vivienne says...

Wow, Pat...hmm...does that mean for Chinese New Year I shouldn't be watching Meteor Garden anymore? XD

No more dramas? *cue Ben* GEUM impossible!...

Pat says...

學業進步

which translates to
less chinese dramas and more studying

or in general:

academic progress

Karen says...

- happy chinese new year's eve -

祝大家

新年快樂
身體健康
萬事如意
心想事成

hehehehehe. (i recently downloaded chinese writing software again.)

"near-direct" translation:

best wishes for

a happy new year
good health
all things going smoothly
getting your heart's desires.

=)

Unknown says...

keep in mind, Paul Martin's term was short lived, plus he was ruling a minority government. Yes, they had an alliance with the NDP, but juuuuuuuuuuuuuust barely. It's not easy to pass anything in the house with a minority government. Yes, there was probably things that he realistically could have done. But I think battling internal problems and a large oppoisition couldn't get him anywyere

Joanne says...

Aaaggghh Chris! I think I caught your hoarding syndrome. Today is the day I took my ice tray out from the freezer to make room for sale priced items.

Mmmm, my political two cents...are probably worth half a cent, but might as well jump on the bandwagon 8P.

I liked Paul Martin because even though I suspect half the promises he made was a desperate attempt to save his minority government with the mess that the Chretien regime (uhhh..for lack of better word...Blogspot doesn't provide a thesaurus function like Microsoft Word) left him. I absolutely think he was a good man with good intentions, albeit ineffective. Now, who can hate a good man, right?

I also liked Jean Chretien because frankly, his antics made for good laughing at the CBC comedy satires. And I admired how he refused to be bullied the US of A. Heck, I was even amused by his golf ball stunt. And what other Canadian politician is so amenable to mocking impersonations?????

The Conservatives will probably be in power for a good portion of a full term. They'll need to effect some change before they call another election in hopes of a majority government because we all know that sooner than later, everybody will forget the Liberals stole hundreds of millions of dollars from us in the 1990s. To call an election anytime within the next two years would be a very risky move because they could easily lose to the Liberals again (I think most of Canada is Liberal at heart, and it's only a matter of time before Harper's rightist quack social conservatism gets to everyone). Plus, a year generally won't be enough time for corruption to be unveiled, giving the House no reason to call a nonconfidence vote. That is of course, until Stephen Harper is caught cheating on his wife. Oh wait, wrong country...

With that said, I was glad I voted. The MP in my riding won by only slightly over 1000 votes so it's good to think that my vote mattered 8).

Christopher says...

One question I would ask is:
Why do you guys like Paul Martin?
Can you name a few initiatives or major marks he left during his term?

I think he did an amazing job balancing the budget as Finance Minister, but I really don't feel he did a very good job as Prime Minister. He accomplished next to nothing during his term, and his attempts to scramble to hold onto his government ended up coming off as pathetic. (Stronach crossing over, and countless concessions to the NDP, despite violating the principles of the liberal platform) He worsened our relationship with the US, and still hasn't fully resolved the Softwood lumber dispute. The liberal campaign this election was horrible and heads should roll. I'm glad to see they already have.

Unknown says...

Just wanted to add...
I actually liked Chretien (minus his incompetence in detecting the sponsorship scandal... at least so he claims)...
Cuz he's actually quite charismatic, and at the same time a little sly and won't be bullied around. Remember what he said about Bush? (a la: Bush is not a *bastard*, he is my friend... or something along those lines)... it was gold.

Anyway, I too agree it's time for a change at the top, but I just hope the next leader will retain the positive aspects of Chretien and Martin.

Karen says...

- it's been a good decade plus -

i watched the entire martin annoucement last night. and his critics are right. he's a great speaker but with no real action to back up his always gung-ho, grandiose speeches. his speech last night was no different. he's a very eloquent public speaker; i think a lot of canada felt him tugging at our heart strings. although i couldn't help but detect a slightest tinge of relief in his voice, i personally think martin is a bit old for the job. the past two years, he's looked so drained and exhausted throughout, esp. the campaign runs. but i'm still disappointed with the loss. even with the polls, i thought the liberals had a chance to another minority government. but alas, canada did not choose the lesser of two evils. i'm just grateful it's not a conservative majority. with such a slight win, harper should have plenty resistance in the commons.

Peter says...

hey guys... guess where i am? hehehe anyway, just wanted to make a quick post about poor paul over there (i'll post about my trip soon on my own blog). i personally don't feel very sorry for martin, even tho i do love the liberals and their policies. one of the key reasons (in my opinion) that martin lost was due to the plethora of scandals and scandal-like behavior that has surfaced since the sponsorship scandal. i mean sure, the preliminary gomery report did take its toll, but martin's promise to clean up and elminimate the 'culture of entitlement' never came through to the voters. i'm also glad that he's not running the next election... i think the liberals need a fresh face. again, i want to clarify that i'm pro-liberal policy and hope to death just as much as the next guy that they come back within a year or so. this time, they better have their f*cking act together.

P.S. turns out the entire blogspot domain is blocked in china. i can only view our blog via my blogger account. creepy huh? gotta love them commies!

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

ya...i'm also saddened by Paul Martin stepping down, (for those who heard me argue for the conservatives at Dine-Out - i am really a liberal fan at heart, just not at this campaign) but as Ben said he really didnt' have a chance, especially once he lost this election...

anyhow another pretty upsetting news: I am gonna change the Cellar Jazz night to some other time since response has been quite poor. And I've learned my lesson - I will call instead of e-mail or post online next time

Unknown says...

I almost feel sad for Paul Martin. I mean, stepping down is the right thing to do, but really... did the guy have a chance? He was pretty much dumped with a mess as soon as he took over... One could almost say Chretien really did screw him over... Bad time to take over

vivienne says...

Yay Conservatives win! :P Heheheh....it's a good mix of NDP/Con in BC.

Gordon says...

wow...we're conservative again... i bet the next election will be in 6-12 months!

Joyce says...

no one has posted anything for a while

AHHHHH

Gordon says...

Hey Chris, I'll probably come around mid-may... after a quick week in Vancouver first. Where are you going to be in the summer?

Oh... and if you didn't get my msn msg...I'm coming to TO in mid feb (17-22), so if you're not busy, we should do dinner!

Unknown says...

AHHHHHH these labs are driving me crazy. I'm just going back and forth between 449 and 421 now. And I keep grabbing the wrong cells in 449 because these were the cells we used for 421, even though they're not that good for 449. !@##$%

Unknown says...

Pete,

Smooth Sailings, and hope you have a blast in China!!! Sorry I couldn't make yesterday, but in cas Karen failed to inform you, Gary and I were stuck in the 421 lab until 830 yesterday. Having had no food for 12+ hours, we decided to stay on campus and eat before passing out.
Anyways, good luck and eat lots of chicken foot!

Ben

Christopher says...

Peter: Best of luck in China! I hope its an amazing experience!

Gordon: Congrats!! When are you coming over, maybe we can catch some dinners if its before I end school? Lol the offer to sublet my apartment for ridiculous sums of money is still open. (Much better than Joanne's offer of free. Much.)

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

peter: GOOD LUCK IN CHINA! p.s. i think my brothers say blogspot is blocked from access in china. sorry but i think all american websites are censored in china...

Gordon says...

I GOT A JOB AT SICK KIDS HOSPITAL THIS SUMMER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

doing clinical research in pediatric cardiology!!

weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Christopher says...

For those of you who think Healthcare is a non issue in a federal election:

I wrote this email to Ms. Olivia Chow (Layton's Wife), 3 days ago. I'm currently awaiting a reply. More recently (for those who read the Sun), it showed that 75% of Canadians desire more private involvement in healthcare, and that only 24% of them would vote for a party that prevented non-governmental healthcare. Something to think about as we head into the home stretch.

Dear Ms. Chow,

As a resident in the Trinity-Spadina riding, I have been very impressed by your public appearances. I was raised a Liberal but I too have been thoroughly disgusted by the corruption shown in the past few terms, and disappointed with their current campaign. I'm desperately looking for an alternative and I would love to vote NDP; however, the NDP platform's views on healthcare are stopping me from committing myself to your party. I hope you can spend a few minutes of your time and answer some of my concerns.

My primary concern is the NDP focus on forcing healthcare to be delivered in a publicly funded, publicly delivered system. I don't believe there is much controversy about having publicly funded healthcare, and no one desires a system akin to the US. However, the problem lies in the uncompromising idea of public delivery. I do not see privately delivered health care as a problem and in fact I see it as a necessity for our society to maintain our proud tradition of publicly funded healthcare.

Privately delivered healthcare already exists in Canada and there are many examples of successes. One large success can be observed in the Home Care system, to which, the NDP platform has promised one billion dollars. In Ontario, our Community Care Access Centres contract out healthcare services to for-profit companies. This allows for an environment of competition and helps maximize the services for our tax dollar. I am unsure if the NDP plan to create publicly funded non-profit home care will succeed and it may be an unnecessary (and expensive) step that does not guarantee better service.

Another area of concern raised by the NDP is the idea of privately run MRI clinics. Ideally, patients would be able to utilize public radiographic devices for their healthcare needs. However, this simply isn't a possibility in Canada. Canada has less than half of the CT scanners per capita that Germany has and only sixty percent of the US capacity. More startlingly, in terms of healthier non-radioactive/cancer inducing MRI machines, the US has three and a quarter times more machines than Canada does. Wait times for simple diagnostic procedures are lengthy and threaten the mental and physical well-being of our patients. Having a patient with a lump her in breast wait a month before she can get an MRI to determine if there is a tumour is inhumane and unethical. The Supreme Court of Canada, in its Chaoulli Decision (which will take effect soon, I believe June 2006), has determined that it is unconstitutional to force patients to endure unreasonable wait times.

In theory, this could all be solved by an infusion of money to purchase more scanning devices. Until then, having private companies purchase these expensive machines is a stop gap solution. I have not heard anything about delegating more money towards the purchasing of scanning devices and I worry that your attempts to prohibit access to MRI clinics will only worsen a problem for which you are not offering a solution.

Another serious concern about prohibiting public money spent towards private health services, is the idea of abortion. Many of the abortion clinics run across the country are privately owned and run by caring physicians. While abortions are offered by public delivery means, like hospitals, removing these clinics will limit the willingness of a woman to have an abortion performed. Clinics like Hassle Free and the Scott Clinic in Toronto, provide an anonymous supportive environment with trained counsellors and professionals. Women are less likely to enter the cold clinical environment of the hospital, waiting in public. In addition, there would be no way to deliver the personalized counselling services that they need. It surprises me that the NDP, as a socialist party, would undertake something that would discourage safe and therapeutic abortion practices.

I, as a Canadian, am proud of our current system; however, we are at a pivotal time in Canadian Health Care. In the face of rising costs, and declining performance, I feel that change must occur to make the publicly funded system viable. There have been great studies in places like Saskatoon and even in Toronto Rexdale/Lawrence Heights, about how our system can be made more efficient. Unfortunately, both the government and physicians are at fault in that there is no impetus for change in Canada. Competition is the only way to force the system to change. It will never change on its own. Even Canadian physicians support this conclusion, with 70% of members of the Canadian Medical Association believing that Canada must seriously investigate private healthcare.

I sincerely hope you can alleviate and address some of the concerns I have. I would be proud to have you represent me in Parliament, and with these issues resolved I would be able to vote NDP. I agree with the fact, we need change in our government, but I really need to see that I have a third option.

Thank you Very much for your time,

Christopher Ng

Any Thoughts??

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

Vancouverites: this is urgent!!!

I have been trying to call some of you to come to a party at my place for Peter's Farewell Wed night Jan 18 from 8pm to 10pm ish. Leo is helping me prepare some stuff for chocolate fondue!

so...expect a call from me soon, i.e. before tonight, or CALL ME!! i might have lost your number. thanks.

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

Friday Jan 27 at 10:15pm @ The Cellar Jazz Club
Rabnett Five CD Release; guitar keys bass saxes and drums.
minimum $15 food and beverage purchase with student ID, no reservation allowed

yay or nay? need respond please cuz i don't want to show up alone :D

vivienne says...

XD XD XD...I thought Christ is in Heaven

Joanne says...

Really? But didn't he die like 2000 years ago...?

Gordon says...

wow...Christ is in Toronto??

Joanne says...

Chris: The Graduate Student Union informs me of these debates. The next one is actually on Monday night somewhere in UofT...I deleted the email with the exact information on it but ask around - I'm sure someone can tell you.

Impossible. adj. Booking a reservation at Canoe for Winterlicious.

I called at 12:15am on the 10th, and every 15 minutes after that until 3pm...the reservation line was busy. Dinner time was no better. The same goes for the 11th. And when I called on the 12th, an automated voice message informed me that they're all booked! Sorry Chris, I really did try.

However, I did get reservations at Acqua! Wednesday, February 1st at 7pm. If you're feeling for some French, I also have reservations for La Maquette on Tuesday, February 7th at 7pm. Heading out to Noce and Mistura with some friends.

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

Hey peeps,

The Cellar Jazz Club live performance, anybody?

Basically I want to organize a fun night out for everyone and I need everyone's exam schedule. Please check your email and let me know! If you didn't receive my email (and you are in Vancouver), let me know too.

p.s. check the Cellar Jazz Club website for more information.

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

yup, attention seeker, that's me! :D

which means, i totally should have stuck with that musician/performer thing...

vivienne says...

Cindy: LOL...nice little narrative there. Very cute. XD

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

grocery shopping, 4 1/2 inch-heel style

so i decided to take my 4 1/2 inch black high heels from high school for a strot - it looks a little outta style but it's in great condition, which means perfect for any casual occasions where dressing nicely is well, not a requirement. grocery shopping is one such occasion, i thought.

an hour in the pouring rain later as i was about to get home, i was walking across 41st avenue in high spirits. under a protective umbrella, and with bouncy hair and purposeful, exaggerated gyrating hips, i thought i was one of the gals on Project Runway. then i slipped, lost my umbrella, fell off my 4 1/2 inch heels, and with the fall - sprained my ankle.

as i limped home in my now wet 4 1/2 inch heels, my limp hair dripping with rain and hips gyrating in unnatural positions trying to minimize my pain, i concluded that perhaps next time i ought to start with baby steps.

time to polish up my 3 1/2 inch high heels from high school. heeheehee...

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

heh heh...politics in my bedroom. see what i mean? every night before we go to bed we discuss romantic issues such as gun control and liberals' vicious ads...

well. unromanticism aside, does someone want to share the pros and cons of the conservative platform? i can probably research it but i'll need a couple of days...

Christopher says...

Lol, stop her from swaying to Conservatism? Lol heck I might even join her.

The liberals have self destructed this election.

3 Straight Sponsorship scandals
- Ad Agency - incredible amounts of money diverted (Note: that Gomery did clear Martin, contrary to whats implied by Conservative ads)
- Income Trust - People knew way ahead of time. I had seen almost word for word, Goodale's speech before he made it. I hate white collar crime, it attacks the foundations of our society. Why couldn't he have just gone out and assaulted someone instead. That being said, it will never be proven nor is it possible to prosecute someone for this sort of action. Lol after all, a government is hardly a business eh?
- Options Canada - I'm surprised that more Quebecers aren't pissed off about it. Its a good tactic of the BQ to paint this as a federalist scheme, but seriously, at the time the Liberals held a strong majority and the conservatives were merely a whisper.

2 Cases of Desperation
- Apologizing for the Head Tax - My God, the Liberal government hasnt apologized for 12 years, and they 'happen' to back track and apologize as their poll numbers start crashing. This act of desperation will cost tax payers millions.
- Removing the non with standing clause - Ridiculous. Constructed by Martin on the day of the 2nd debate (its certainly not in their platform released yesterday), this sad attempt to bring up gay rights is a farce. Not only being nearly constitutively impossible, its also stupid to remove one of main checks and balances between our judicial and legislative branch.

A Weak ASS platform
- Gun Control - I'm not fully in favor of completely relying on either social programs (NDP) or harsh penalties (Conservatives), but banning hand guns accomplishes nothing except piss off gun collectors and prarie people, and cost the tax payers a ton of money. It won't stop gun crime. That girl who was killed a few steps away from my apartment on Boxing day wasn't killed by a registered hand gun. I favor the conservatives in this case. We need penalties and we need to put these criminals in jail.
- Fighting off Sovereignists - I'm glad to see that this ploy has failed horribly. Canada doesn't need this brought up. The BQ never planned on pushing for sovereignty at this point in time.
- Education - The conservatives are putting money towards training more trades people. We don't need more people entering our universities to devalue our degrees even further. Heck, Canadian post secondary costs are incredibly low compared to the States. I look forward to the day when I won't have to pay 100$+ per hour to hire a plumber.
- Environment - I actually favor the Conservatives in disregarding the Kyoto Agreement, not that the Liberals have even come close to acheiving it. Until the world, namely the US, agrees to follow environmental standards, any attempt to do so merely further cripples our economy.

Positives
- Liberal Attack Ads - I love the 12 new ads put out. Great design and I like their effect. The best ads of the campaign by far. BTW don't listen to the liberals saying that their 12th ad, that they pulled, never aired. I saw it myself and it was good! Alot of the ads have a grain of truth, but that grain is so minute that its amusing. I don't know how successful this attempt to connect the Harper of now to the Harper of old.

Canadian Cities.
Soldiers with Guns.
In our Cities.
In Canada.
We are not making this up.

Brilliant.

- Tax Cuts - The income tax cuts serve people better than a cut in the GST, albeit a GST cut looks better. The liberal tax cut scheme is not as good for the poor but I feel its better over all. I too am concerned that the Conservative promises will lead to a deficit or failed promises. But since when have we been surprised by that?
- Beer and Popcorn/Child Care - I fully support the liberals on this. I found myself nodding my head when this was announced. 100 dollars a month isnt enough to pay for real child care, unless the economy is really that bad. People need to remember that this isn't another tax cut. This is a governmental program to address the need for a lack of available child care. Its true that 100 bucks a month will help alot of poor single mothers below the poverty line, but there should be set social programs for that.

Anyhow, thats my rant of the day. I'd love to hear some discussion on this topic!

Joanne: Thats awesome that you went to the debate. I didn't even know about it.

Joyce says...

cindy swaying towards conservatism? chris, what have you done?

j/k j/k

exam stress + vacation withdrawal = craziness

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

i want to do an AaaHHhhHHHHh too...

i hate cold + flu!!!

re: election in my riding. think the liberals will still win cuz my area is too rich,...but i find myself swaying towards the conservatives sometimes...bah, i need someone to pull me back...

Joyce says...

AAAAAHHHHHHHH

Joanne says...

I'm just surprised that TWO GUYS can have such a suggestive conversation in such an impromptu manner, if you know what I mean.

So onto other parts of our minds other the the part lying in the gutter...

In my attempt to establish myself as an independent adult, I decided to attend an all-candidates debate so I can make an educated vote, rather than just vote however my parents tell me to... I've come to two conclusions:
1) All 7 candidates are either mudslinging liars or just plain old ignoramuses.
2) The 28-year-old candidate from the Green Party is a real cutie.

Residents of the Trinity-Spadina riding were invited to ask the panel of candidates any question on their mind. Major issues that arose were (and believe it or not, health care was not one of them! I think people have come to realize that election promises regarding health care mean nothing):
- The Toronto Port Authority and the Toronto Island Airport expansion
- Gun control
- Child care
- Punishing China's human rights violations (Yes, this issue was brought up THREE times at a district debate for some reason)
- Cleaning up the air
- Postsecondary education tuition regulation
- Legalizing/decriminalizing marijuana (So apparently weed is still illegal? Whoops, my bad, haha. This was the one issue that got a reaction from the ENTIRE room. Evidently everyone from the hippie History graduate student to the middle-aged investment banker to the nice old Jewish grandmother is looking forward to the day they can smoke their joint in peace...)

Howz the election over on the west coast?

Karen says...

- i KNOW what you mean!! -

hey! i do TOO get it!! i graduated gary 101 remember? AND, i was the one who pointed out he sounds like a woman! hahahahahaha. okay, nothing to be proud of... but still i KNOW that you know that i know what you mean. muahahaha.

vivienne says...

Okay....let's not kill it in the first week, like Osama and Mafia, if you know what I mean. :p

Unknown says...

I think Cindy's training is complete, if you know what I mean. I think Gary, Likai, David, me all nudged her into her mode of thinking nowadays, if you know what I mean. I don't think Karen got the whole picture, if you know what I mean.

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

hmm is it supposed to be perverted? cuz if it is, i get it. hahaha...

Karen says...

hahahaahahahahahahaaha.

you guys are so funny. new coined term of the term? it's even better than 'it's over!!!'. cuz now, first term is, over. if you know what i mean.

hahahaahahahaha. sorry i had to, i had to. good to know everybody's in good spirits. happy posts are refreshing. =P

Gordon says...

haha... WTH??

Oh well, atleast it kept me entertained at 2am in the morning...(edmonton time..if you know what i mean...)

Unknown says...

"if you know what i mean" PART II


*Exerpt of convo*
GARY: Ahhh, the Germany job isn't paying... I need a job

BEN: Yeah, you look like you need a job, if you know what i mean

GARY: Yeah, there aren't a lot of good jobs out there

GARY: it'd be nice if I had a paid yet exciting job, if you know what I mean

BEN: Yeah, jobs are hard to find, if you know what I mean

BEN: Although, I have had a few good ones already, if you know what I mean

GARY: Yeah, random jobs are the best, if you know what I mean

BEN: You know, I actually prefer long term, stable jobs, if you know what I mean

GARY: With no vacations, if you know what I mean

BEN: People should do what they do best, if you know what I mean

GARY: People should do what they love, for life, if you know what I mean

Unknown says...

"if you know what i mean"


*exerpt from a convo after preping 421 lab*


GARY: yeah i went to see Dr. Williams today, my opinion of him went way up

BEN: something ELSE went way up, if you know what i mean

GARY: well, he stays in his office all of the time, if you know what i mean

GARY: he hasn't come out yet, if you know what i mean

CHRISTINE: He has an open door policy

BEN: if you know what I mean

(Christine has no idea what we mean)

Karen says...

indeed ben indeed. may we not bring up sadowski...ever...again. =P our regards go to gary, oh continuing member of the yeast community. hahahaha. 410 - RIP. muahahahaha.

of note: friday the 13th ahead, i just noticed today.

Unknown says...

IT'S OVER! but it's a GOOD KIND OF OVER! I CAN OFFICIALLY SAY, I SURVIVED 410!

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

Hmm am I the only person w/o a life and constantly updating the blog to see any new posts? lol.

For your information I have JUST finished 10 hours of intense St. John Ambulance related work, and I am not even close to being done. Yay. I like it when my life is full of meaning and purpose!

I need to get a real job soon though, cuz I don't want to be just doing one thing. STEVE - any openings in your DKNY store? And do I need to learn to put on makeup and dress nicer in order to be in retail?

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

I forgot if I ever posted links to my Costa Rica pictures. But here they are: Trips and Events, Volunteer Work, My Life, and My Friends

Enjoy guys!

Gordon says...

omg...i suggest we make a 2006 version of this 2 year old family tree...

and i like how i'm the only one that's not related by blood....maybe that's the only reason why i'm the only functional one...

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

Thanks for organizing the Dine Out, Gary!

And I am still giggling every time i look at that family tree...lol. I never realized but Karen was born from a different husband other than Chris, so Karen is Chris' step-daughter? No wonder Karen doesn't get much love from Chris...(not as much as Vivienne, Chris' favorite daughter, that is...)

and just to clarify, the color codes are by generations except for the nerdy gene, right? i think the nerdy gene is recessive, which means Star, Steve, Becca, Ben, Peter, and myself are all carriers...

Joanne says...

Despite our many group gatherings, I only succeeded to taking pictures at two of them (dammit, I must remember that I have a camera!) so here they are.

And by popular request, the messed up family tree is available for downloading and viewing. If one of the admins could make a permanent link to this on the side link, it'd be greatly appreciated :). Note this tree was devised as a group effort about 9 months ago...interesting to see how much/how little things have changed in less than a year eh?

By the by, thinking back to BIOL 334, can anybody figure out the mode of inheritance of the nerdy gene? ;)

Anonymous says...

Hiya ppl.

okokay... i get it now..... can someone tell Joyce the pseudo-New Yorker i received the invitation?

Joyce says...

LEO: check ur hotmail box, there should be an invitation.

Can someone tell leo that he has an invitation in case he checks this blog once a month.

bah, i'm bored to death in my "basic tissue" class, wonder why don't they just call it histology...

Gary says...

Hi guys,

Okay, so I made a reservation for A Kettle of Fish on Friday, January 20th, 2006 at 8:00PM for a party of 7 people (this is the maximum number I can book for this restaurant). So far, the people going for sure are:

Gary
Ben
Pat
Christina
Karen
Cindy

This gives us one more spot to manoeuver around just in case someone wants to join up. (They should tell one of us soon if they want to go!)

The dineout meal is $25 per person and the restaurant itself is located on 900 Pacific Blvd (near GM Place for those of us who have no car) so it will be easy to take the Skytrain there (get off at Stadium).

I've tried getting better restaurants such as Lumiere and Chambar (which is the one I really wanted to try) but I couldn't even reserve a spot for 2 people. Its that crazy.

Anyways, tell me what you guys think. I can change the reservation date and time but unfortunately I can't increase the number of people on the reservation.

Karen says...

cindy: dine out vancouver's on! =P gary's gonna see if he can organize something for us this year. he has a restaurant in mind, i can't remember what it is now...=P so contact him if you have any preferences. other vancouverites interested should also let any member of the biochem gang know soon.

Joanne says...

Chris!!!

I'm game for pretty much free anyday - I can try to avoid scheduling cannulations that week...I'm sure I will have to take time off from experiments to start working on my supervisory committee meeting anyway. Thursdays are not doable since I volunteer though.

Good to know we're on the same page! I knew I wanted to go to Canoe and Acqua even before I looked through the menus. Hopefully we can get into Canoe...problem is I'm sure everyone wants to book a reservation with them too, but I'll try! I'm kinda disappointed that other high profile restaurants like Susur, Rain and Avalon aren't participating in Winterlicious - like at least West and Lumiere and whatnot are available for Dine Out Vancouver. Cheapass Torontonians, haha. Anyway other temptations include La Maquette (looks reeeaallly pretty), Noce (they have carpaccio and venison!!!), and Pangaea (I'm a sucker for foie gras and duck confit - the more hazardous to my arteries the better, hehe...and the pot au chocolat is very very tempting...)

So I'll aim for Canoe and Acqua in that order. Any other things you want to try???

Christopher says...

Phish & Chips - Your daily dose of news and grease - back to school

Heya Joanne! Thats awesome that you can book early. My preference for date would be anytime from Sun, Jan 29 to Thursday, Feb 2nd.

My top picks are the following:
Canoe - 54th floor! I think thats higher than Panorama at the Manulife centre.
Acqua Ristorante e Bar - I've always walked by this place and I see it every time I go to the airport. Plus they offer mussels as an appetizer.

Hrm, really I'm up for anything. I'd prefer something local just so we have the potential to go back some day. Plus I can pretend I know the area too! I'd be game for lunch on any of the weekend dates too (preferentially Sundays).

What are your thoughts?

Joanne says...

Speaking of which...

Chris: Here's the prix fixe menus for Winterlicious...although I'm sure you've already looked through them. I have an American Express card! So we can book earlier 8D.

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

Vancouverites: anybody interested in participating in Dine O ut Vancouver this year? Reservation begins tomorrow, and we have a choice of 3-course dinner priced at 15, 25, or 35 dollars. The dates for dining out are from Jan 20 to Feb 2.

The link for those of you who would like to participate but outside of the PC group: here. But please do consider inviting me along even if I'm just a third/fourth/fifth/nth wheel..

vivienne says...

Gary and Joyce: Thanks for organizing congee! Even though I technically didn't get to EAT any congee...grrr......

Cindy: Thanks for lending your house for the few hours of (perverted) entertainment!

Gordon says...

Yo peeps, it has been an awesome two weeks... and you will all definitely be missed!! I wish you ALL an unforgettable 2006! Hopefully I'll see you guys before Christmas!

btw blog admins, do you guys want to send Leo another invite to this blog?

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

Happy New Year everybody!

Latest update from Cindy: thanks Joyce and Gary for organizing the congee outing! I had fun, and it was such a good thing to see everybody (well, almost) in the New Year. May the New Year bring luck, fortune and health to all of your family and friends!

Latest update from Chris: he's home, he's sick, and he has school tomorrow...(i know, poor papie...)

Karen says...

- i bring in the new year with no sleep -

so it's now 8am and i haven't slept the entire night AGAIN! wooooooo! this is becoming kinda fun!! hehehehe. tim and gordon are GONE!! yay, leo's still up with me!!! AND when you haven't slept, you feel like all sentences should end with quotation marks!!! hehehehe.

3?? 2?? i'll be there. i'll double check with you later joyce.

gary: i was thinking SO hard for which reason you were calling me a dork. *lol*. finally, joyce told me. hahahaha. me and joyce, the next picassos i tell ya! =P

all the best you guys for the new year. *thumbs up* thanks for a memorable holiday season. =)

Joyce says...

Happy New Year Everyone!

be happy
be healthy
then everything will fall into place :)

[a dental student's version of this will be: life's just like carving teeth. if you get the buccal and lingual and proximal sides right, the occlusal will fall into place; if you eat, poop and sleep well, everything will be allllright.]

Joanne says...

HAPPY 2006 EVERYONE.

We're officially past the halfway mark of this decade. Oi.

I'll be there at congee today but won't be going to Li-Kai's thing. Have fun uh...not getting hammered, hehe.