remains very popular amongst the local chinese community, which is testimony to the quality of food. www.brightpearlseafood.com

Sunday, April 09, 2006

Real Thailand for Real in Toronto

It's real thai food at Real Thailand on Bloor just west of Spadina in Toronto. I'm impressed with the lamb and chicken curries especially. Directly opposite the Dominions grocery store in the Annex, it lives up to its somewhat boastful sounding name by delivering amazingly delicious dishes in a casual and relaxed atmosphere. And in case you are wondering what the portraits at the back of the restaurant are about, a review dating back to 2000 on their website www.realthailand.ca explains it all.

Saturday, April 01, 2006

Getting profiled. OkCupid. Hmm...

Wired News ran an article in February on OkCupid, which I only now managed to get to due to the ridiculous backlog of email newsletters in my inbox. The mention of SHORT quizzes sparked my interest, so off to their URL I went. Ten minutes later, I've been told that I'm apparently what they call a slow dancer. Way cool.


The Slow Dancer
Deliberate Gentle Love Dreamer (DGLDm)

Steady, reliable, and cradling her tenderly. Take a deep breath, and let it out real easy...you are The Slow Dancer.

Your focus is love, not sex, and for your age, you have average experience. But you're a great, thoughtful guy, and your love life improves every year. There's also a powerful elimination process working in your favor: most Playboy types get stuck raising unwanted kids before you even begin settling down. The women left over will be hot and yours. Your ideal woman is someone intimate, intelligent, and very supportive.

While you're not exactly the life of the party, you do thrive in small groups of smart people. Your circle of friends is extra tight and it's HIGHLY likely they're just like you. You appreciate symmetry in relationships.

ALWAYS AVOID: The Battleaxe

CONSIDER: The Maid of Honor or The Sonnet


Link: The 32-Type Dating Test by OkCupid - Free Online Dating.

The Scone Witch

It takes a little bit of witchery to get the scones baked right. That's exactly what the Scone Witch at the corner of Albert and Lyon has done. It's a nice little place for breakfast. They'll keep you coming back for the different flavoured scones. I can't wait to try the meal scones (a sort of larger scone with smoked salmon or whatever). The staff are nice and friendly and the whole experience is very homelike. It's not a very big place though, and filled up quite rapidly just after 11 this morning. Somehow the scones reminded me of this really cute bakery (butter tarts, yeah!) across the police station in Renfrew. Another unforgettable place.