Pasadena Day 4 / Home

I woke up with a horrible cough this morning. So I spent My last half of a day before I go home, packing and relaxing. I met up with Laura for lunch at Equator in Old Town. Equator is an Asian fusion place. I had the lunch special Pad Thai which was really good and the portion was huge. Laura had a crab roll with albacore tuna. Our bill came to only $20. After lunch I went back to Laura and Henry's to relax and do any last minute packing.

To get from Pasadena to LAX airport by Metro is a bit of a hassle so I booked a shuttle that picked me up from Laura and Henry's. It was about $25 which is not bad considering a taxi would of been astronomical. I flew Alaska Airlines home direct to Vancouver and that was a big savings believe it or not.

I got to the airport with a few hours to spend so I refreshed my memory with some of Arrested Development's episodes before the new episodes come out on Netflix. The plane boarded early and for some reason I could not get comfortable on the flight to fall asleep. :( The plane arrived on time and was welcomed to Vancouver rain. And now my cough has gotten worse and I sound like a dying person. Hopefully I can take a day off tomorrow to rest and get better.

Time to start planning the next vacation.

Pasadena Day 3

Shopping in Old Town! First stop H&M. I met up with Laura for lunch as her work is right in Old Town. We went to Dog Haus a gourmet hotdog and burger place. Each hot dog is served on a Hawaiian bun and topped with crazy condiments. I ordered the Downtown Dog and Ogre rings. They were heart attack heaven. I could not finished mine.

Laura went back to work and I continued shopping. I went to Forever 21 and got a few things. After searching through the two floors of Forever 21 I had to pee. And the only place around there was the iPic movie theatre. Holy crap that is a fancy theatre. Bars and lounges inside the theatre and at the bottom of the escalator a cute girl is there to point you in the right direction. I also went to this place called Cotton On and got a cute dress and blazer. After all that walking in the hot sun I sat down in a court yard in the shade and just relaxed.

A few things I noticed here are; everywhere you go and pay by credit the cashier asks for your ID and I have never had to put in my pin. Found out it's because there's a lot of credit card theft here. I think this is an Old Town thing but addresses here don't go from 0-100 in one block it might take several blocks before you get to the 80s. One thing I hate is that it's okay to U-turn here. I almost got hit by someone trying to U-turn and I had the right of way. There was this diagonal pedestrian crosswalk which was kind of cool. I also like that machines have not replaced people unlike back home. But I really like the old brick buildings and terracotta roofs.

At 5PM I met up with Laura as her shift was over and we walked back home. We decided to take it easy tonight and ordered take out from Himalayan Cafe. The food was so good and they even delivered my mango lassi. We just hung out and bothered Henry while he did his homework. I did some laundry and sort of packed up.

Pasadena Day 2

I slept in this morning for the first time this vacation! I woke up around 10AM and got ready to meet up with Henry and some of his physics friends. We went to Mijares Restaurant for lunch. Mijares has been around for 92 / 93 years. I ordered a chicken tamale and chile rellenos with beans. It quenched my appetite for mexican food.  After lunch Henry went back to Cal Tech for his last class of the day and I went shopping. I went to Ross and TJ Max. Ross is always a place I like to go to when I'm in the US because I can always find something there. TJ Max is like Winners before Winner got to popular. It was a good day of shopping, found a couple things, no lines and friendly staff.

I met up with Henry after shopping and we met up with Laura after her work, to go to Little Tokyo in LA. We went to Izakaya Honda-Ya. I ordered Coke Chu-Hi to drink, a spicy tuna roll and a super California roll (a California roll with eel on top). It was a bit expensive but worth it. After dinner we walked around Little Tokyo, nothing too exciting as Vancouver has a huge Asian culture. But we did pick up some green tea mochi ice cream (which according to Wikipedia ice cream mochi originated in LA).

Pasadena Day 1

Checked out of the hotel. I give it 3 stars. The staff were very friendly but the rooms were noisy and I couldn't get the shower to work. I decided to call the cab driver I had from the theatre because he actually knew where I was staying last night. And my cab fare was half what I paid the first cab driver, yay. I have to say I won't be coming back to Fullerton anytime soon, there just isn't anything to do around here and you need to drive everywhere.


I caught the Amtrak train to LA and then took the Metro to Pasadena to meet up with Laura and Henry. We ended up going to the Norton Simon Museum and saw Van Goghs, Monet's and Asian art.

After the museum we walked around Old Pasadena, grabbed a frozen yogurt at 21 Choices and headed home to rest our feet.


We met up with Henry's friend Peter for dinner we went to a famous burger joint called Pie and Burger which open in 1963. Laura and Henry have pretty much guaranteed me a burger fest while I'm in Pasadena but the bacon cheeseburger I had at Pie and Burger was the best burger I've had. Our waitress seemed a little scattered and looked like she had been working there since the place opened. We grabbed some homemade pie to go.

An evening with Shirley

The train ride from San Diego to Fullerton was very relaxing and went by so fast. I took a taxi from the Amtrak station and that was the worst ride ever! The guy got lost. The hotel is in an industrial area of the town, so there are like no sidewalks. I walked to a near by restaurant called The Elephant Bar for dinner. Everyone was very friendly there. I ordered the surf and turf. It was pretty tasty.

After dinner I headed to La Mirada Theatre the real reason in in the middle of nowhere. I bought tickets to see Shirley MacLaine. I have been a fan of hers ever since I saw The Apartment. When I got there I'm pretty sure I was the youngest person there. Now granted Ms. MacLaine is a Hollywood legend I didn't expect the age gap to be this big. I sat next to a nice gay couple from LA Proper. It was nice to chat before the show. Ms. MacLaine was a riot. She didn't miss a beat. She told stories about herself and answered some questions.

Since everyone drives here there wasn't even a cab waiting outside the theatre. Luckily one of the staff let me borrow her phone do I could call a cab. This time the driver knew where I was going. Time to get dome sleep tomorrow is Pasadena.

San Diego Day 3

I checked out of the hostel around 11 and headed to Balboa Park to check out the Museum of Photography Arts. There was an exhibit of black and white photographs taken by Jessica Lange over the course of her travels. Each photo captures a raw moment in time.

After my visit to MOPA I headed to the Museum of Man. The Mayan pillars and the Egyptian mummies were cool but the best part had to be seeing one of Davinci's creations; a robot knight.

Waiting at the train station I saw an Amish family, which reminded me of an episode of Sex and the City. I also bumped into one of the hostel workers who was picking up her father. Now I'm on my way to La Mirada a small town near Fullerton.

San Diego Day 2

Woke up early had cinnamon pancakes for breakfast before heading out to the zoo. One of the girls and I went to the zoo. We spent about 5 hours there. It was massive and had about every animal you could think of. My favourite was the pandas. After the zoo I walked around Balboa Park looking at the beautiful architecture.

That night I went out with one of my form mates who's from Mexico. We tried to go to one of the clubs recommended to us but they wouldn't let us in because David was wearing shorts. This is San Diego it's warm and sunny. Yesterday we got into another place wearing flip flops. After waking around Gaslamp we found an Irish bar called the Dublin Square. I enjoy an Irish pub any day but this place had Murphy's beer which I'd drink over Guinness any day. I was even able to add black current to my beer. :)

I have one more thing on my list to do in San Diego before I leave. But I'm sure I'll be back some day.

San Diego Day 1

The hostel is super chill and accommodating. Free wifi, breakfast, dinner and activities planned for everyday.

Last night I took it easy because I hadn't slept in over 24 hours. Met some pretty cool people; a guy from Victoria, South Korean students, a lady from Ireland and a New Yorker just to name a few.

A few of us went up to the Gaslamp District to hang out. The first place we went to C Lounge had no cover so we checked it out. Turns out there was a reason for the no cover it was a shoebox with really bad music. We downed our drink and then carried on to the Tipsy Crow. A nice comfy bar. The moment I was alone, I got hit on which was kind of funny. He had an interesting approach, sat down beside me said he saw a cute girl so he had to sit with her. That would never happen at home.

Much needed vacay

After the last few days cramming meetings etc. into my schedule before my much needed R&R. I still wasn't ready to go. I stayed up all night putting the final touches on one of my projects before it had to go out to the broadcaster. I even managed to somewhat put together a prep schedule for another project I'm working on in July. After that it was time to finish packing.

Once 5:30AM hit I was waiting for my bus to Bellingham. Because I'm all about the travel deals my trip will be a little more complicated than most. I am busing down to Bellingham and then flying one way to San Diego. Doing this I'm saving about $150. But the downside is I will be waiting at the Bellingham Airport for a few hours. That gives me a nice little nap though!

The flight to San Diego is just under 3 hours. I should be there around 4pm.

Vegas Day 8

Last day in Vegas :(

To start off the day I had a ham and cheese brioche, which was delicious. We checked out and walked to the Luxor to hangout.

We left the Luxor and took a cab to the airport. Our cab driver was the worst he didn't even know where he was going. The security at the airport was crazy; shoes off, everything out of your pockets, no belts, a full 3 second body scan and hair pat down. After the body scan I didn't feel very good and neither did my friends. (Going to need to look into this)

Our plane was late, good thing I booked the later bus. But the bus was also late. I finally arrived home at 1AM. Next up Christmas.

Vegas Day 7

After the "world not ending and stuff" we decided to indulge ourselves in as much seafood as possible at the Todai Buffet at Planet Hollywood. After lunch we went to the Mirage but the Secret Garden tiger habitat was too expensive. So we decided to go to the Flamingo to see the flamingos, which is free.

We went back to the hotel before splitting up to do our own thing in the evening. Before heading out I packed and tidied my room.

I spent my evening walking through the Cosmopolitan, Planet Hollywood, Paris and Bally's. And I rode the Monorail to Caesars. Along the way I saw Mr. and Mrs. Claus, three guys kiss each other, a rainstorm at Planet Hollywood's Miracle Mile shops and the Bellagio fountain show. Tomorrow is my last half day in Vegas.

Vegas Day 6

Woke up at 2AM today. For brunch we went to La Salsa Cantina at the Showcase Mall. Afterwards we checked out the Coca Cola store and M&M store. Unfortunately MGM was undergoing some serious renos so we did they to see Dorothy and Toto. :(

We looked at the new Tropicana but it wasn't the sanest all it was missing the Easter Island heads. We carried on to Mandalay Bay to see their shark reef. There was a cross breed shark, part sting ray part shark that looked really cool after seeing 200 species of finder water creatures we headed to Egypt. The Luxor pyramid to be exact. Fun fact: the light on the top of the pyramid shines so bright you can see it in space.

My friend Liam and I decided we would brace the cold and check out Minus 5 an ice bar, in the desert. Sadly the bar didn't allow pictures otherwise you would of seem us hanging out on a bed of ice with some fur pelts all while sipping an "Iceman" from a glass made of ice.

After the ice bar Liam let me indulge in a famous hotdog at Pink's. I had the Planet Hollywood Dog, which was polish sausage, caramelized onions, mushrooms, cheese and 3 strips of bacon AKA a heart attack.

After the hotdog weren't back to the hotel to soak in the hot tub before going out to party for the end of the world. We got drunk and wandered around the strip. At "the end of the world" we found a Thai prayer place and made a wish for the year.

Vegas Day 5

My friend wasn't feeling well so I went out on the strip myself for a few hours. Went shopping at Ross and the Coca Cola store. Then I had lunch in New York at a Mexican restaurant.

Picked up our tickets to Absinthe and then went for dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp. Liam and I got a Bubba drink and were given a tall pint glass to keep. We headed back to the hotel to soak in the hot tub.

Absinthe was a great mix of crudeness and great talent and it happened about 10 feet away. This sexy cabaret is definitely not for the politically correct person. There was burlesque, shirtless men, a few banana hammocks and lots of talk about penises. But a Las Vegas must I laughed my ass off, all while being amazed by the performers.

Vegas Day 4

We spent the day Downtown at the Fremont Experience. Taking pictures of the old neon signs. We went to Main Street Casino for their lunch buffet. Filled up our football shaped glass with 99 cent margaritas at the Fremont Casino. Had our picture taken with $1,000,000 at Binions. Saw a 61 pound gold nugget at the Gold Nugget Casino. Had dinner at Mackie's an Irish mermaid taco place. Liam almost won us a lobster for dinner. As we left Mackie's it hailed on us. I guess you can't escape Vancouver weather.

On our way back to the strip we stopped off at the Stratosphere to go up and take a look at the view from the 107th floor. The view was full of lights that just seemed to go on and on.

Vegas Day 3

This morning we decided it would be a good idea to take the morning shuttle to the grocery store. We got a bunch of vegetables and alcohol of course.

We got back to the hotel made avocado, shrimp sandwiches for lunch and then headed to the hot tub. Raisined out we headed back to our room got ready and went to the half off ticket booth by Planet Hollywood to buy tickets to see Vegas The Show. It was a history of Vegas through the decades. A great show of singing, legs and butts as well as a good run through the history of Vegas for those who don't know.

After the show we headed back to the hotel hot tub for some R&R.

Vegas Day 2

Today we headed down the strip to the Bellagio to see their Christmas display and hand blown glass. After the Bellagio we went to the Venetian aka Venice. There were gondolas with Italian men singing which was funny. The Wynn was next. We took some pictures in their christmas
themed gardens and parasols. We had a cocktail at the Parasol Up, I had a Blood Orange Cooler which was very refreshing.

Then we went to Encore an Asian infusion hotel with butterflies for good luck. We continued on to the Riviera where we joined the Crazy Girls lineup. Next was Circus Circus where played arcade games and watched Alexandra the acrobat hang from a hammock. We ate dinner at La Salsa Cantina a pretty good place to grab a bite and sample some tequila.

We spent a quiet night at the hotel in the hot tub with our bubuzela.

VEGAS Day 1

I know the rule "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" but I just can't help writing about it.

We woke up to a snowy Vancouver at 7AM to catch our Quick Shuttle bus to the Bellingham Airport. Caught our flight at 2PM on Allegiant Airways. ($245 with tax round trip bus included) We arrived in beautiful Las Vegas at sun set. Checked into our hotel aka my Timeshare. Showered, changed and headed down the strip to Caesars.

I bought tickets to see Shania Twain! So I was really excited. The show was amazing she brought not one but two horses on stage with her. After that I met up with Jess and Liam at the Forum shops. We watched the fall of Atlantis and then wondered the streets of Vegas with a little liquid courage until 3AM.

Can't wait to see what Day 2 brings.

WFF Day 4

Day 4 was an awesome day! I started work at 10AM with the MPPIA short film pitches. Two of the five pitches I thought were unique and interesting while the others didn't push my button. I was able to sit in on two of the short film showcase panels as well. The first talked about short film distribution, where I learned a few new things. The panel also confirmed some methods of distribution I have already been doing which is good. After the distribution panel I was able to sit in on the Pixar Canada panel with the director of Partysaurus Rex, Mark Walsh. After the panel Mark signed some posters so I grabbed a couple for friends.

I met up with one of the vollies ate some dinner before heading to one more film. We saw Mars et Avril which was stunning. It's a sci fi film about a 70 year old jazz musician and a young photographer who is in love with him. The film is a great mix of love and music. The visuals were also a highlight. Even if the story isn't up your alley watch it just for the amazing visuals. Check out the trailer here.

After the film we went back to the hotel and got ready for the launch party of Cine Coup at The Longhorn. I did some schmoozing. At around 1AM a few of us headed over to The Westin for an after party in Carl Bessai's suite. We ended up getting kicked out of Carl's room around 3AM but the party carried over to the Tantalus Lodge (which was where I was staying). Kate Isabelle showed up and we partied on until 4AM.

My Whistler trip was pretty successful I'd say, I got a Cap Film shirt, a Columbia jacket, watched 6 films and met some great filmmakers

WFF Day 3

I started at 9AM this morning greeting industry guests before morning panels. At 12:45 I got a 5 hour break, grabbed some lunch and chilled out in my hotel room.

At 2PM I went and saw Between Us starring Julia Stiles, Melissa George, Taye Diggs and David Harbour. A first film from the co-founder of Slamdance Festival. Based on a popular play, the film follows two couples who were/are close friends but have been divided by their success or lack there of, focusing mainly on each couple's marital problems. This film felt a lot like the 1966 film Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Which if you haven't seen you really should.

At 5:30PM it was back to work. This time I was doing the door with two lovely Glacier Girls. The film The Movie Out Here is sponsored by Kokanee and this was the premiere so there was a big VIP reception before hand. This is a Canadian Mountain Culture film and was shot in Western Canada. Check out more here http://www.themovieouthere.ca/

Sadly the film was sold out so I wasn't able to go. But I instead got a ticket to see Knife Fight starring

Carrie-Anne Moss, Rob Lowe, Julie Bowen, David Harbour and Eric McCormack. This was a very Sorkin-esque political satire following Rob Lowe's character; the perfect political con-artist, I mean strategist. Knife Fight goes behind the scenes of two regular politician campaigns and a passionate up and comer. The political roughness is very well done most likely due to co-writer is Chris Lehane (a Democratic consultant who was spokesman for Gore’s 2000 presidential campaign, and for the Clinton White House). The one drawback is that there are too many characters who aren't flushed out which drags the film down. 

WFF Day 2

Day 2 of the festival started early for me. I spent most of my day making up delegate bags. I ran some errands around the village and went back to making more delegate bags. My shift ended at 5PM and I was able to catch one of the Borsos Competition Films called Picture Day.

Picture Day part of the Borsos competition. It's a coming of age story about a rebellious teenager who has to repeat her last year of high school. She is caught between adolescence and adulthood which are represented in the two guys she is with. The first being the lead singer of a band and the now high school kid she used to babysit. The standout bits in the film for me are the improve moments between  As well a fellow Capilano grad produced the film which is awesome.

At 8PM I watched another Borsos film called My Awkward Sexual Adventure whihch was hilarious. It's about an accountant who doesn't know how to perform in the bedroom department. His girlfriend is fe up with falling asleep during sex so Jordan visits his friend in Toronto and ends up enlisting Julia a stripper with dreams of opening a restaurant to help him win back his girlfriend.

Just as I arrived back at the hotel one of the vollies asked if I was up to go out to a party in Creekside. Of course I said yes. I ended up chatting with the Director of the film Picture Day, Kate Miles Melville and other industry people. What started as a boring day ended pretty well.