If you want to buy me something:
As blogged by Trends in Japan, the あめdeわたあめ or ame-de-watame or literally “cotton candy from candy” is an at home cotton candy maker using - your own, personal, choice candy! Feed it a hard candy, any flavour, and it melts it down and spins it into floss.
Just got home from the island. It was a good trip and I will write about it more later. Before leaving Vancouver we met up at UBC and while waiting, I spotted these mushrooms growing by a tree:
The first time for me to see mushrooms so large and so red and so spotted with my own eyes. For a long time I thought they were perhaps an exaggeration from storybooks and video games.
I didn’t eat them but don’t you wish we could in a non-mind/body altering way? I would love to cook and present food decorated with these guys.
There used to be an old bakery on Dunbar street. The kind containing, compared to chain bakeries pumping out the buns, a sparse amount of plain, homemade looking breaks and some pies, with white walls and no signs and a single older woman behind the counter, running the show. When she takes holidays so does the bakery.
Or this is what I imagined the bakery to be like. I never went inside - just walked by. But the other day I took my first walk down Dunbar since April to find a new Bakery front:
Well, it is possible that I missed this in April but - needless to say, it has the most amazing, perfect bakery feel - and name! I am not the only one who thinks so. Googling led to this article on the Dunbar area in the Straight just published this week. “Butter Baked Goods” is under the section of “Best name for a bakery”. The writer mentions that the bakery opened the same day that the schools did…I am assuming he means the neighborhood schools which opened…a long time ago. So I am guessing that the bakery is still owned by the same people, but it has been renovated.
I guess the best way to find out would be to go inside and ask. The problem is, this would likely involve buying something and my expectations for their goods, given the name and decor, are extremely high. Not only that but, part of me enjoys just the concept or fantasy or the perfect bakery and if I were to eat its baking, the bakery would land in the mundane, in reality, and become something under-appreciated.
But…if someone came to visit me and told me we were going…I might not be able to say no * wink * *wink *.
Waiting for a bus outside of work today my workmate spotted a praying mantis.
I saw this guy (or a friend or relative) a few weeks ago hanging out on a wall a few metres from this location. They are amazing to watch. It’s also really cute if you hold down one of its back legs and it tries to run away and its leg stretches like an elastic band but maybe don’t do this because it is too cute and I feel sorry for it. I really wanted to hold it but those front arms look a little prickly and I was scared.
I found honey from Alberta in a Nikko gift shop a few weeks ago.
The Safeway shelf does not make it look 15$ good but I guess it is a special thing. I shall buy some when I return to Canada and apply it in globs to peanut-buttered whole wheat toast. Ooo…that just made my stomach cramp.
(BTW the girl in the photo, her name is Kristin according to the jpg filename. Just in case you were wondering.)
I cannot believe that I didn’t hear about this 2 months ago! AGFRAG Entertainment Group (that name doesn’t sit well on my tongue) bought the rights to a Bob Ross video game which they will develop for the Nintendo Wii. Can’t express how joyful that makes me. Did anyone catch my stupid grin during lunch time.
I was going to include a picture with this post because posts need pictures especially when they are about Bob Ross. But, when I went to the Bob Ross website and did a right-click on his face, I received a pop-up:
Reminder! The contents of this website are Bob Ross Inc. copyrighted. Downloading or reproduction of any part is strictly prohibited by law.
…and to pay respect to Bob Ross, I passed on getting the picture…even though…is linking to a picture online violating copyright laws? Writing this though, it occured to me that Bob Ross would probably want people to copy those pictures. I mean…isn’t that what his whole career was about?
For those of you who don`t travel to my flickr account often, I will repost this picture:
Do you remember Barbapapa?!! So, maybe some of you don`t because Barbapapa is a series (or family) of characters in children`s books originally from France (I think). I read the books in a French immersion elementary school. Maybe 6 or 7 years ago (god that seems long ago) I was at my friend Julian`s place and saw that he had a Barbapapa book. I freaked and he, seeing my excitement, gave the book to me. It was from his childhood so I didn`t think that Barbapapa was around anymore…but in Japan it is! I don`t know about everywhere…but I found the above in the LIVIN grocery store. Now I have a Barbapapa keychain - yay!
Am I ever happy to be living in the country where in May, I will be able to buy these limited edition stamps at the post office.
Hmm…my birthday is on the 12th and if anyone was wondering…
…I think this Erasable Shower Note Tablet is pretty cool:
Just wanted to let y’all know ; )
…I think I slept *mostly* through the night. It was a little restless yeah, but that could be because it was filled with dreams of spookiness, high voltage, and moving the next day with nothing packed.
So first watch these guys doing some marimba mario tunes for a bit. Then on to a serious matter.
I was reading about the coming execution of Tuong Van Nguyen in Singapore for attempting to traffic almost 400 grams of heroin. It interested me because, just being in Singapore, I was wondering how often their harsh laws were broken.
This is a sensitive case because Tuong Van was running the drugs to help his twin brother, Khoa, pay off over $30,000 in legal debts. These debts were amassed when he was charged with possession and trafficking of heroin (though in Australia I think). This is where that thing comes in…what’s it called? Oh yeah, compassion. It’s a tough case. We know Tuong Van was only working to help his brother out. On the other hand, Singapore works by sticking to regulations. I guess the kicker here is that they are going to kill him. Me? I think death is a little too much. Hmm…it’s an interesting issue.
While you think about it, check out what the power of many can create.
OK so this was sweet. Yesterday I took the 17 from UBC and experienced transit trivia. The bus driver, John, holds transit trivia on the 17 that leaves UBC at 4:13pm (I think, could be the one before or after) Monday to Friday from UBC to the Broadway & Alma. He asks trivia questions and those who answer correctly win a chocolate bar. If no one answers correctly he does not say the answer because “like you get homework from school you also get homework from the bus!” This guy is soo cool. I urge you all to take that bus it will make you smile.
Then I developed my photos and tried to keep busy until 9pm when I could bear it no longer and I crashed. I slept until 7am this morning so hopefully I will get back into the PST zone alright. I’m worried that I am getting sick though. It would make sense because I feel like all order around me is crumbling under my touch and that’s the usual sign that I’m coming down with something. I did a test and I currently have an imbalance in my psychological state and I am tending towards a Vata Rajasic mind.
The Vata Rajasic mind is typically indecisive, hyperactive, and filled with anxiety. We’re talking about a person who is often flighty, superficial, and talkative.
I think I’ve had this imbalance for the past month but this test just confirmed it :P Fortunately for me, they say my psychological imbalance is related to a physical imbalance (ie. stress, lack of sleep, traveling, jetlag) so if I repair the physical imbalance I should see change in my mind state as well. Yay.
Now to figure out where I start? Feeling right now: nauseous, sunny, dry, lost.
-{ Hanttula.com }- -{ Presents: The Museum of Food Anomalies� }-
Some of the little faces on this page are soo cute. Reminds me of the Mr. Power Outlet.
This post on Gumption made me smile today.
He quotes from the physicians’ office:
“Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of
arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in
sideways, Champagne in one hand, strawberries in the other, body thoroughly used
up, totally worn out & screaming ‘WOO HOO - What a ride!’”
