The Waldorf Hotel Is Awesome (2010-2013)

Memories from The Waldorf Hotel in Grandview-Woodland from October 30, 2010 to January 20, 2013. As seen in Vancouver Is Awesome.



And it always will be be (awesome, that is), no matter what. You probably heard the sad news (Bob summed it up optimistically here) about the latest incarnation of the iconic Waldorf Hotel.

83rd Annual Oscars: Ballot (for 2010)

I saw all ten Academy Award nominated best picture candidates this year. See my top 10 list for more. Below are my Oscar winner predictions based on industry news and expertise, not my personal preferences. See how I did on my picks last year and the year before.

Picture: The King's Speech
Director: David Fincher, The Social Network (Winner: Tom Hooper, The King's Speech)
Actor: Colin Firth, The King's Speech
Actress: Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, The Fighter
Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Original Screenplay: David Seidler, The King's Speech
Adapted Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network
Animated Feature: Toy Story 3
Foreign Language Film: In a Better World
Documentary Feature: Exit Through the Gift Shop (Winner: Inside Job)
Documentary Short: Strangers No More
Live Action Short: God of Love
Animated Short: Day & Night (Winner: The Lost Thing)
Original Score: Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, The Social Network
Original Song: "We Belong Together", Randy Newman
Sound Editing: Inception
Sound Mixing: Inception
Art Direction: Alice in Wonderland
Cinematography: True Grit (Winner: Inception)
Makeup: The Wolfman
Costume Design: The King's Speech (Winner: Alice in Wonderland)
Film Editing: The Social Network
Visual Effects: Inception

Update: I went 19 for 24. Not bad.

Review: Sofia Coppola Goes 'Somewhere' Special

Filmmakers are often punished by the public for sticking to familiar territory. Oscar-winning writer/director Sofia Coppola returns to form with her forth feature, Somewhere. She sticks to similar themes from her previous works, a trilogy featuring lost young women in The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation, and Marie-Antoinette.

Lunch x Sophie's Cosmic Cafe x Kitsilano

Lunch at Sophie's Cosmic Cafe on West 4th Avenue in Kitsilano on December 30, 2010.



I returned to Sophie's after my first visit and this time brought my whole family.

Dinner x Cactus Club Cafe x Richmond

Dinner at Cactus Club Cafe in Richmond on December 28, 2010.



My cousins and I dropped by Cactus Club in Richmond after a good experience downtown for lunch earlier. I ordered the short rib sandwich and I thought it was mighty scrumptious and tasty. I liked the meaty texture which was moist and tangy. The bread was crisp but not hard with a soft touch once bitten into.

Sushi x Shiro Japanese Restaurant x Cambie

Dinner at Shiro Japanese Restaurant on Cambie Street on December 27, 2010.



Colene and I trekked to Shiro for a post-Christmas dinner before I starting work in the new year. It is a small place, but was packed with hungry customers. There was already a healthy line when I arrived. Fortunately, the wait was fairly short.

Top 10 Films of 2010

Click on each title for my review of that film.

1) The Social Network (dir. David Fincher)

2) Greenberg (dir. Noah Baumbach)

3) Exit Through the Gift Shop (dir. Banksy)

4) Black Swan (dir. Darren Aronofsky)

5) Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (dir. Edgar Wright)

6) The Fighter (dir. David O. Russell)

7) Inception (dir. Christopher Nolan)

8) Toy Story 3 (dir. Lee Unkrich)

9) Somewhere (dir. Sofia Coppola)

10) True Grit (dir. Joel & Ethan Coen)

Christmas Dinner x Kirin Restaurant x City Square x Cambie

Christmas dinner at Kirin Restaurant at City Square Shopping Centre on Cambie Street on December 25, 2010.



On Christmas, my visiting cousins and I headed to a fancier Chinese restaurant for dinner. I was amused at all the white people dining around us. The joke of only Chinese places being opened on holidays came up a lot.

Bubble Tea x Tri-ty Cafe x Richmond

Bubble tea at Tri-ty Cafe in Richmond on December 23, 2010.



Tri-ty has great bubble tea. Their selection is wide and serve any tastes. All the milk teas from fruit to flavours are solid. I particularly like the milk teas and ice cream slushes, particularly the mango and strawberry flavoured ones. There are a few fusion flavours of fruit that stand out. They are all good. However, anything with ice cream is a winner.

Dim Sum x Shiang Garden Restaurant x Richmond

Dim sum at Shiang Garden Restaurant in Richmond on December 22, 2010.



My extended family and visiting cousins decided on some good old dim sum for lunch. Shiang was pretty packed on a pre-holiday weekday.

Mirrorball x New Year's Eve 2011 x Jewel Ballroom

Mirrorball New Year's Eve 2011 party at Jewel Ballroom on December 31, 2010.

Martini's Restaurant x Broadway x Mount Pleasant

Dinner and drinks at Martini's Restaurant on West Broadway on December 21, 2010.



My buddy Chris and I randomly decided to try the Italian cuisine at Martini's. It is a nice, small-sized Italian eatery in the Broadway area just before Main Street. We kicked back with a couple Raven Cream Ales.

Review: 'True Grit' – The Coens Abide

True Grit, the remake of the 1969 original starring the legendary John Wayne in his only Oscar-winning performance and a retelling of the 1968 Charles Portis novel, is simply another solid effort by Joel and Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men). In the best possible way, the Coens have crafted a bare bones western tale of vengeance, retribution, and redemption with a top notch cast from top to bottom.

Bright Nights x Christmas Train Ride x Stanley Park

13th annual Bright Nights and Christmas train ride in Stanley Park on December 24, 2010.

Review: Here Comes 'The Fighter'

The Fighter is the definition of a passion project. Actor/producer Mark Wahlberg, formerly of The Funky Bunch and brother of Donnie, has been dying to play the role of his hometown hero, boxer "Irish" Micky Ward for years now. After many false starts and stops with different directors and continuous training over four years, director David O. Russell (Three Kings, I Heart Huckabees) has delivered a great fight picture.

5 Easy Ways Women Can Make Men Happy

1) Flirt.

Men like to have their egos stroked. No matter what stage of a relationship you are in or even if you are not in a romantic one at all, men like to flirt. Even men in committed relationships like the ego boost of another woman's (hopefully) harmless flirtations. We like the attention. It makes us feel special.

Review: The Spectacle of 'Tron: Legacy'

Tron: Legacy is the sequel/reinvention to the 1982 video game/cult film hybrid oddity that no one really demanded. The original is a very strange, ahead of its time in concept film of pure imagination. Its sequel, 28 years later, is fully equipped with state of the art visual effects and technology thats serves as a somewhat worthy follow up and definitely equally out there in concept. The film dazzles cinematically, especially in IMAX 3D, but misses dramatically.

CBC News: Vancouver Coworking x The Network Hub

Listen to my news story for CBC Radio One on Vancouver Coworking Spaces and The Network Hub.



Shared coworking spaces are becoming a more popular alternative to traditional offices as a growing trend in Vancouver's entrepreneurial and start up community. (1:11)

The Social Medium: Standing Out Online

1) Be innovative.

Truly original content is hard to come by. The easiest way to stand out is by offering something unique that you cannot get anywhere else on the interwebs. Online personality goes a long way. Witty, funny hooks to blog posts, tweets, photos, or whatever can do wonders.This goes for all social media platforms. Always try to be creative.

Dinner x Alpha Global Sushi & Bar x Yaletown

Late night Japanese food dinner at Alpha Global Sushi & Bar in Yaletown with Vanessa Chu, Dennis Pang, May C., and Beki Liang on December 10, 2010.



After a night at Caprice for the Holiday Meetup of Meetups with other Vancouver Twitter folk, the five of us were starving for some good food. Eventually, we settled on Alpha for its great sushi and Japanese eats.