Canadaversary
Tuesday July 31, 2018
Tomorrow marks one year since I landed in Canada to start a new life. It's gone by pretty quickly, but I'm still thoroughly enjoying my job and the city - and especially now that it's summer, it's incredibly exciting to experience all the events and sights that Toronto has to offer. Each weekend has been filled with something to do, something to eat, something to see. I shared 100 oysters for $100 with three others, had All You Can Eat Peking Duck, tried Xinjiang and Teochew cuisines; there was dim sum, office breakfasts, birthday dinners and barbeques in the park. There was karaoke, a hike around the Niagara Falls Whirlpools, Canada Day fireworks by the beach and a road trip to the Blue Mountains, where I drove on the right side of the road for the first time. I caught up with Dionte and we walked around Graffiti Alley. The company had its General Assembly last Friday, where we partied until midnight.
Last weekend I was in Chicago catching up with Loic, Dana and Marc. I went to a baseball game, which went exactly how I thought it would, in true American fashion: the hand on the heart thing for the national anthem, the sloppy greasy food and cheap beer, the whole atmosphere of Wrigley Stadium was just like I had seen on TV or in the movies. It did rain a bit though, and it would persist throughout the time I was in Chicago. We also explored Wicker Park, the area around our AirBnB, and I even snuck in some time to do a few Zapdos raids in Millennium Park. The four of us did a escape room, then watched the fireworks off Navy Pier. Of course, I had the famous deep dish pizza from Pizzeria Uno too - I wouldn't have left the city without it!
My weekends are so packed that the weekdays need to be quiet so I can relax and chill out. But I love it. I need to maximise my time before winter comes.
Posted by Jeremy at 4:26am on Tuesday July 31, 2018 :: 0 comments :: 
March
Saturday March 3, 2018
It's been seven months since I arrived in Toronto to start a new life and a new job. It's also some other 32 year anniversary for something, but I won't go into that too much. But it does mean it's spring, kinda. The days are definitely getting longer and we enjoyed double digit temperatures for a few days, but today it plummeted back to 2C and it's begun snowing.
I got horribly sick last week after work karaoke on Chinese New Year. I was visiting some family friends out in Richmond Hill, and after dinner, I began to feel terribly cold, and got muscle aches and a fever. Somehow I still dragged myself to a Chinese New Year dinner with my badminton friends, but I stayed at home for the next four days trying to recover. I got to experience the greatness of the famous Canadian healthcare system too. I'm still not at 100% but I managed to at least go for badminton and attend the Pokemon Community Day last weekend. I also got treated to an amazing seafood dinner with lots of oysters!
Canadian public holidays are really nicely spaced out over the year. In fact, there was a gap in holidays between New Years and Easter, so they made up a provincial holiday in Ontario called Family Day in February. Isn't that great?
Posted by Jeremy at 12:34am on Saturday March 3, 2018 :: 0 comments ::
Supa Dupa Cuba Dupa
Monday March 30, 2015
Last weekend, Mat was down for a visit so we checked out the Cuba Dupa festival and its eclectic shows and performances, as well as the amazing smells of the street food being served by local businesses. Got a delicious Bluff oyster from Matterhorn, and unfortunately was too full to try the smoked ribs proudly on display outside El Matador! The weather was a little wet and windy, but despite that, the crowds had turned out in force. Good times! We ended the day with dinner from Origami and dessert from Strawberry Fare.
On Sunday, I caught up with Vaughan, Alan, Aaron, Charles and Megan at Spruce Goose on a very sunny Sunday morning. The weather worsened over the day and I was a little rained out heading to the gym, but otherwise it was good to see more of Cuba Dupa still happening in the afternoon. I joined some workmates at the Bruhaus for a very disappointing Cricket World Cup final.
Ah cricket.
It was only in this last week that the whole nation suddenly began caring about cricket. Normally, we find it boring as hell, with really only the highlights being watchable. But at the semifinals between New Zealand and South Africa, there was a sense of excitement and tension. There was drama. There were epic moments. We began strong, striking wicket after wicket but South Africa posted a commendable 281 runs from 43 overs. When it was time for New Zealand to bat, we had a tough 298 to chase thanks to the Duckworth/Lewis method for calculating targets from play interrupted by rain. But what a close call - Grant Elliot's final triumph in the second to last ball of the game. With five runs needed, he smacks the sweetest six you've ever seen into a crowd of excited Kiwis - moments before, so still and nervous at the prospect of losing this match. Truly fantastic.
Quick summary of the last few weeks: we farewelled Joe on Friday with some tequila shots and a strong showing at karaoke, it was Will's birthday on Thursday so we were out pretty late at the Bruhaus, had a Disney Marathon and saw Tangled, Tarzan and the Lion King, and also saw Chappie (it was the worst). Work has been pretty samey lately, but next month will be a tough slog. It's almost April already...sheesh.
Posted by Jeremy at 10:13am on Monday March 30, 2015 :: 0 comments ::
Year of the Horse
Thursday February 6, 2014
I spent Chinese New Year up in Auckland. I guess I'm a stickler for tradition, Chinese New Year should be spent with family and it was good to see my parents, my sister and brother in law, and especially my two nephews. One day I hope to spend CNY back in Malaysia - I almost had a chance to do that this time round but Malaysia Airlines wouldn't have any of that.
Eight at the Langham Hotel had a promotion during January where all diners whose birthdays were in January dined for free! So I treated dad to the famous buffet lunch there and it was awesome. There was plenty of fresh oysters and some different things from when I went over New Years with Jordan, and some festive delights in celebration of the Chinese New Year too! Not surprisingly, the majority of the diners there were Asian. The amazing lunch caused me to have a three hour food coma, but I regretted nothing.
Saturday was our family Chinese New Year dinner. Though "reunion dinner" is supposed to happen on New Year's Eve, rules are a bit more relaxed these days to allow for working families and those who have to travel long distances to get home. Nevertheless, the spirit of the dinner was honoured, with plenty of dishes, each symbolic in their own right: chicken, duck, prawns, fish and vegetables made for a scrumptious feast, even if it was a bit chaotic preparing it.
On Sunday I went to church, followed by our regular lunch at Masala, and then I met a few of the old gang at Cornwall Park for a late barbeque picnic for Jacinta. So wonderful to feel the sunshine (and no wind), and great to catch up with people - even if I'd only seen them a month ago. It's been six years since I left Auckland, but I still enjoy the friendships I've made with these people despite the distance. I also got to play badminton on Monday night with them - so good.
I managed to get a login for the computers at Uni so I could work on a presentation about Dynamic Programming for the PikPok Developer Conference next week. I took the chance to wander around the city campus, admiring the new buildings and appreciating the old ones. I was astonished to find the entrance to the CompSci department completely different - they've removed the time tunnel and replaced it with a large hallway where the Science Student Center sits, as well as a time wall depicting various important historical events. Info Commons hadn't changed much (Munchy Mart is still there <3) and I was able to finish most of the Powerpoint presentation in the three days I was at Uni. I also caught up with Bobby and Raymond on Tuesday at Elliot Stables, and Graeme and Tom on Wednesday at Tony's.
Such a pleasant and relaxed few days. I should do that more often.
Posted by Jeremy at 9:45am on Thursday February 6, 2014 :: 0 comments ::
Wellington on a Plate 2013 Wrap-up
Sunday September 8, 2013
Yes, I realise that Wellington on a Plate finished two weeks ago, but I've been busy and/or tired and lazy! So to recap, Wellington on a Plate runs for 17 days in August, and is a celebration of Wellington's finest food establishments and the amazing produce and ingredients that they source from around the region. Restaurants and cafes join in by offering a special set meal or degustation during this festival, or they may opt to enter the burger competition with an exquisite burger of their creation, and a Garage Project beer to match. I have been to a few Wellington on a Plate meals in previous years, but this year I decided to hit it hard. Here are some quick fire stats:
Number of Burgers Consumed: 11
Number of Oysters Consumed: 18
Dined with: 19 different people in total
Best Burger: Hummingbird's Craydaddy Crayfish Burger
Best Meal: Logan Brown
Worst Burger: Crazy Horse's Kimchi Burger
Worst Meal: Martin Bosley
Total Money Spent: $635.60
Level of Happiness: Highest it's ever been
A full set of photographic documentation and verdicts on each dish can be found on my Wellington on a Plate album on Facebook. Many thanks to each of my friends who shared these delicious experiences with me; good food must always be matched with good company!
I was impressed by the dinners I had at Ortega and Logan Brown. It was my second time at Ortega and first time at Logan Brown, and though several people had extolled the quality of the food at Logan Brown, my own dining experience there exceeded my expectations. Definitely the most outstanding meal I've had this year - on par with the amazing degustation I had at Tatsumi in Newmarket, Auckland last Labour Weekend. I knew what to expect from Ortega so there were no surprises that the quality of the meal and the freshness of the seafood were top notch. The biggest disappointment was Martin Bosley's - small portions, average quality, and unreasonably expensive - everything I find frustrating about fine dining. For such a celebrated chef, I think he could do much, much better.
Burger Rating List (Mouseover for burger descriptions!):
- Hummingbird's Craydaddy Burger: 10/10
- Duke Carvell's Flocking to the Duke's Harem Burger: 9.5/10
- The Grill at the Amora's Classic Sunday Roast Lamb Burger: 9/10
- Ti Kouka's All About Longbush Pork Burger: 8.5/10
- The Larder's Dough and Deer Burger: 8.5/10
- El Matador's Che's Chevito Burger: 8/10
- Little Beer Quarter's Burg-As Bro Burger: 8/10
- Vivant!'s Elementary, My Deer Watson Burger: 8/10
- Atlanta's Ring of Fire Burger: 6.5/10
- Crazy Horse's Kimchi Burger: 2/10
Apart from the meals and burgers, there was also the Oyster Saloon, a caravan in the carpark right by Duke Carvell's on Cuba Street and Swan Lane, where they served freshly shucked oysters on a quaint egg carton - au naturel or beer battered to your liking. I love oysters so much, and hands down the winner of the five varieties I got to try were the sumptuous Stewart Island variety - gorgeously large and creamy, and all the characteristic sweet and salty flavours of the sea that every fresh oyster should have. Also, there was the Moore Wilson's Taste Street Night Market, filled with stalls selling bisques, chowders, sliders, sandwiches, grilled meats, ice cream, chocolates and more. It was fantastically busy, with thousands of people crammed into the upper level carpark at Moore Wilson's. Winner on the night was the Zany Zeus Grilled Haloumi Sandwich, hot off the barbeque and drizzled with fresh lemon juice - yummo!
A thoroughly enjoyable 17 days of decadence.
Posted by Jeremy at 10:42am on Sunday September 8, 2013 :: 0 comments ::
Missing Auckland
Monday December 5, 2011
I often get asked if I would move back (or when I'm moving back) to Auckland for work. A few months ago, I thought about how hard it would be to leave what I have now - a good job, great friends, a good flat and flatmate, 15 minutes to anywhere in town, badminton on Saturdays, Strawberry Fare - and many other things. I thought about how awkward it would be if I went back to Auckland, but only because I hadn't been back since Easter and it felt like I'd drifted apart from people. I know I complain a lot about Wellington, especially about the weather and the lack of good Asian food, but the city is neat and compact, it has character and most importantly, after 4 years, it's finally feeling more like home.
I was in Auckland last weekend for a friend's wedding (I missed that big 5.7 earthquake too). Two of my other friends at the wedding were in a similar situation to me - they felt like they'd drifted apart from various people there and were wondering if it was going to be awkward seeing them again after so long. But it wasn't. We just slotted back in naturally and it felt like nothing had changed. It felt good. It was good to be reminded that strong friendships endure time and distance, and for that I'm thankful.
The wedding was amazing. The bride was an hour late - I know it's the norm for brides to be late to a wedding but Jo has never been known for her punctuality anyway, so it was a compounding effect. The ceremony was nice and the food was delicious. Jo had set up a candy bar for people to take away a sweet reminder of the day - such a great idea! I want a candy bar at my wedding. After cleaning up the church, we went to the reception restaurant to begin preparations for the night's dinner.
And what a dinner. Buffet style, unlimited oysters. I had 10! No regrets. The seafood was fresh and juicy, the roast pork, chicken and beef were sumptuous and the salads were light and refreshing. There was two different kinds of cheesecake for dessert - one was lemon, the other was some kind of chocolate concotion, I think. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but it tasted like there was some kind of berry flavour. In any case, I was lucky I didn't overeat because it was time to break it out on the dance floor. Party rock - whoo!
I caught up with my school mates at Sun World for yum cha. And again, there was no awkwardness (apart from the natural awkward aura that Tom provides) - we just chatted like old times. Food was top notch as usual. We went our separate ways and I went to catch up with my sister. I haven't seen my nephew in so long - he's grown so much and he is still absolutely adorable. He's a bouncy baby and smiles back at you when you smile at him. It was so cute when he tried to grab the cat - I feel sorry for the poor cat, as my nephew is just clutching whatever his little hands can grip: whiskers, ears, fur, tail!
My flight was quite late so my parents and I went out for dinner at KK with some relatives who were visiting from Brisbane. I hadn't seen them in around 10 years and I was shocked to see how much the three girls had grown. I wouldn't have been able to recognise them in the street. It was good to see them again and of course, the food really hit the spot. Why can't we get nice things like that in Wellington!?
Photos from this brief but very enjoyable trip to Auckland in the gallery.
Posted by Jeremy at 8:47am on Monday December 5, 2011 :: 4 comments ::
So. Full.
Tuesday November 27, 2007
Omg. So. Full. Too. Much. To. Eat.
You know when you eat too much, and you have troubles breathing, and you feel lethargic, and you just want to lie down? Yeah, that's me, right now.
I took my auntie and my family out to eat at this Sun World: New Millennium place in Newmarket. Auntie May from Enjoy Inn owns it, or something. We had Peking Duck, steamed oysters, prawn balls and some XO tofu. Omg. It was so good. SO GOOD. All I can think about it how much food I ate and how I'm so full and omg it was soooo good.
Food is so awesome.
Posted by Jeremy at 8:45am on Tuesday November 27, 2007 :: 1 comment ::