tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88337444424718782662024-03-14T05:21:35.005-07:00! cocoabeecocoabeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07633895108146716511noreply@blogger.comBlogger91125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833744442471878266.post-19779164042904018942014-10-26T13:49:00.002-07:002014-10-26T13:49:27.220-07:00Deer Garden Signatures - Fraser St. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyJFx_2yLkpZ3KjW4Eo4e19ihBZM_SzbASPbQqWPt5uL2L_eDfKMB_p-y8tRZSwnjPtXGP7RhXeJLnI8es-tWX-R_PKaAmZPLJXBo6knJ5asY6MiTpqQtcOtvdQ3QwH-CBv1lKZaSBvLBN/s1600/Dear+Garden+2.jpg" width="650" /> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqmoilhanttQRHsNXiBQ_4vk4z-uqzCU-myY_GYn9zahRF77KubnoWYPlVOoDVuWC9CNJKhiPvDcWt_KpXPV3PA_NO0cUmVuO0v1wMOYJX7UHnx2ABEPcPOtMZZl5DWgVXbR7Qil1oFWiP/s1600/Deer+Garden+3.jpg" width="650" /> </div>
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<b style="line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><i><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Peanut Sauce with Chili Soup Base + Rice Noodles (thick)</span></span></i></b></div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr5LE0I2pfJgPej2FaLBBnSGBJWye88gBO0vKqnjYm1GS68jEBho0T4RxlgAI0I6tCZdASn_TLRJ2-iVeI81ULsnudrQVTsR_fmX1mcU12IJuwjjBIYF1yWz9yi74hyphenhyphenuKdDj46jlfIaWxj/s1600/Deer+garden+extra+noodles.jpg" width="650" /> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw-7WUQ3GOrI3WmW70fUclFKSUbAvNlXc4KtY7hUXaa6fPdNgZm0d4STLxZK_24a3urn5UADJXAkTPxZXZWSHhZCcjbj5EwlfWq73h2JecNcIrlLjZ6jQxAMJrIlrEIGFcFrc0rwnYLuPF/s1600/Deer+garden+spicy+peanut+soup.jpg" width="650" /></div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCUmnZCPFV7SIBkyUHgJtF2nOw2TvaMhZfbjyivB7Gc5PLLijvjLlCyKo7DHFGFPXNthVzoTni7hbMcARTgD04KrfVLOTaa336jDrBhnq61OCHDZ6a7hwqarPQ_gQ1hwM7Jki5jqjk-j2Z/s1600/Deer+Garden.jpg" width="650" /><b style="line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><i><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><i><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Fish Soup Broth</span></span></i></b></div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHXWFKMBaR1Qynt139g498i3foqP-PkPt7pIFBaWPim6Vl1D_Me5ActD0vYQmI0IijccuzKLsuAICV6au3wqhyphenhyphend31aCkvZt2y-UANirPNynfHUokAFpNqW2-BzIn6jOwhLQ6Bje_sfr2SE/s1600/Deer+garden+African+Spice+drink.jpg" width="650" /></div>
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Deer garden is one of my favourite go-to places when it gets chilly. Their noodle soup combos are HUGE and jam packed with ingredients. I love being able to choose different soup stocks, noodles and toppings each time.With their set meals or soup combos, you get tea included in the meal or can add specialty drinks for an extra $1 or $2. I've tried their mango smoothie milk shake and it tastes just like mango ice cream bubble tea. Its a pretty good deal to get with your meal. They also have the option of adding sides for $2 but their sides are very small portions of the listed item. For example, the chicken teriyaki it was just a fried chicken patty with teriyaki sauce and the desert wings were only 3 dressed chicken wings. <br />
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<b style="font-family: Arvo; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i><span style="color: #a64d79;">Food: </span><span style="color: #741b47;">4/5</span></i></span></b><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Arvo; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> </span></div>
Quality of the food is usually really decent! I didn't like their fish soup base because I found it bland and some options they have for toppings that I've tried weren't very worthwile. So far, I've found that their spicy soup bases are the best. The Peanut Sauce with Chili became my instant favorite the first time that I had it, but sometimes the sauce is made to be too thick and heavy and it actually feels like eating noodles with peanut butter. The Malay Laksa soup is a very rich spicy soup that has a vinegary tint to it, it tastes a lot like kimchi but a bit more sour. I've had no problems with their drinks. Once a waitress recommended to order the House Milk Tea because that's one of the few drinks made in store and not with powder. The Wheat Germ Milk Tea and Mango Smoothie Milk Shake are my favorites. <br />
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<b style="font-family: Arvo; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><i><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Atmosphere: </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #741b47;">4/5, </span><span style="color: #a64d79;">Service </span><span style="color: #741b47;">4/5</span></span></i></b></div>
The staff at the Vancouver Fraser Street Location are usually efficiency focused and aren't particularly warm and welcoming but you get your food quick.<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;"><b style="font-family: Arvo; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="color: #a64d79;">Recommended? </span><span style="color: #741b47;">Yes</span></i></span></b><br style="font-family: Arvo; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-align: center;" /><b style="font-family: Arvo; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="color: #a64d79;">Revisit?</span><span style="color: #741b47;"> Yes</span></i></span></b></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/14/1702610/restaurant/Sunset-Punjabi-Market/Deer-Garden-Signatures-Vancouver"><img alt="Deer Garden Signatures 鹿園魚湯米線 on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1702610/biglink.gif" style="border: medium none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a></div>
cocoabeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07633895108146716511noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833744442471878266.post-82857061467081327142014-09-12T18:20:00.002-07:002014-09-12T18:31:59.571-07:00La Casa Gelato - Ice cream in 200+ flavors<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPRlt8RPdgufK_ZHvgvjPpieWVuOqNGVbZO2ODedzjb0FAcx83Pt-32HBxDIEYJsznC7dlVXbo7KH86qs_ntTgXJmF9w0hBz2wMdiuNlAjQcZU4Ax8C6FnFCaKVIzJuKO7ZXk2DVH02bkg/s1600/10681871_10152666206515325_1605328304_n.jpg" height="600" /> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-K2cK1OUNh0AifvItz-1Y-7Z2titkEKihBEldtkMvYBlSXe_2jPU7gysfspJTbXQPzLI9O5N0WJSS5FsxAOLYmyNH3REWSJJ-qa8-RIJziLblwJfmqYqMXRr5mK3MvCl3d2IYlp8Bq0VC/s1600/10699180_10152666206660325_1351680401_n.jpg" height="600" /></div>
I never expected to find ice cream in flavors like "curry", "wasabi" and even "seaweed" or for it to actually taste like the real thing in ice cream form. La Casa Gelato has some of the weirdest flavors you can think of, and guarantees that there will always be at least 218 flavors in store at any time. Once you pay for your order ($5 for 1 scoop, $7 for two scoops) they give you a little pink token that looks like gambling chip and you can go around and taste as many of the strange and traditional varieties they have. Although they don't you a limit on samples, the store has 3 sections of ice cream and only 1 staff per section. I went on a weekday night when you wouldn't expect it to be busy, but there were at least 9 other groups of customers already in the store and a few more that popped in while we were looking around. The staff is always busy, either with helping another customer with samples, or at the cash register selling tokens, so it's a bit difficult to get many samples because of the wait.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx2iHTdFLj3DuNGe2xbqWhzRb0uJmNoJ3jcgqoIgCBUS5ryd4RBeFthngtXhqKFAITCfSJlvbpi8bOtw7OOn3MSpmFmL6eDvZ1A2BOQXhOAkmhquSlXPipaK3o2D6F8A3fsOSjl05rQPix/s1600/10668271_10152666210995325_1683772851_n.jpg" width="700" /></div>
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<b style="font-family: Arvo; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><i><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">Atmosphere: </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #741b47;">4/5, </span><span style="color: #a64d79;">Service </span><span style="color: #741b47;">4/5</span></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">The store is quiet spacious and has a really fun and bright feel to it. They play italian music and it looked like all the staff were italian as well. There is no seating in the shop which is a bit of a down point because the area that its located in is mostly populated by warehouses, its not a nice place for you to go out and eat your ice cream. There's a parking lot next door and most people sit and eat it there. The staff are friendly but are always occuped, when not helping a customer they seem to be flattening the buckets of ice cream and don't look up. I suspect that they're taught to do this to not welcome more sample requests. It can feel like your disturbing them by asking for a sample. There is a sign in the store that says to keep the samples to a minimum. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjARWBw6VJ35eeymjKhu4SN-tPFUyBFvtxRqWeOTCml-g6Mxvm4sp5X_PdKK7tyuJwE6TAkeFfcA4FONFL2fwQQtodoNRIfsuWOcAoNxWngcM9jbjKs5G4lIrXASjHE59doqURZIGKVinfg/s1600/10705380_10152666206505325_346558080_n.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="600" /></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Arvo; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #a64d79;">Ice Cream 5</span><span style="color: #741b47;">/5</span></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">They have a pretty balanced selection of strange, "I dare you to try that" flavors and actual traditional flavors. Some of my favorites were Tiramisu, Rocky Mountain, Cappuccino, Mint Chocolate Chip, Cotton Candy and Mango. The weird flavors like Curry really did taste like curry. You get most of the flavor from the aftertaste because while its still in ice cream form it tastes mostly sweet, creamy and cold. The Seaweed ice cream actually had dried seaweed blended into it. Their prices are actually quiet reasonable considering that you get that tasting experience. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;"><b style="font-family: Arvo; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i><span style="color: #a64d79;">Recommended? </span><span style="color: #741b47;">Yes</span></i></span></b><br style="font-family: Arvo; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-align: center;" /><b style="font-family: Arvo; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i><span style="color: #a64d79;">Revisit?</span><span style="color: #741b47;"> Yes</span></i></span></b></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/14/181038/restaurant/Strathcona/La-Casa-Gelato-Vancouver"><img alt="La Casa Gelato on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/181038/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a></div>
cocoabeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07633895108146716511noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833744442471878266.post-22872196092629040372014-09-08T17:59:00.000-07:002014-09-08T18:01:13.880-07:00Kenzo Japanese Noodle House<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid_7X4cAZ1BJrxuh39GtS1djxPIdIHg0jjdfe2N6tN_o4sh_JPTk7xEY5PQ8l7sD6ydWzM2aXxnGeKliSOGXPxnKTX43OycffZKsKf9Vr9dS9FAv79s3ymWoePZc_MDgicVPw57RR06OHc/s400/10617415_10152658064275325_126460151_n.jpg" width="600px" /></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Kenzo is another ramen place in Vancouver that doesn't get a lot of buzz for the quality of their food, but I actually really like the way their selection works. Most ramen places in Vancouver are limited to the selection of 3 soup bases; Shoyu (soya-sauce), shio (salt) and miso. You then get to choose the level of soup base richness (how salty/concentrated it is) and how heavy (oily) it is. Kezo offers a much bigger selection of different ramens (about a dozen different ones) and has the option of allowing you to choose how spicy you want your soup to be. I love spicy, especially spicy broths, but most of the ramen places I've tried dont have great spicy ramens. They turn out to be more salty than spicy and lack that kick. Kenzo's overall food quality is pretty average, the chashu is slightly chewy and doesn't melt in your mouth the way some of the most popular ramen establishments do, the noodles dont have the same bite but they make great spicy soup bases that have a strong flavor without being too salty.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><i><span style="color: #e69138;">The King of the King Ramen</span></i> <span style="color: #999999;">($12.95)</span> 4/5</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">photo above. A huge portion of ramen, great tasting soup stock but not the best chashu.</span></div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiszX8Wdcph-ynMo5O1H6lRDo7VAXr5ow2V1PcuSjQ52h4NviESgrlRbdvCzOc3GFwLrUtFXOz6tmpp3gewuFG4zE5C-GSaBeR6iS6W1kj_CWgXxFxYH_8JJMF-ZYd5XOu-EpWV-1l5nMiw/s400/10660959_10152658064315325_719198197_n.jpg" width="600px" /></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><i><span style="color: #e69138;">Miso Ramen</span></i> <span style="color: #999999;">($9.95)</span> 4/5</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;"> Athough not a jumbo portion, still a big bowl. I choose level 2 spicy (out of 3 levels) and was really happy with how spicy this was. This definitely is spicy on an asian scale. Lots of bean spouts in the soup. Great broth again but dissapointing chashu. </span></div>
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<b style="line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><i><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Atmosphere: </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">4/5, Service 5/5</span></span></i></b></div>
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Kenzo is a quiet restaurant, the Sunday evening I went it only had 3 other groups in the place while its size could seat probably 10 times as much. Its a nice quiet spot to eat and the service is very friendly. Really has that mom and pop restaurant feel. </div>
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<b style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i><span style="color: #e69138;">Recommended? </span><span style="color: #b45f06;">Yes (a great spot to try out different ramens)</span></i></span></b></div>
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<b style="font-family: Arvo; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i><span style="color: #e69138;">Revisit? </span><span style="color: #b45f06;">Yes</span></i></span></b></div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/14/180978/restaurant/Vancouver/Burnaby-South/Kenzo-Japanese-Noodle-House-Burnaby"><img alt="Kenzo Japanese Noodle House on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/180978/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a></div>
cocoabeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07633895108146716511noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833744442471878266.post-15210069324032969512014-09-01T17:42:00.000-07:002014-09-01T17:46:28.885-07:00Sushi Zen - mayo covered everything <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilXL0UPo3AMT9ceWl2SAe5Fbv_D8Naq8ioYWvUwUtUWL651Os_WI3HgGoVF2z_DPRRrsc1L_rNQqaDmWEwTpKap9lqAyGDEt2x00svpVUNQrnAcJw-PYo89SjHWsdZ3eZjREK22y_15FhC/s1600/10643423_10152642351010325_1949953200_n.jpg" width="650" /></div>
Finding a high rated sushi establishment in Surrey was really surprising...and hugely hugely disappointing. I don't know how they got a 94% approval rating, but Sushi Zen was extremely average. The restaurant was next to empty during my Sunday evening visit and service was actually slow considering we were one of the three groups of customers in the store. The sauces they use have a different flavor that what I'm used to expecting in sushi, and I didn't find it an improvement.<br />
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<b style="font-family: Arvo; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.479999542236328px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #a64d79;">Sashimi Salad </span><span style="color: #999999;">3.5/5</span></i></span></b></div>
<i>(photo above)</i> While this salad looks amazing in photos, the sauce they use made it taste strange. It's that golden brown sauce that used at most sushi places for salads, but the one that Sushi Zen serves is distinctly sour. Usually this sauce has a nice light flavor, Sushiful in Vancouver has an amazing one, but this one was overpowering and didn't go well at all. They give you a generous amount of sauce, so if you don't like it you can't really avoid it. The sashimi itself was great. You get 3 pieces of salmon and 2 pieces of tuna. The salmon tasted fresh and the tuna was still frozen when we got it (I suspect it's to make it easier to cut).<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitSGstHJgfmY18fp5dIfd78_oLLxEfroYagTPX-6Wz7bhX3DSbyJtIbnicjkAEFeiQoQOjUa8aW_q_N7XmADruDLF4fMVgCEp3P1HFSg9LOmmMQfv5WIXho-U-PvWI8TUiqszE1LnogTeo/s1600/10660725_10152642351040325_1158677856_n.jpg" width="650" /></div>
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<b style="font-family: Arvo; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #a64d79;">Los Angles Roll </span><span style="color: #999999;">3/5</span></i></span></b></div>
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This is a lot like a house roll with salmon, tuna, alvocado and tempura. The tempura was freshly made and still warm, warm enough to heat up the tuna as well. Because of the size of the roll you end up having to eat it piece by piece, its one of those rolls that fall apart as soon as you pick it up. Everything was pretty good except for the fact that they drench it in a sweet Japanese mayo. I don't understand why but out of the two rolls we ordered, both came heavily glazed with the sweet mayo sauce. The "special sauce" that came with this roll was the red sauce, it's a lot like Thai Sauce but much more spicy. After dipping it in soya sauce with a bit of wasabi, this became a really strange mixture of salty, sweet and spicy. Each of the flavors was quiet strong too. Not my kind of roll. </div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimXP-0cEYdKobBRt94A3u9DRJux0AdAKYRqroHTZljT_vBnm2J2cOyfUnGJy76QjUioIVKrOhWOCVu-5anyN7lESIZ5Cz9TPY6JS3ytpBZvyJlXajIkCi5K67SQYaXE0Bho457CVNR9yfv/s1600/10653939_10152642351020325_1104657538_n.jpg" width="650" /></div>
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<b style="font-family: Arvo; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #a64d79;">Spicy Combo </span><span style="color: #999999;">3/5</span></i></span></b></div>
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Usually spicy rolls at most places aren't really spicy and they use an asian sauce that has more of a distinct flavor with a spice in it. Sushi Zen uses a sauce that's a lot more like hot sauce. And they add sweet mayo on top of that. I was pretty surprised to see our rolls with a bright red sauce, usually it wouldn't be nearly as drenched in sauce and the red sauce would be slightly clear and more gel like. Their spicy sauce is slightly bitter and is actually spicy. I love spicy dishes, but I didn't like how this tasted. It was a blend of spicy, bitter and sweet that I didn't find went well together. Not recommended. </div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ERhv8FRefTjL0TmetXmzYrfm4bS1w9LPVuukIfMiRnmPnc4aZDZKKGfKv0N_vXH8DilqKA-RP5pU-HQTP6hrQu2Q0rl7wW6Yv1UvcOcWPXeipsXH1lJFklyhncB8qLhcJgOxWYxg_nfw/s1600/10589778_10152642350955325_1605166268_n.jpg" width="650" /></div>
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<b style="font-family: Arvo; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #a64d79;">Bottom Line?</span></i></span></b></div>
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Sushi Zen is a cute little sushi spot out in a strip mall near Guildford. The place has a really homey feel and have friendly staff. It seems like a really nice mom and pop kind of sushi spot. I definitely wouldn't recommend their spicy rolls or "specialty sauce" unless you like hot sauce with sushi. Their prices are cheap for a dine in sushi spot but I didn't find their sushi to be anything special. The sashimi is quiet fresh so I would return for that if I was in the area. </div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/14/1705825/restaurant/Vancouver/Surrey-Guildford/Sushi-Zen-Surrey"><img alt="Sushi Zen on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1705825/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a></div>
cocoabeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07633895108146716511noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833744442471878266.post-85406907389112924042014-08-29T17:00:00.000-07:002014-08-29T17:00:02.717-07:00Bubble World - Taiwanese food & drink <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVkTbgnOF5sasf4FAxk6ogmA92N96YbmwGmO-L6eplripT2dXWES8s4p2JxXFtnHPArlejr7OWvn_qxEXyeGxXlreImu1SE2LjIOUUoSvzENGFNuDtcBZlF7a1t5fsc-5PD8X5y0M-jtwF/s1600/bubble+world+burnaby+3.png" width="700" /></div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_qYNILkHHFQE8pVXQDjUlzjU09_rYODdKdkQRNN2Ie8frnLnTr5P6I5W8L225soXpPHvtB2g5Ee3sRkA7xZlYUTfGbxB-8rv_KZ-SmpZ3zkEMinNmglvB4FefFDzEIMHqvBljd-4fw4oj/s1600/Bubble+world.png" width="700" /></div>
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My friends always pick Bubble World as a go to place for dinner when we cant settle on a place to eat. I've been to their Richmond, New West and Burnaby location and they're all pretty consistent with their food quality, service and atmosphere. Even though the New Westminister location is quiet small, the seating arrangements aren't cramped. I think the south Vancouver location on Fraser street is the only one that's interior design isn't on par with the rest. Although it's a bubble tea establishment, the food is good and they have a huge selection!<br />
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<b style="font-family: Arvo; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #a64d79;">Bubble tea: </span><span style="color: #741b47;">4.5/5</span></i></span></b><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Arvo; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-align: center;"> </span></div>
The top Bubble tea establishments in Vancouver definitely are Tealips and Bubble Queen but Bubble World doesn't fall too far behind. Their milk tea, slush and powdered bubble teas that I've tried have all been good. I'm a huge <b>taro bubble tea</b> fan and they make it really well. A popular choice is the <b>Oreo Taro Slush</b> but this still confuses me. In what universe is blending oreo into a <i>drink</i> a good idea? Nevertheless my friends have ordered it multiple times and everytime I steal a sip and remain equally as frazzled. Little oreo particles in a drink? Soggy oreo particles in a drink? I didn't like it much but they said that it didn't taste as good because there wasn't enough oreo. Meh, definitely not my cup of tea. <br />
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<b style="font-family: Arvo; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #a64d79;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Food: </span><span style="color: #741b47;">4/5</span></i></span></b><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Arvo; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> </span></div>
Unfortunately I didn't snap photos on every visit but I have tried the <b>Hot Pot, Chef's Specials, Rice </b>Dishes, <b>Noodle</b> dishes and <b>shaved</b> ice. Everything is actually pretty good. And you get a small serving of sides, usually a few pieces of tofu, some steamed veggies and a seaweed salad. Bubble World actually has the best seaweed salad. I steal these from my friends if they don't finish theirs. Its so good, definitely try it! Also their Shaved Ice is great to share. Its a huge portion and comes with lots of jelly, ice and condensed milk. If you want to cut back on spending skip the bubble tea and share the shaved ice as a group! Once I had to eat it myself because all my friends got bubble tea and didn't want more ice on top of that. Biggest brain freeze of my life.<br />
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<b style="line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><i><span style="color: #a64d79;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Atmosphere: </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #741b47;">4/5, </span><span style="color: #a64d79;">Service </span><span style="color: #741b47;">3.5/5</span></span></i></b></div>
Bubble world is a great hang out spot, they have comfortable seating and nice super asian looking decor. During dinner hours they are really full but empty out otherwise. Pretty typical taiwanese franchise restaurant interior. The service is minimal, as Asian service usually is. Top priority is efficiency, they don't really talk to you but they get your food pretty quick. <br />
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<b style="font-family: Arvo; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #a64d79;">Recommended? </span><span style="color: #741b47;">Yes</span></i></span></b><br style="font-family: Arvo; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-align: center;" /><b style="font-family: Arvo; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #a64d79;">Revisit?</span><span style="color: #741b47;"> Yes</span></i></span></b><br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/14/1416398/restaurant/Vancouver/Burnaby-South/Bubble-World-Burnaby"><img alt="Bubble World 大頭仔 on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1416398/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a></div>cocoabeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07633895108146716511noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833744442471878266.post-33451902035200758302014-08-27T22:59:00.003-07:002014-08-27T22:59:48.994-07:00Sushi Mura - Cheap eats in West Van<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQgIQWnKeHi1drqJXoekbgJgUVMRioC7BHkyI5BcTPrhrGlg8czv5jy7LCzskZ-mWy6jzcJneXrfuNb8pLCLoWLikLFr6OjnhAd6YJap8-KHKq5RDE_SYj-obIUpvqU_VIMuO33ZZjGtp5/s1600/Sushi+Mura+Party+Tray+19.jpg" width="650" /></div>
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If you're looking for a cute sushi spot that is really affordable, Sushi Mura would impress you. It's unbelievably cheap here. The food is actually decent, the atmosphere is quiet nice, and the service is good (during lunch hours). What really stands out about the whole experience is opening the menu to find specialty rolls for $4.95. The exact kind of specialty rolls most places offer for at least $10, they have for $5, $7 and $9. They're full sized rolls and are equality as well presented as other places.<br />
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Above we ordered the <span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>Party Platter A</i></b></span> which included a whopping 42 pieces of sushi, all for $19. I noticed that they used the same trick that a lot of All You Can Eat sushi places use, their rolls come with a thick layer of rice and a much more modest amount of filling than you'd usually expect. This way they look normal in size but they're 1/2 to 3/4 rice.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR9w3X117DXVHt-oM17PqbXQI9rNzEQkoGcd_G9qdYv5Ip2VCjcpGZrwhxW0q4LwuhyqSGiJ91tDr0Ve5Os44H4bAJ6mHxDTE_cb6LQAktyIYtFepe9kiZiVC58kWn-bBUZmFlaMBCknvD/s1600/Sushi+Mura+dynamite+roll.jpg" width="650" /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #a64d79;">Exhibit </span><span style="color: #741b47;">A</span></span></i></span><span style="color: #741b47; font-size: x-large;"> </span></b></div>
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The <b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">dynamite</span></b> and <span style="color: #a64d79;"><b>BC rolls</b></span>, fully loaded with lots of rice</div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVdBXmKvMwIq-9HkU8RHOXdD0Pezet9mHzr1U64Dif4-LG061AdylUOYfo2opks_LWqbKCxBivv3cpBUvkWkYdPkc6F2t09UBx783PRgXJ22Bv0WJX0eyCNjVJdYWP8aZe2VXk3oZgNNVf/s1600/Sushi+Mura+rolls.jpg" width="650" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="color: #a64d79;">Exhibit </span><span style="color: #741b47;">B</span></i></span></b> </span></div>
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The <b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">California</span></b> and<span style="color: #a64d79;"><b> Spicy Tuna rolls</b></span>, the spicy tuna was more of spicy sauce and rice roll, with a touch of tuna but the sauce was really good so not a huge complaint here.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ7iX83I5-ZTFUnJs1b86ByrRZfhmd6Ofxmt-w-Jswr7XBqcWxqbSVJnqfuniFaCZTxRs4hY5EiVYStVQQMOtValElfCXv4TsmEM5bKs0SxTpwH3IMq5lNOtmd-iqJ0rr80Evx1t6p-p7l/s1600/Sushi+Mura+Seaweed+Salad.jpg" width="650" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="color: #a64d79;">Exhibit </span><span style="color: #741b47;">C</span></i></span></b> </span></div>
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The<span style="color: #a64d79;"><b> Fresh Seaweed Salad</b></span>, I don't know what it is about these kind of salads but they are so good. It's such a refreshing treat and they're healthy too. These guys make a pretty good one. </div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5tTViAp4uXXOYNgE2XDq3d4kkb8OO_kaSTq8YiWTaTKV9o97S98UotoNkCrMSvdqK5Ra54sbU1LoTr_R-BMEyUVRS5NDQGzXnfrYP6T1wcgr_7SqA_T4boj5XhuJUfQOtVqjFPn4QKRBK/s1600/Sushi+Mura+tableware.jpg" width="650" /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><span style="color: #a64d79;">Atmosphere: </span><span style="color: #741b47;">4/5</span></i></span></b><span style="color: #741b47;"> </span></div>
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The restaurant is newly renovated and that was a huge highlight for me. All the cheap sushi places I've been to before are small and have very basic tables and fold out chairs. They're there for take out or a quick bite but not a place to hang out with friends. Sushi Mura has nicely designed tableware, is spacious and an interior similar to Sushi Garden or Deer Garden. It's a good lunch or dinner spot to go eat with company. The staff look like older Japanese teenagers, with bleached hair and a taste for EDM music. Helps make it a good spot for students. Also, if you drop by during lunch hours or in the early afternoon (not rush hour), you can pretty much get the place to yourself.</div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><span style="color: #a64d79;">Service: </span><span style="color: #741b47;">4/5</span></i></span></b><span style="color: #741b47;"> </span></div>
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My visit was on a weekday somewhere between 4:00-6:00pm and they were not busy at all. I think I saw maybe 4 other groups of people eating inside? Other reviews I saw all made note of terrible service but I didn't experience that. We were served fairly quickly and didn't have any problems with the bill.</div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><span style="color: #a64d79;">Food: </span><span style="color: #741b47;">3.5/5</span></i></span></b> </div>
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The only think that really stands out about the food is the price. Otherwise its pretty standard in terms of taste. Even with how they cheap out on fillings and fill you up with rice, I still think that it's a bang for your buck. As a student, good prices definitely call out to me. They're generous with the sauce for the Spicy Tuna rolls so those didn't taste much blander than usual but I did notice a lack of flavor with the rest. The California rolls were still ok but the Dynamite rolls were only saved with a big dunk of soya sauce. The $19 Party Platter served our group of 3 quiet well and the two guys are big eaters. Next time I would go for their specialty rolls instead though.<br />
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<b style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><span style="color: #a64d79;">Recommended? </span><span style="color: #741b47;">Yes</span></i></span></b><br />
<b style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><span style="color: #a64d79;">Revisit?</span><span style="color: #741b47;"> Yes</span></i></span></b><br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/14/1765454/restaurant/South-Cambie-Street/Sushi-Mura-Vancouver"><img alt="Sushi Mura on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1765454/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a></div>
cocoabeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07633895108146716511noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833744442471878266.post-21331769151558699282014-08-24T16:47:00.005-07:002014-08-24T16:48:53.997-07:00Potter's Garden Korean BBQ <br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ0w_0OxcHyQzA-YN4RvmVnY8kbgBE0EOog2SRkEUPw04qp3KuVnuYlx1LzNRyamopCd9aZ4dw4YdTLJJMZuPwtnCKam_dETye6j79y54ljjRKy64UZvt03cHgxe4Dtn-o3-eVlpfwzOzB/s1600/Seafood+Pancake+-+Potter's%2BGarden%2BKorean%2BBBQ.jpg" width="700" /></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 30pt;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">POTTER's GARDEN Korean BBQ</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">5599 Kingsway Burnaby, BC V5H4W7</span></span></div>
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Good Korean food is hard to find in Vancouver, in fact I'm still looking for it. Potter's Garden was a pretty disappointing visit. The interior of the place itself is pretty dingy and looks like an old, run down place to eat. Prices however, are quiet expensive for asian food. So far the only good Korean place I've found is Jiang Mo Jib but their dishes have been a bit westernized. Potter's Garden offers a much bigger menu and I believe their cuisine is meant to be more authentically Korean. <br />
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In terms of dining experience, the restaurant is quiet large and they have added a Korean touch. You get to ring a doorbell-style button on the wall next to your table to alert your server that you need assistance. Another cool bit that they offer is unlimited sides! With each dish you get a side of sweetened potato, peppered spicy seaweed, bean sprouts and kimchi and you can order as much as you want at no extra charge.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>The Seafood Pancake <span style="color: black;">4/5</span></i></span></span></span></b> was probably the best dish we ordered there, we got the large and it was well made but quite pricey. I think it worked out to be $17.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2t6pT2Upf3yvz76Ca5uC0UvbmjwcCiKz_29lp1Y7SD579pKhO-o2zLLbGc5WrhjK7hX-uN9bWs-GAbfKc4YPyHZHlhAS6ySDFlzvRVsmGE8c1IAbNcIXjW1oDbhyphenhyphen72JfFXLGEgSb5Kqgu/s1600/Potter's+Garden+Korean+BBQ+Sides.jpg" width="600" /></div>
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<b><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>The Sides <span style="color: black;">3/5</span></i></span></span></span></b></div>
The sweetened potatoes were really good and were a nice side to complement the stronger flavors of the main dishes. I didn't like how the seaweed was dressed, it didn't taste particularly pleasant and I've tried much better seaweed sides at Chinese restaurants. The kimchi was more sour than it was spicy and not particularly well liked by our group.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Galbitang <span style="color: #999999;">(#14)</span> <span style="color: black;">2/5</span></i></span></span></span></b></div>
This is a traditional korean soup of beef short ribs simmered for a few hours with green onion, and potato noodles that is supposed to be well made here. However as your average diner without a lot of knowledge or preference for traditional korean cuisine, I didn't like it. The broth was alright but there was barely any noodles and I found the dish very bland. There were a few generous chunks of meat but it was mostly bone.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Qf7u2oZuEGtTbhyhb2Pr80Flj89OHKyAdh9KavnoK1y4ijvGe96NkvlJSudIWLgjwfE9ddtk0HEAty4fkiGIbD7uy1eRFZ0uwiS7OEQyKeG0Rif_oshz19YPVozJIhUOgQx060pTl42I/s1600/Doltsot+Bibimbap+-+Potter's+Garden+Korean+BBQ.jpg" width="600" /></div>
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<b><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Doltsot Bibimbap <span style="color: #999999;">(#20)</span> <span style="color: black;">4/5</span></i></span></span></span></b></div>
Bibimbap means "mixed rice", its served in a hot stone pot (dolsot) bowl and is an extremely popular korean dish. Many Chinese restaurants have this as well and make a really good version. The dish is usually coated with sesame oil to prevent the rice from sticking. You're supposed to mix the rice and toppings well and keep stirring it while you eat it to stop it from burning. Its hard to make bibimbap taste bad because it really just is rice and seasoned toppings. Potter's Garden's was alright, I've had better ones at Chinese restaurants but this wasn't terrible either.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Recommended? <span style="color: black;">No</span></i></span></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Revisit? <span style="color: black;">No </span></i></span></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Food rating:<span style="color: black;"> 2.5/5 </span></i></span></span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="color: black;"> </span></i></span></span></span></b> </div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/14/1508073/restaurant/Vancouver/Burnaby-South/Potters-Garden-Korean-BBQ-Burnaby"><img alt="Potter's Garden Korean BBQ 香辣里 on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1508073/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a>
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cocoabeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07633895108146716511noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833744442471878266.post-56058709344049771232014-08-23T12:55:00.000-07:002014-08-24T13:51:33.143-07:00The Fish Shack<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbxtqyGA4t_dflb0qRjvUt4jd082PSB0F-IEwabykISGWV1gKKUB7DlqCyUrk8Ybtw9GNYN0h9J3UXvFSj6-7mG0DQIGnaJIn6Y0Ng01I1pGBmNn-XfgoqwQ3c7XpufA82b-hxElGgo1iT/s1600/The+Fish+Shack.jpg" width="650" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;"><b>THE FISH SHACK</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">1026 Granville Street, Vancouver, BC</span></div>
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Located in an extremely busy section of Granville Street, the Fish Shack is another packed restaurant geared toward more of a young, hipster crowd. Proof? Drinks were served in mason jars and the staff uniform were black graphic ts. I actually really liked the old school vibe of the place and its refreshing to interact with staff that have personality. Overall, I wouldn't say that the food is incredible, its good, but not rave worthy, not rant worthy so this is going to be a pretty bland review. </div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"> </span><b style="text-align: left;">dining chatter volume:</b><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"> high </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b style="text-align: left;"> food:</b><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"> 4/5 </span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b> specialty:</b> oysters</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, georgia, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">To start, the the </span><span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Sicilian Steamer with mussels</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, georgia, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> (photo above) had a sauce that just wasn't powerful enough. It was very thin, quite oily and had only a hint of flavor. When I dipped the baguette slices it came with, all I really got was soggy bread.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, georgia, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Next, the </span><span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Seafood poutine</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, georgia, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> that I had heard about and actually our reason for visiting, was underwhelming. It was mostly your regular poutine with cheese and gravy with some chunks of salmon and mussels. The seafood didn't add a whole lot of flavor to the poutine, so it was really just very standard. It was good (when does fries and cheese ever taste bad?) but not worth paying extra for. </span><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7plkykcj4m9Py3xai1xSi9hgnsuvTq07zPG5cf_bjGNNnJFdwBh-coZXMZAniOeQp7Ew7mlEqwEy4RqV4vQRHZ6mKrDk93TZBEy1EaSQB_VaXe_QHdhZy8oTHdVs9ahtwFr_nkxxysPaY/s1600/The+Fish+shack+seafood+poutine+(2).jpg" width="650" /></div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc3HZsS_6ehfaeM8-4qYt-Q1nBBFo68r06reUepFXI8Tylz6Sk7xSJFzyd2yXU8k31pkq1B29ULgWsP5BU4UCMf9MzQiWwnclBjLaVJA9d442OSv5-4W_avIdBQZEm1YGuBgwnPIqI_21H/s1600/The+Fish+Shack+Oyster+Sauces.jpg" height="320" width="319" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLDfXho9Kge6lme3_Xq6XxJf9upsVz3wAA68-mJgNDU2LsuHNcbyuCa-_2FpT9rzC4azmF4RRRvednZNKB0-qZvMIlfTe5VM9yZGGll7pfZCORqxwThvmWlIT67qjXOndcOq5XbyuH_ZMr/s1600/The+Fish+Shack+Seafood+Poutine.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></div>
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The <span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b>Oysters</b></i></span> are their claim to fame and are served with a platter of 4 sauces to choose from. Personally, mt friends and I found only one of them to be good (the transparent red one). They did taste fresh and were pretty good so I can see myself returning for these. Otherwise there was nothing we ordered that I'd pay to have again. The Fish Shack is a neat spot for its atmosphere but the food just isn't anything special.<br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/14/1710546/restaurant/Downtown/The-Fish-Shack-Vancouver"><img alt="The Fish Shack on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1710546/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a>cocoabeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07633895108146716511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833744442471878266.post-35475701337245413502014-08-17T14:28:00.000-07:002014-08-17T14:49:00.754-07:00White Spot - Proof that anyone can cook <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibsXmJ8mDoblKWyzoptgJigX-dYac6iWKlnAc8FLMcP6wrpgUfBtu5HxBz5XzCnvYs8QtFjBOC44AXZ3D7t2VNZZ2VD0LOSi99D5kO1f1vV3Rw03HC04K-bEbfYd4TWCHA5-r7cyGxiiWK/s1600/10601171_10152603785350325_463029016_n.jpg" width="650" />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Just stay at home. You can make better food. </i></span></div>
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And you can make and serve it faster than they can.</div>
I remember White Spot being the funnest place to eat as a kid. I could get a meal in a pirate ship with a pirate hat and my mom would get a giant salad.The salads my mom used to get were absolutely massive. The first time she got it we was shocked at how big it really was and it had a generous portion of thick udon shaped noodles underneath it, enough to feed 3 people.<br />
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The new salads I've tried are definitely single portion and sound fancy but taste plain. Example: the first photo is of the <span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b>Santorini Chicken Salad</b></i></span> that is described to have a "house-made roast shallot dressing". It tasted like any regular vinaigrette. The chicken was room temperature when we received it. I could have chopped some veggies at home, tossed it in vinegar and olive oil and grilled a chicken. I wish I did. There are some amazing salads at Milestones and even random Japanese restaurants but this salad was about as good as a supermarket packaged lunch salad.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>"The Spot’s Calamari"</i></b></span> was also nothing special, actually quite sub par and their tzatziki sauce really just tasted like sour cream.<br />
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Although White Spot gained fame for their burgers, they now have a large selection of pastas and they're not very good. Sometimes the noodles come overcooked, soft and brittle. The sauce is thin and weak in flavor. In fact, I find that sometimes they have a bit of a funny taste that I also find in those cheap frozen microwave pasta meals. My guess is that they used packaged sauce. Additional toppings are sparse. As you can see, it was served with two tiny tomatoes sliced in half and only a pinch of herbs. The other day I made white sauce pasta from a tutorial on youtube and it tasted a million times better. Also, do you see that tiny piece of salmon on the side? That was a $6 add on and all we got was a thin, small serving. I definitely would<b> not </b>recommend their <span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Fettuccine Alfredo</i></b></span>. Luckily the garlic bread was ok.<br />
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So far I'd give White Spot 1/5. The food is really meh and the service is not all that much better. The servers have way more customers to take care of than they can handle. It also seems like the kitchen isn't big or well staffed enough to handle the volume of customers they get. With every White Spot I've been to, you can expect a long wait time and see your waiter rushing back and and forth trying to handle their area.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2vEmB4M4LCe4JGvuBqsdOCIaFq4LgjEpQlRDwLvUxxQaVqY9cY5hviiuIPAqqnVCtPDg7OgNRvSRLiX3qk_TLG_0w4APHZcS4pSisfGqUBHfG-S5uAyi7zoQ0R1UNoIwYNTwdwE4a8NQ1/s1600/White+Spot+Dessert+Platter.jpg" width="550" /></div>
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One redeeming factor is their <span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Spot Sampler</i></b></span> dessert. For $9 you get to have 3 mini desserts and the hot fudge brownie with ice cream is just so good. Actually all of the 3 are pretty good. Personally, I find it the one thing worth ordering at White Spot and sometimes I go just get this and share with a friend. Catch up sessions over mini desserts!<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #76a5af;">All in all: </span></b>White Spot has a lot of improvements to make, they need better recipes and more staff. I really don't recommend a visit until they make much needed changes. </span> </i></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/14/1455552/restaurant/Vancouver/Guildford/White-Spot-Surrey"><img alt="White Spot on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1455552/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a>cocoabeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07633895108146716511noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833744442471878266.post-91209098406503198102014-08-14T15:23:00.000-07:002014-08-14T15:25:43.768-07:00Sushiful, Vancouver's hidden Sushi gem <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3nUbBdxBTlpYsxV5-Mb2s3rhzLO9HjY5dKey1u7J-M_kwbaXwiBurEei-w6VsFlnpMYl1pJfCxaghWhndCalkK3FzOkZbtneVLJ7CzVI3KqbMF2MmslZhbDAl_B7ZhFsOS6sy20R0f4Fe/s1600/1081738_10152595829160325_1554802128_n.jpg" width="600" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;"><b>SUSHIFUL</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">#7 - 3490 Kingsway Vancouver, BC</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">(604) 451-5177</span></div>
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Sushiful is pretty much the underdog of Vancouver sushi. They're newly established, located in a quiet, low traffic plaza and owned by a pair of two young guys who are passionate about sushi. And what they make is amazing. A lot of reviews on urban spoon mention how their sushi is similar to Sushi Garden's (the super popular sushi spot on Kingsway across from Metrotown). This is probably because they used to work at Sushi Garden and learned the ins and outs of making quality sushi. I'd argue to say that Sushiful tops Sushi Garden, with both better food and better service. Everything is super fresh and they use high quality ingredients.
Prices are lower than standard and the portions are quite generous. I was really impressed with their salmon sashimi! (Photos below) Before I thought the Sushi Garden sashimi was amazing, but Sushiful's was just as good, and they give you a bigger portion.
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9nvpFxzO4bexfkQUtC3kvYtYJ4poKxWp3cYjPekKsCfYBiDsfe64fLbpIY4mWzfchkoWhNSrB1T5A-1B2WI02PBV6UBAQvfGgYLm70xzeUtQiYzP7stQXdwcPRIM1fIhUqfUE1IQwdKa-/s1600/10617243_10152596060660325_949666482_n.jpg" width="600" /></div>
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Usually I'd get the standard rolls for take out (spicy salmon roll, california roll etc.) and I always enjoyed those. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they've crafted some amazing speciality rolls as well. The first two photo in this post are of the Fiji Mountain roll. Avocado sushi filling topped with chopped scallop, tempura shavings and sauce. My new favorite! Just above is the Red Dragon roll, one of their most popular specialty rolls.
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKvR5HBIrQVENnrWKqdqyacxBDMNYBg_3AknJLws-7AeVOdeYs7qZdgi3wMkyuNOuoZz90x4TISM94-2txSz62lbMVX6pD8H1Eg0thxwD2bRubg7wMQQ4L0ifOYrCDUdoogbTA-kCQxI5g/s1600/10588535_10152597828985325_1313993241_n.jpg" width="600px" /></div>
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A must try is their house salad. I dont know what sauce they use or how they make it taste so good but this salad is SO GOOD! Crisp iceberg lettuce, thin shavings of radish and carrot, a touch of red cabbage and an amazing tasting sauce. Seriously. Try it.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCh_8nNh_dRIGCybg2jOGnaoX5m5DwP_CmyrELTG5yG5NvkSBVpkDVauDHIqcDEKszvwRwIJohYZO0cXkPNVkq0OTjkAHYUk94pLDYIs74kKD-Bfn1VSZTRxDPPX22Jbdtp044X5nsoaH6/s1600/10603085_10152597828965325_482350999_n.jpg" width="500px" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">All in all, an amazing sushi place. Great service by the owmers (one of them wears an antler hat with Sushiful written on it.). It's an East Van dining spot with personality and delicious food.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/14/1800873/restaurant/Victoria-Fraserview-Killarney/Sushiful-Vancouver"><img alt="Sushiful on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1800873/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a>cocoabeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07633895108146716511noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833744442471878266.post-35154888103681161452014-08-10T16:18:00.002-07:002014-08-10T16:27:48.093-07:00Kishimoto - The Drive's high style sushi spot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">KISHIMOTO Japanese Kitchen & Sushi Bar</span></span></div>
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One of the newer dining spots on Commercial Drive, Kishimoto quickly grew into one of the busiest sushi spots on this busy street. You can guarantee to find a line up outside and expect a 15-30 minute wait if you decide to come and visit. The restaurant's interior was well designed, with decorations such as giant white paper lanterns that giving it a trendy yet casual feel. It's good fit for such a hipsteresque neighbourhood.<br />
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><b>wait time:</b> 15-30min (for seats) <br /> <b>dining chatter volume:</b> high <br /><b> food:</b> 4/5 <br /><b> specialty:</b> Oshisushi, Abrui</span></span></span></div>
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From my experience, I think a lot of the hype surrounding Kishimoto is more about their presentation than their food. The actual sushi comes in really small portions and, although are well made, aren't particularly rave worthy. They definitely have a large selection of specialty rolls and their Oshisushi (pressed sushi that comes in a square shape) is something else. The one dish that really wowed me was the Spicy Tuna Oshisushi, the tuna is nicely seasoned and cooked in a way that made it melt in my mouth. Now there's something special.<br />
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Otherwise, I found the atmosphere of the restaurant more memorable than the food. It's a bustling quant dining spot, filled with chatter and trendy guests. The perfect place to have a catch-up date that's nice but still casual. Because the portions are so modest, the food felt like more a side to the conversation, rather than a full meal. If you wanted too really leave full you have to order enough to make this a pretty expensive visit. We left paying $30 each and stomachs that were just satisfied, but not quite full. <br />
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Overall, highly recommended as a date spot for the cutely decorated
dishes or for a girl's night out, for the trendy feel of the place. <br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/14/1599929/restaurant/Commercial-Drive-Grandview/Kishimoto-Japanese-Kitchen-Sushi-Bar-Vancouver"><img alt="Kishimoto Japanese Kitchen & Sushi Bar on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1599929/biglink.gif" style="border: medium none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a>
cocoabeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07633895108146716511noreply@blogger.com22054 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, BC V5N, Canada49.2662805 -123.0696636999999849.26624 -123.06974269999998 49.266321 -123.06958469999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833744442471878266.post-11254115838355917252014-08-03T17:28:00.000-07:002014-08-07T15:10:59.882-07:00The Famous Warehouse<div style="text-align: center;">
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THE WAREHOUSE</b> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">989 Granville Street, Vancouver BC, V6B2C9 </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">thefamouswarehouse.com </span></div>
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Known for their $4.95 absolutely everything menu, The Warehouse is one of downtown Vancouver's most popular hubs and bars. Among its copycat restaurants such as "The Dime" that also offer complete $5 menus, the Warehouse has the most selection and best value. Depending on what you order, you can get a full sized meal for your $5 whereas the other ones I've tried offer mini portions and bank on the guarantee that you'll have to order multiple dishes. If you're a fan of burgers they have a good variety of red and white meat ones that come with big patties and nicely seasoned medium cut fries. Every burger I've tried here has been great but food quality can vary, understandable based on how much more traffic they get during their peak hours.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: 12pt;"> <b>wait time:</b> 30-45min (peak) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: 12pt;"> <b>music/dining volume:</b> high </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: 12pt;"> <b>food:</b> 4/5 </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: 12pt;"> <b>specialty:</b> burgers </span></div>
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Last summer there was one visit where we waited 45 minutes for our food to be prepared. This summer we were given nachos and salsa as appetizers to occupy us but we were charged for them and we weren't asked if we wanted them or not. I've also noticed that this summer the staff is slightly below par, last summer everyone who worked here looked like they came out of a MTV Laguna Beach reality T.V. show but this summer many of the servers look like they're straight out of high school.<br />
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">top --> bottom food reviews</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Chaing Mai Bowl</b> <span style="color: #e06666;"> 2/5</span></span><br />
Although described as served in spicy soy chili sauce, it tastes more like a heavy sour and spicy sauce that is much too heavy for the amount of noodles in this dish. The sauce even feels greasy and overpowers anything else going on.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Mama T's Crunchy Mac and Cheese</b><span style="color: #e69138;"> 3/5</span></span><br />
Your standard mac and cheese, lightly topped with cornflakes. Its served on a shallow plate and you're only given a modest amount.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>The Works Burger</b> <span style="color: #93c47d;">5/5</span></span><br />
Although the one in the photo is slightly burnt and was dry, the usual burger is juicy with a thick patty and all around just well done. Hit and miss depending on the kitchen staff of the day.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Smokey BBQ Burger</b> <span style="color: #93c47d;">5/5</span></span><br />
My personal favorite because I like the spicy kick. It has a great tasting spicy sauce and what seems like the same patty as the Works burger.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Union Street Noodle Salad</b> <span style="color: #76a5af;">4/5</span></span><br />
Chow mein noodles under chicken, dressed greens, avocado and almonds. The noodles were quiet heavily salted but otherwise this was a great cold salad.<br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/14/180573/restaurant/Downtown/The-Famous-Warehouse-Vancouver"><img alt="The Famous Warehouse on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/180573/minilink.gif" style="border: none; height: 36px; width: 130px;" /></a>
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<br />cocoabeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07633895108146716511noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833744442471878266.post-35676389047831609602014-07-28T18:56:00.002-07:002014-08-07T15:14:29.356-07:00Treats at Icy Bar<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A few days ago some friends and I stumbled along a cute little dessert spot in the Joyce area that turned out to have amazing shaved ice. Their portions are smaller than usual shaved ice desserts at Chinese restaurants and sell at the same price ($5.75 - $6.50 each dish) but they have a much larger selection and give a generous amount of fresh fruit. They give you condensed milk separately in squeeze bottles which allows you determine how sweet and creamy you want it to be. My complaint is that they don't chill their dishes before serving, although the restaurant was air conditioned, the ice melted pretty quickly. The ceramic dishes were room temperature when we received them and the ice would have lasted much longer if the dishes had sat in the freezer for a little while. Other than that, we tried the Mango Shaved Ice, Strawberry Shaved Ice and custom 4 toppings dish and enjoyed each one!<br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/14/1836899/restaurant/Victoria-Fraserview-Killarney/Icy-Bar-Vancouver"><img alt="Icy Bar 利源冰店 on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1836899/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a>cocoabeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07633895108146716511noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833744442471878266.post-949883599770648952014-07-01T21:23:00.001-07:002014-08-03T17:39:01.087-07:00Maybelline - The Nudes<img src="http://i58.tinypic.com/98sqbt.jpg" width="700px" />
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I was really excited to see Maybelline come out with what looks like their version of the Urban Decay Naked Palette but sadly I've been really disappointed with this purchase. Although this palette is a new release and has classy packaging with great colour selection, the eyeshadow formulas seem to be exactly the same as the ones they used to have in their eyeshadow quads.<br />
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I read that these were extremely pigmented and good dupes for the original Urban Decay Naked palette but only one colour in this palette has great pigmentation (the shimmery bronze on the first row). Otherwise the black shade has decent, medium-level pigmentation and everything else is powdery and sheer.<br />
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It was actually pretty difficult to get the colours to show up on the swatch above. For many of the lighter colours I had to layer them quite a few times for them to appear. I actually think this palette has some great colours but their consistency is just far too sheer. If you're looking for some light neutrals to blend with, this palette would be perfect. I found it really hard to create a smokey eye with these shades because of how much I need to layer it for that colour payoff. On the other hand, their dry texture also minimizes fallout so this palette might be a good fit for anyone who wants to create a really natural look. The matte colours might prove to be great for contouring, I actually use one of the older maybelline nude eyeshadow quads as a eyebrow powder because its sheerness makes it difficult for me to accidentally overdo my brows.<br />
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To sum it up, I find this to be just Maybelline's old eyeshadows put together in a new package. Low pigmentation and a powdery finish on most colours with one vibrant bronze shade. Great transition/blending colours but not the best eyeshadows for a smokey eye look.cocoabeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07633895108146716511noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833744442471878266.post-81275656428635750982014-06-27T01:10:00.000-07:002014-08-17T14:47:35.293-07:00Breakfast at Lola's<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Lola (Belltown Seattle, WA)</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Seattle, WA 98121</span></span></span></div>
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As an incredibly chic restaurant with great food, Lola's was one of the highlights of my last weekend's retreat to Seattle and Portland. Lola's was packed when we arrived and proved to be a popular selection for breakfast/brunch. We had a 30 minute wait for a table (for four) but they have a very comfortable waiting area and their close proximity to the core of Downtown Seattle allowed that time window to be pleasantly filled with early window shopping.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;">Lola breakfast </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">two eggs, choice of pork-maple sausage or smoked bacon (he got both), smashed garlic fried potatoes, toast</span></i></div>
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The bacon was thick cut and delicious.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;">Omelette</span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">sugar snap peas, minted goat cheese, smashed garlic fried potatoes, bacon, toast </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;">Eggs benedict </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">bavarian meats ham, dill hollandaise, smashed garlic fried potatoes</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjLft37xWglodUsajucXWIVHN3RVxaMeBaUbHaDiUr9F4H_91CpatybDxiaLESjGlwqJsMHb7QjNty3IYypv4O4FeJTWIQAgWWrIMOYgThb2AGE9Keu0ebiXCrhEZcXDIJf8A=" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;">Tom’s big breakfast</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">mediterranean octopus, sugar snap peas, spring onion, potatoes, bacon, green garlic yogurt, poached egg, toast</span></i></div>
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I never would have ever imagined enjoying having octopus for breakfast but this was absolutely perfect.<br />
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Although moderately pricey, especially for breakfast, Lola's was really a great experience with its classy atmosphere, hum of conversations and creative breakfast selections. Definitely recommended!<br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/1/2180/restaurant/Belltown/Lola-Seattle"><img alt="Lola on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/2180/biglink.gif" style="border: medium none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a>
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<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fi61.tinypic.com%2F346q2ac.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjLft37xWglodUsajucXWIVHN3RVxaMeBaUbHaDiUr9F4H_91CpatybDxiaLESjGlwqJsMHb7QjNty3IYypv4O4FeJTWIQAgWWrIMOYgThb2AGE9Keu0ebiXCrhEZcXDIJf8A=" -->cocoabeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07633895108146716511noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833744442471878266.post-45435010894182870892014-06-11T23:10:00.003-07:002014-06-11T23:13:38.833-07:00NYX - I Dream of Jamaica<img alt="NYX The Caribbean Collection 5 Color Eyeshadow - I Dream of Jamaica" src="http://i61.tinypic.com/213f0us.jpg" width="700px" />
<img alt="NYX The Caribbean Collection 5 Color Eyeshadow - I Dream of Jamaica" src="http://i58.tinypic.com/jk83k0.jpg" width="700px" /><br />
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #a2c4c9;">NYX </span><span style="color: white;">The Caribbean Collection </span><span style="color: #d5a6bd;">5 Color Eyeshadow</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;"> <span style="font-size: x-large;"><br />
I Dream of Jamaica</span></span></span></h2>
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NYX generally has quite a good reputation for eyeshadows so I decided to give this neutral, cool toned palette a try. I've found that the pigmentation is at a medium level, not very strong so it's optimal if you just wanted a light wash of colour. Of the 5 colours the ones I've reached for the most are the two highlighting colours (the pale pink and the white) because I like how the shimmer gives it a faint satin finish thats not too strong.<br />
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<table align="left" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="NYX - I Dream of Jamaica Swatches" src="http://i57.tinypic.com/28jim1x.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="300px" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swatches in sunlight, no photo retouching.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This palette is great for a cool toned smokey eye because the grey shade (second to the right) has a really sheer finish that's easy to blend and the lavender shade (in the middle) adds a nice hint of colour. Before I made this purchase I browsed through reviews on makeupalley and most people were describing the eyeshadows as buttery and creamy but I've actually found this palette quite powdery, especially compared to how creamy the Urban Decay Naked palettes are. I think that its powdery consistency does help with minimizing fallout but just doesn't make it the greatest when it comes to its pigmentation. <br />
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Overall:</span></span> <span style="color: #134f5c;">7/10</span></h2>cocoabeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07633895108146716511noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833744442471878266.post-90893790248187886232013-07-05T23:27:00.001-07:002013-07-05T23:42:07.923-07:00eBay Jewellery Reviews + Tips!<p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-HnBjVvP8seg/Ude4kOE8h9I/AAAAAAAABc0/Tl2fm6KtS3M/s1600-h/ebaynecklace%25255B3%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="ebaynecklace" border="0" alt="ebaynecklace" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-rdG9n6MwYzk/Ude4mIRNEEI/AAAAAAAABc8/weO64cpab98/ebaynecklace_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="700" height="467"></a></p> <p>When I was hunting down a statement necklace to go with my prom dress I couldn't find any piece that I liked in store. After discovering the selection available online I decided to give ordering jewellery on eBay a try. Overall I’ve found that it’s much more worthwhile than going to in store retailers and usually the quality measures up to what you would find of H&M or Aldo products. </p> <h1><font color="#809ec2">Pros </font></h1> <h3>Inexpensive: </h3>Whereas American retailers sell statement necklaces at around $10-$25 a piece, I got each of the items below for under $10 each. Shipping was included in the listed price as well! This is probably the only reason I prefer eBay over other Asian online fashion stores because most have the individual prices for the products and then a minimal flat shipping cost + extra depending on weight. It’s not worth it to order only one item from those sites but it’s really easy to order individual items and compare prices on eBay. <h3>Variety: </h3>There are literally thousands of styles that each seller has. A lot of the same ones are carried by multiple sellers in different colours so you can find the exact piece that you’re looking for. When I was searching for a prom necklace I couldn’t find one that would complement my dress in stores, online I found plenty that I really liked and instead had a tough time choosing one. <h1><font color="#dd8484">Cons</font></h1> <h3>Inconsistency of Quality:</h3>After my first few necklace purchases turned out to be decent quality I expected it as a standard of all the items online. The last necklace resembled the photo in style but the quality was really far off. Although different sellers sell the same style item for different prices, the seller that places the item at the highest price isn’t always providing the best quality available for that product. Its difficult to predict which sellers carry good products as sometimes a certain item they carry is high quality but another item is low. <h3>Delivery time:</h3>These take a long trip from China to arrive. On most descriptions it said shipping time would be 16-30 days to Canada and each item I’ve ordered has taken between 20-30 days. A month is a long time to finally receive a product and while you’re waiting for it to arrive you may act on the impulse to order more. <p> </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-1AX7rnmQWwM/Ude4nyj2FeI/AAAAAAAABdE/bqWyVHsBkn8/s1600-h/necklace1%25255B3%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="necklace1" border="0" alt="necklace1" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-UOSjL-xT0BM/Ude4pVAZs-I/AAAAAAAABdM/A0haXhbbzg4/necklace1_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="700" height="392"></a></p> <h3><a href="http://www.ebay.ca/itm/350801644119?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649"><font style="font-weight: normal">Crystal Charm Floral VTG Smoky Gold Plated Pendant Necklace TA2285K</font></a></h3> <h3><font style="font-weight: normal"><font style="font-weight: bold">Seller:</font> </font><a href="http://myworld.ebay.ca/thboxs?_trksid=p2047675.l2559"><font style="font-weight: normal">thboxs</font></a></h3> <h1><font size="5"><font color="#333333">Overall Rating:</font> <font color="#f3a447">3/5</font></font></h1> <p>This was a disappointing purchase, there are a lot of lumps on the necklace and it’s a much brighter shade of gold than it shows in the photograph. Also, this necklace took the longest of the 3 to arrive (24 days I believe). </p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-2cehng79VA0/Ude4rMUurzI/AAAAAAAABdU/RMPUgbDxqgI/s1600-h/necklace2%25255B4%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="necklace2" border="0" alt="necklace2" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-pMoTzUkr_us/Ude4sxV9GdI/AAAAAAAABdc/Y-M5AlBkiOs/necklace2_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="700" height="434"></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-7-001s2mqgU/Ude4tqo8luI/AAAAAAAABdk/MVRluFKtNaM/s1600-h/necklace2-2%25255B3%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="necklace2-2" border="0" alt="necklace2-2" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-sD-VJAIrmGc/Ude4uv7w0CI/AAAAAAAABds/AHh4DSOompQ/necklace2-2_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="700" height="261"></a></p> <h3><font style="font-weight: normal"><a href="http://www.ebay.ca/itm/300907740003?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649">Fashion Retro Hollow Out carving Flower Alloy fake collar Clavicle necklace New\</a></font></h3> <h3><font style="font-weight: normal"><font style="font-weight: bold">Seller: </font><a href="http://myworld.ebay.ca/fashion-shop8?_trksid=p2047675.l2559" target="_blank">fashion-shop8</a></font></h3> <p><font size="5"><strong><font color="#333333">Overall Rating:</font> <font color="#9bbb59">4.5/5</font></strong></font></p> <p>This was the first necklace I ordered, simply for the fact that it was so cheap! I got it for $3.50 and am pretty impressed with the quality, the item is true to the photos. On each side of the collar 3 separate parts are joined together by rings that can be uncomfortable due to the weight of the necklace. As it is a peter pan collar necklace and is mean to be worn over a shirt it’s not much of a problem, I was surprised at how uncomfortable these kinds of necklaces are to wear on bare skin. The shipping time was also pretty quick (two weeks or so). </p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-LUcKofzj6p4/Ude4wInyglI/AAAAAAAABd0/Ifa3CFGZUtg/s1600-h/necklace3%25255B3%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="necklace3" border="0" alt="necklace3" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-onFdNMz7zWk/Ude4x51mdgI/AAAAAAAABd8/B4BgTF8NOvo/necklace3_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="700" height="432"></a></p> <h3><a href="http://www.ebay.ca/itm/230889277344?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649" target="_blank"><font style="font-weight: normal">Fashion Golden Chain Flower Hollow Out Adjustable Bib Pendant Necklace</font></a></h3> <h3>Seller: <a href="http://myworld.ebay.ca/alliway?_trksid=p2047675.l2559" target="_blank"><font style="font-weight: normal">alliway</font></a><font style="font-weight: normal"> </font></h3> <p><font size="5"><strong><font color="#333333">Overall Rating:</font> <font color="#9bbb59">4.5/5</font></strong></font></p> <p>Last but not least this is my favourite eBay necklace purchase so far! I was attracted to it because I thought the style was really unique but there are actually a whole bunch of eBay sellers that carry this product in different colours and made with different materials. I saw a matte black one that looked really cool but opted for this gold one instead. I love how it’s a statement necklace that can complement any outfit and has a really intricate design but once again the joints that hold the different pieces of the necklace together make it uncomfortable to wear on bare skin! </p> <h1><font color="#4f81bd" face="Georgia"><em><font style="font-weight: normal"><font color="#4bacc6">Final Suggestions</font> </font></em></font></h1>You really need to notice the details in the photos the seller posts as they are most often pretty accurate. Any hints of imperfections you notice in the photos will be amplified on the actual item you get. The model shown in the photos is not a bad representation of what you will get, they often just use photography skills and pretty models to distract you from the details of the product. I’ve personally been really impressed with what you can find online! cocoabeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07633895108146716511noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833744442471878266.post-1872289510100122542012-12-08T20:28:00.001-08:002012-12-08T20:30:26.785-08:00baby it’s cold out<p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Qc_j3XiBVsY/UMQTS1PqSvI/AAAAAAAAAvE/dnoYY-lyED4/s1600-h/emu%25255B3%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="emu" border="0" alt="emu" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-jCppS3tyQxo/UMQTURpXp0I/AAAAAAAAAvM/hp-AW8Wpu3Q/emu_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="700" height="467"></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-vHuAZUiQCxg/UMQTV89eexI/AAAAAAAAAvU/KQHSDERt7V0/s1600-h/emu%252520box%25255B3%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="emu box" border="0" alt="emu box" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-5p9jYtw83Nc/UMQTXnEIWjI/AAAAAAAAAvc/yqXZzmX6OjM/emu%252520box_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="700" height="467"></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-PzaBX9kT4rs/UMQTZRRB2aI/AAAAAAAAAvk/PHR-34sf058/s1600-h/cozy%25255B3%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="cozy" border="0" alt="cozy" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-B628MUAtOD0/UMQTbBADGLI/AAAAAAAAAvs/orGfLHTaC6Y/cozy_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="700" height="438"></a><br>Uggs are really common now but I still think they’re adorable! And so damn comfy. I used to have a cheap pair and let me tell you high quality expensive ones make all the difference. There is so much more lining and they are 10 times warmer. <br><br>I can’t wait for snow (: </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-4EQl12F2EKQ/UMQTcxN96eI/AAAAAAAAAv0/1RLVPWsymKk/s1600-h/food%25255B3%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="food" border="0" alt="food" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-uY4sQ6Y-kZs/UMQTei-g2pI/AAAAAAAAAv8/aqqc_xNjhbs/food_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="700" height="467"></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-_tHBhNU4Iek/UMQTgU6Gd1I/AAAAAAAAAwE/vANMA2WHBF0/s1600-h/coffee%25255B3%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="coffee" border="0" alt="coffee" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-tjFInPP612g/UMQTiI20EyI/AAAAAAAAAwM/JTJ2TgD4_uA/coffee_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="700" height="467"></a></p> <p>End of term comfort food. Term 2 here we go. </p> <p align="right"><font size="4" face="Georgia"><font color="#000000"><font color="#333333">"Would the world ever have been made if its maker had been afraid of making trouble?</font> <font size="5">Making life means making trouble."</font> <br></font><font color="#2d5e0d">- George Bernard Shaw, <em>Pygmalion</em></font></font></p> cocoabeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07633895108146716511noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833744442471878266.post-24092939040880235752012-11-17T17:59:00.001-08:002012-11-17T18:29:17.726-08:00Fall into place<p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-lTtWroLWS8U/UKhAoHrpicI/AAAAAAAAAs8/jn645fmpIAI/s1600-h/leaves%25255B6%25255D.png"><img style="display: inline" title="leaves" alt="leaves" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Awi_wgEU0-A/UKhAqewvnGI/AAAAAAAAAtE/5-HQ78ouMxI/leaves_thumb%25255B4%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="700" height="467"></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-s0MH_vs4Ieg/UKhAsOFeR1I/AAAAAAAAAtM/3LrPh7JabYA/s1600-h/pencil%252520case%25255B3%25255D.png"><img style="display: inline" title="pencil case" alt="pencil case" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Fx-jNYJwSlU/UKhAthB62tI/AAAAAAAAAtU/9GSI3g_QplI/pencil%252520case_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="700" height="467"></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-O63vnmmqPQo/UKhAvmIQ87I/AAAAAAAAAtc/bHwWkctSYRI/s1600-h/iphone%25255B3%25255D.png"><img style="display: inline" title="iphone" alt="iphone" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/--QWcGA2pQBM/UKhAxo6sAzI/AAAAAAAAAtk/5FUHCoZnhXg/iphone_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="700" height="467"></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-_i4kZUH9ZIs/UKhAy_MY9gI/AAAAAAAAAts/WXSGetTowAU/s1600-h/textbooks%25255B3%25255D.png"><img style="display: inline" title="textbooks" alt="textbooks" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-KN_zQJLjTWI/UKhA0ejRvyI/AAAAAAAAAt0/PJB_zL56HI0/textbooks_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="700" height="467"></a>The current banes of my existence. </p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-EAaeMyxJHOE/UKhA2FOeaKI/AAAAAAAAAt8/KcwEQPVlUhk/s1600-h/cds%25255B3%25255D.png"><img style="display: inline" title="cds" alt="cds" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-GmxZX1XtX1k/UKhA42qAnQI/AAAAAAAAAuE/iBDpQt0BQ1A/cds_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="700" height="467"></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-q3b0d_oJLjM/UKhA6m_bUvI/AAAAAAAAAuM/NiSum8E_JQA/s1600-h/salmon%252520burger%25255B3%25255D.png"><img style="display: inline" title="salmon burger" alt="salmon burger" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-CJptHhHRB0E/UKhA8u48kBI/AAAAAAAAAuU/TBLkb1S31FQ/salmon%252520burger_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="700" height="467"></a><font color="#000000" size="2" face="Georgia"><em>Wild Salmon Burger (Red Robbins)</em></font> – total disappointment. Too much coleslaw, not enough sauce. Cold, stiff bun as well. Overall it’s really dry and hard to bite, not only because of it’s size but because the bun isn’t soft!</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-L4dNZkGnxB0/UKhA-LqwhoI/AAAAAAAAAuc/r966K7PR54Q/s1600-h/FNOS%25255B3%25255D.png"><img style="display: inline" title="FNOS" alt="FNOS" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-0qXgqrRkYt4/UKhA_XNPLdI/AAAAAAAAAuk/ow4LkUxQ7a0/FNOS_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="700" height="467"></a></p> <p align="right"><font size="3" face="Georgia"><font color="#000000">“Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.”<br></font>―<font color="#4bacc6"> John Green, <em>The Fault in Our Stars</em></font><em> </em></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Georgia">One of the best books I’ve ever read. Recommended 100% </font></p> <p align="center"><font size="3" face="Georgia"><font size="5"><font color="#000000">Okay?</font> <font color="#4bacc6">Okay.</font></font> </font></p> cocoabeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07633895108146716511noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833744442471878266.post-32589853844250695302012-08-31T13:20:00.001-07:002012-08-31T13:20:59.134-07:00Aritzia Warehouse Sale 2012<p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-cVOkPGXQW3o/UEEcgMudVgI/AAAAAAAAArc/rE_iZ_1Uysc/s1600-h/aritzia%2525201%25255B4%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="aritzia 1" border="0" alt="aritzia 1" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-XEIww9hfwsc/UEEchq24xBI/AAAAAAAAArk/7fMjH0R8J-o/aritzia%2525201_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="700" height="467"></a></p> <p align="center"><font color="#000000" size="5" face="Georgia"><em>My Purchases</em></font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-PjDb0qyL0-c/UEEcjWX5LHI/AAAAAAAAArs/m-WKQjrhGkw/s1600-h/artizia3%25255B5%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="artizia3" border="0" alt="artizia3" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-MUrefWq-9ao/UEEcmSvIvBI/AAAAAAAAAr0/bLdsm42BCHg/artizia3_thumb%25255B3%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="700" height="500"></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="3" face="Georgia"><em><font color="#333333">Talula</font> Bustier Dress</em></font> <font color="#9bbb59" size="3"><strong>$24.99</strong></font> – <font size="3" face="Georgia"><em>TNA tank</em> <font color="#9bbb59" face="Arial"><strong>$9.99</strong></font> – <em><font color="#ff0080">Wilfred</font> Bustier tank</em> <font color="#9bbb59" face="Arial"><strong>$14.99</strong></font></font></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-CVdyzJB7dHk/UEEcoYBEr2I/AAAAAAAAAr8/8hvhnK0dxF8/s1600-h/aritzia4%25255B4%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="aritzia4" border="0" alt="aritzia4" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-HfljHDKCkec/UEEcpUYndpI/AAAAAAAAAsE/29-kZsPliUw/aritzia4_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="700" height="457"></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-UKyvTREh_DI/UEEcp4xKDuI/AAAAAAAAAsM/0BTtwk8ce-M/s1600-h/aritzia43%25255B4%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="aritzia43" border="0" alt="aritzia43" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Xo07J7m7Qa8/UEEcqbs9ZuI/AAAAAAAAAsU/PGvnvjd2PgM/aritzia43_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="700" height="467"></a></p> <p>I got there this morning around 9:20 am and there was no line-up! There was no line-up when I left either around 10:30am. The sale was disappointing to say the least. I’m not sure if it was because it’s day two of the infamous sale but there were very, very few desirable items left. It’s a large venue, and there are racks and racks of clothes but sizes and styles have been thrown everywhere by shoppers. The sale prices weren’t much lower than “You Snooze You Loose” Aritzia Sales. Clothes were still expensive and probably now damaged because of the hectic environment (fall on the floor, stepped on, hangers caught in sweaters pulling threads lose, etc.).<br><br><font color="#000000" size="4" face="Georgia"><em>Some Items I saw</em><br></font><img src="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-thing%3F.out%3Djpg%26size%3Dl%26tid%3D50705416"> <img src="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-thing%3F.out%3Djpg%26size%3Dl%26tid%3D43711142"></p> <p align="center"><font color="#333333">TNA Ragan Sweaters – Wilfred Free Sweaters</font> ($59.99)</p> <p align="center"> </p> <p><img src="http://www.madisonpaigephotography.com/IMAGES/fashionfriday/mpblog_aritzia.png" width="700" height="360"></p> <p align="center"><font color="#333333">1. few of these in Large (not sure of prices or name) 2. Sabine Dress</font> $74.99 3. A lot of these dresses in Prints ($?)</p> <p align="center"> </p> <p><img src="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-thing%3F.out%3Djpg%26size%3Dl%26tid%3D43711438"><img src="http://aritzia.com/sites/aritzia/files/imagecache/product_node/product/images/41269_0_TALULABABATON_41269_BLACK.jpg" width="234" height="310"></p> <p align="center">Talula Fruit Bustiers (lots of them) – <font color="#333333">Talula Babaton Fielding Blazer</font> ($99)</p> <p align="center"><img src="http://the-dressingroom.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/gear4.jpg" width="315" height="300"><img src="http://aritzia.com/sites/aritzia/files/imagecache/product_listing_custom/product/images/tnaction_23435_hcharcoal.jpg"></p> <p align="center">TNA hoodies – White olympics hoodie with Aboriginal Art design, Grey hoodie (a few), Neon pink hoodies (Two racks full!)</p> <p><img src="http://girlswannashop.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/WILF-trench.jpg"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4hxRYfpLXh4/T3NzsGiDTzI/AAAAAAAAAbg/Ylq7jD3se_0/s1600/Wilfred%2BFranca%2Bdress%2B175.jpg" width="338" height="450"></p> <p align="center">Long Trench Coats in a Camel colour ($149.99) - <a href="http://aritzia.com/fashion/dresses/franca-dress-0">Wilfred Franca Dress</a> ($74.99)</p> <p>These are a few of the items but keep in mind there are hundreds of other items from previous seasons and years and most of them are just not worth buying at all. I’m really glad I didn’t have to line up for the sale because it would just have been the biggest disappointment. </p> <p><font color="#000000" size="5" face="Georgia"><em>the Sale is</em></font></p> <p><font color="#809ec2"><font color="#8fb08c" size="3" face="Georgia">1. Messy</font> –</font> stuff is on racks everywhere and it is quite crowded. </p> <p><font size="4" face="Georgia"><font color="#809ec2" size="3">2. Carries lots of certain items</font> </font>– such as Neon TNA hoodies and black TNA backpacks with different coloured neon TNA writing all over then</p> <p><font color="#9c85c0" size="3" face="Georgia">3. Crowded changing tent</font> – you have to fight for a space infront of a mirror, it’s a lot easier to change outside with a friend to take a photo of you trying on each item and then looking through the photos to decided what you want. A plus for being inside the tend is that you get to search through other people’s rejects which are usually better items then are outside. </p> <p><font color="#646b86" size="3" face="Georgia">4. Lots of cashiers</font> – almost no lineup to pay. </p> cocoabeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07633895108146716511noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833744442471878266.post-78218472144081456752012-08-27T15:13:00.001-07:002012-08-27T15:13:43.675-07:00The Last Days of Summer<p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-RLQU86w0x9s/UDvwvvIIINI/AAAAAAAAApY/E8oaS9fhPtM/s1600-h/summer%25255B4%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="summer" border="0" alt="summer" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-0KWwLQKLWQw/UDvww6qHyJI/AAAAAAAAApg/oYcmUbEg8BE/summer_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="700" height="467"></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Wc2qcTUiJLs/UDvwxZHeEDI/AAAAAAAAApo/gmuwP9FCZmo/s1600-h/moon%25255B4%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="moon" border="0" alt="moon" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-n9TZF78W48w/UDvwxz3cdyI/AAAAAAAAApw/cqHXx6Kg5fQ/moon_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="700" height="223"></a></p> <p align="center">“The Moon circles the earth and the ocean and the ocean responds with the rhythm of the tides” </p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-ocWd2YF24BI/UDvwz77LnvI/AAAAAAAAAp4/HjYh15wsgEA/s1600-h/veggieburger%25255B4%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="veggieburger" border="0" alt="veggieburger" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-R_oJMc9ubgE/UDvw2FRG1fI/AAAAAAAAAqA/JOs61A1hsvg/veggieburger_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="700" height="467"></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-vhlLGknnSkw/UDvw3vWu5cI/AAAAAAAAAqI/-8nv8Ra6nVg/s1600-h/ice%252520cream%25255B4%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="ice cream" border="0" alt="ice cream" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-BlmOJ_uESLA/UDvw6WoXcjI/AAAAAAAAAqQ/02juzHWt3DQ/ice%252520cream_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="700" height="467"></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-BqZYb9mnX9w/UDvw9MknATI/AAAAAAAAAqY/XXWWcxI7o-I/s1600-h/food1%25255B4%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="food1" border="0" alt="food1" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ygRMmuIvyQ8/UDvw-unGHgI/AAAAAAAAAqg/howsPsTPEMQ/food1_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="700" height="467"></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-mui79rMHVmg/UDvxAkEl6aI/AAAAAAAAAqo/joZ3IF8WIyY/s1600-h/surf%25255B4%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="surf" border="0" alt="surf" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-uIXDKVwRjRc/UDvxCFNGOvI/AAAAAAAAAqw/Lxu8Tg34GYY/surf_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="700" height="467"></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-MUs_ul39j10/UDvxDp8l7JI/AAAAAAAAAq4/dU0ncSQnEqE/s1600-h/landscape3%25255B4%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="landscape3" border="0" alt="landscape3" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-xu4XaiBm_a8/UDvxFgibARI/AAAAAAAAArA/kuEMzY26wbs/landscape3_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="700" height="467"></a></p> <p>Photos from going to Yaletown last week with my friend. It’s such a beautiful area. There were even people surfing! Well not really, more like traveling on surfboards because we don’t get any crazy waves in Vancouver. The girl in the last photo is my friend.</p> <p>I can’t believe that classes are 8 days away. Two months passed quick! It’s been a great summer, one of the best. </p> cocoabeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07633895108146716511noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833744442471878266.post-32337317058874656642012-08-15T13:06:00.001-07:002012-08-15T13:06:16.486-07:00Late night sushi<p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-YzEpQVCPW0U/UCwA5PblPFI/AAAAAAAAAes/NBTJVO6kG38/s1600-h/1%25255B5%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="1" border="0" alt="1" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-KrEkwT8S8Fg/UCwA63D9sdI/AAAAAAAAAe0/cEodX9w25Rk/1_thumb%25255B3%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="700" height="467"></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-OTSl7vl1fjg/UCwA9K4gKgI/AAAAAAAAAe8/ZV9ArIJO7DU/s1600-h/2%25255B4%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="2" border="0" alt="2" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-UgFkSeVPRB0/UCwA_NMi7LI/AAAAAAAAAfE/BMmVCwYm0Gk/2_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="700" height="467"></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-nsctdL4COWI/UCwBBCj7pSI/AAAAAAAAAfM/JsoFqgfgBKA/s1600-h/5%25255B4%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="5" border="0" alt="5" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-HQiZ79coM9Q/UCwBC8MM2OI/AAAAAAAAAfU/oS_IP38wP3A/5_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="700" height="467"></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-V8X9M2izNVQ/UCwBEx-EfsI/AAAAAAAAAfc/oTQ9dV8lpvY/s1600-h/3%25255B4%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="3" border="0" alt="3" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-vEmoiYxTBH4/UCwBGiisCcI/AAAAAAAAAfk/Hm-CP0KOenw/3_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="700" height="467"></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-t0bpzzdipL8/UCwBILkZk5I/AAAAAAAAAfs/M6ZqYW4oS9s/s1600-h/4%25255B4%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="4" border="0" alt="4" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-JO0TlmG5oK8/UCwBJ7r-kmI/AAAAAAAAAf0/Mp1-6zZEzOM/4_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="700" height="467"></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-rkB4QBq0Dy0/UCwBLmkMxQI/AAAAAAAAAf8/xliMTLgnqYc/s1600-h/6%25255B4%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="6" border="0" alt="6" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-O2lx_SMUBvk/UCwBN_wyXZI/AAAAAAAAAgE/gtPox_y6QhY/6_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="700" height="467"></a></p> <p>Went out to see Ted yesterday with some friends and we went to all you can eat sushi afterwards. Thought it’d be a good opportunity to test out more food pics with my new Canon. These are what the photos look like after photoshoping them slightly. </p> <p>Hungry? </p> cocoabeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07633895108146716511noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833744442471878266.post-88438847810919169592012-08-12T21:10:00.001-07:002012-08-14T11:17:04.665-07:00Memorykeeping<p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-BJFddLu3Rzo/UCh-Elpa6DI/AAAAAAAAAdc/eoZ40iSo9mE/s1600-h/IMG_0413%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_0413" border="0" alt="IMG_0413" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-53wCONenX5E/UCh-EzoJ2uI/AAAAAAAAAdg/GJemx4E8blM/IMG_0413_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="371"></a></p> <p>Guess who has a new toy? Specifically the Canon Rebel T3i 60D DSLR. I’m not a camera buff so I can’t tell if it’s better than other DSLR’s on the market but in the 48 hours that it’s now been mine, I’m satisfied so far. This is the same camera that <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlOf5fuUacg" target="_blank">Charlie McDonnell</a> (aka Charlieissocoollike) uses. One of the main features that the sales associate pitched to me was it’s ability to record in 1080p HD. Potential youtube videos? Definitely…a maybe. </p> <blockquote> <p><font color="#000000" size="4" face="Georgia"><em>Sample Photos (no photoshop)</em></font> </p></blockquote> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-5Z4_3uvhx1I/UCh-FJJ0SYI/AAAAAAAAAdk/-2OafVaCTT4/s1600-h/IMG_0506%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_0506" border="0" alt="IMG_0506" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-SEqG6dZxtmk/UCh-FUInYDI/AAAAAAAAAdo/A1Xh73C8SqA/IMG_0506_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="467"></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-AMFmm9ApcjY/UCh-G9sYVFI/AAAAAAAAAds/vAP1NiPP9RY/s1600-h/IMG_0473%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_0473" border="0" alt="IMG_0473" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-FCCBi-OgI8E/UCh-HCL6rqI/AAAAAAAAAdw/CpB2Qriafcc/IMG_0473_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="467"></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-f37VRG7lh34/UCqWH1YDAcI/AAAAAAAAAeM/w5c-8xcOWzw/s1600-h/IMG_0667%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_0667" border="0" alt="IMG_0667" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-r_2oBN-BFpo/UCqWIEH8ljI/AAAAAAAAAeU/3QMObUJtqNI/IMG_0667_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="467"></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-JCAC5MJYoRo/UCh-H_ZMrQI/AAAAAAAAAd0/z9GRizWmTLs/s1600-h/IMG_0562%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_0562" border="0" alt="IMG_0562" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-uIi1c7QeOGc/UCh-IoAfPkI/AAAAAAAAAd4/wX9EYLivxG4/IMG_0562_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="467"></a></p> <p align="center"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Georgia"><strong><font color="#dd8484"> </font><font color="#a5b592"> <font size="5"> 1.</font></font></strong> Sunset at Spanish Banks Beach</font> – amazing view, hell to get to by public transit. <br><align ="CENTER"> Two words – steep hills, very, very steep hills </p> <p align="center"><font size="3" face="Georgia"><strong><font color="#8fb08c" size="5">2.</font></strong></font> <font color="#000000" size="3" face="Georgia">Burger </font>made on at a BBQ with some friends on Friday</p> <p align="center"><font face="Georgia"><font size="3"><font color="#9bbb59" size="5"><strong>3.</strong></font> <font color="#000000">Flower close-up</font></font></font> – testing out nature shots</p> <p align="center"><font face="Georgia"><font size="3"><font color="#9bbb59" size="5"><strong>4.</strong></font> <font color="#000000">Revlon Lip Butter</font></font></font> – Lots of product reviews to come!</p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="right"><font size="4" face="Courier New"><font color="#333333">“What I like about photographs is that they capture a moment that’s gone forever, impossible to reproduce.”<br></font><font color="#9c85c0">― </font><font color="#9bbb59"><strong>Karl Lagerfeld</strong></font></font></p> cocoabeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07633895108146716511noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833744442471878266.post-82591089252127007112012-04-27T22:49:00.001-07:002012-05-12T12:00:13.133-07:00The Great Pacific Garbage Patch<p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-eMtu_kUp9pg/T5uEHpVl0WI/AAAAAAAAAW0/nBOoSmvYMl0/s1600-h/tumblr_lthrw3xEQ21qaitioo1_1280%25255B4%25255D.png"><img style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto" title="tumblr_lthrw3xEQ21qaitioo1_1280" alt="tumblr_lthrw3xEQ21qaitioo1_1280" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-rB9ttutLZYc/T5uEOjXv8aI/AAAAAAAAAW8/-Sg_GOsU7CI/tumblr_lthrw3xEQ21qaitioo1_1280_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="600" height="399"></a> <center><iframe height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xc6LvdsyJ4U" frameborder="0" width="640" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></center> <div style="text-align: center; clear: both" class="separator"><font face="Courier New">*mouseover to enlarge*</font></div> <div style="text-align: center; clear: both" class="separator"><a class="cloud-zoom" href="http://i48.tinypic.com/121u6mu.jpg" rel="softFocus: true, position:'inside', smoothMove:2"><img src="http://i48.tinypic.com/121u6mu.jpg" width="650"></a></div> <p><font size="3">The<strong> Great Pacific Garbage Patch</strong> is <strong><font color="#000000">one of 5</font> </strong>major ocean regions devastated by enormous amounts of trash and is believed to be</font> <font color="#000000" size="3"><strong>the world’s largest landfill</strong></font> estimated at <font color="#000000" size="3"><strong>2 times the size of <font color="#d19049">Texas</font></strong></font><font color="#f79646">.</font> It consists of two vortexes of garbage collected by ocean currents. This gigantic accumulation of plastic was discovered by <strong><font color="#333333" size="3">Charles Moore</font></strong> 13 years ago in 1997 when he was returning from a yacht race and decided to sale through the North Pacific Gyre. </p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-KvWzs0wYUK4/T5uEPo7aq4I/AAAAAAAAAXE/CY3iBxekqMY/s1600-h/trash-vortex%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="trash-vortex" border="0" alt="trash-vortex" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-0yicSAkQudY/T5uEQdvLzhI/AAAAAAAAAXM/RXy2K1r573E/trash-vortex_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="468" height="271"></a></p> <p align="right"><font size="3" face="Georgia"><em><font color="#000000">“As</font><font color="#000000"> I gazed from the deck at the surface of what ought to have been a pristine ocean. I was confronted, <font color="#333333" size="4">as far as the eye could see</font>, with the sight of plastic. It seemed unbelievable, but <font size="4">I <font color="#333333">never</font> found a clear spot</font>. In the week it took to cross the subtropical high, no matter what time of day I looked, plastic debris was floating everywhere: bottles, bottle caps, wrappers, fragments.”</font></em></font><br><font color="#a5b592">-</font><font color="#f3a447" size="3"><strong> Charles Moore</strong></font></p> <center><iframe height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/FrAShtolieg" frameborder="0" width="640" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-VQ_MWaHan5g/T5uERFTLfOI/AAAAAAAAAXU/RjchBnECVuM/s1600-h/great-pacific-garbage-pat-001%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="great-pacific-garbage-pat-001" border="0" alt="great-pacific-garbage-pat-001" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-lpHouLdq6uM/T5uERkDR4RI/AAAAAAAAAXc/x3GwzSuqTpE/great-pacific-garbage-pat-001_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="460" height="302"></a> <div style="text-align: center; clear: both" class="separator"><font face="Courier New">*mouseover to enlarge*</font></div> <div style="text-align: center; clear: both" class="separator"><a class="cloud-zoom" href="http://i46.tinypic.com/10f2qe9.jpg" rel="softFocus: true, position:'inside', smoothMove:2"><img src="http://i46.tinypic.com/10f2qe9.jpg" width="650"></a></div><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-7UYC0clmQUw/T5uEV-S-mMI/AAAAAAAAAX0/YJWvoP6Y4zo/s1600-h/gyre_map3%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto" title="gyre_map3" alt="gyre_map3" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-V7Qbga2tnI4/T5uEW17YrcI/AAAAAAAAAX8/RZ0ajk21HJI/gyre_map3_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="300"></a> <p><font color="#000000"><strong>The North Pacific Gyre</strong></font> is the <font color="#000000" size="3"><strong>largest ecosystem</strong></font> on earth and has been immensely effected by this garbage patch. </p> <h3><font color="#000000">What's it made out of? </font></h3> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-BKElPjahkBs/T5uEYgzBP8I/AAAAAAAAAYE/kzPTkoHC8MQ/s1600-h/plastic15.jpg"><img style="display: inline" title="plastic1" alt="plastic1" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-mhs-90BKxcI/T5uEacscycI/AAAAAAAAAYM/MMwuPPYGU10/plastic1_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="640" height="369"></a></p> <h3><font color="#000000">Disposable plastic is the culprit. </font></h3> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-yXZ0y4XMShw/T5uEbu-plrI/AAAAAAAAAbI/vLoxcqvtQug/s1600-h/JA_GarbageSoup_004.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: left; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="April 02, 2008 Long Beach, California Marine researcher Charles Moore holds an ocean water sample with debris from the " border="0" alt="April 02, 2008 Long Beach, California Marine researcher Charles Moore holds an ocean water sample with debris from the " align="left" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-6QFLKqNOxy4/T5uEb5REAuI/AAAAAAAAAbM/zLUeCaq46OE/JA_GarbageSoup_004_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="194" height="268" bloomberg alcorn jonathan news? Great Garbage Patch? , a floating garbage dump about the size of Australia created by Pacific currents. Photographer -></a>Single use, toss away, one-time plastic is fulfilling 5 minutes of purpose before becoming useless and incredibly harmful garbage for hundreds of years. Disposable plastic makes up <font color="#000000" size="3"><strong>90%</strong></font> of the garbage in the oceans. This includes <font color="#000000"><strong>plastic bags, bottle caps, disposable water bottles</strong></font>, and <strong><font color="#000000">styrofoam</font></strong>. <font color="#333333" size="3" face="Georgia">Plastic <em>never</em> biodegrades into another substance</font>. Plastic will always, always be plastic. Instead it photodegrades, it breaks down to smaller fragments in the presence of sunlight. It takes about <strong>500-1000</strong> years for plastic to photodegrade.</p> <p>The Great Pacific garbage patch isn't visible from satellites because it consists of tiny pieces of plastic that have photo degenerated. Most of this plastic has become so small that it is invisible to the human eye. A great deal of it has become a similar size as to phytoplankton, which is the foundation of the marine food chain. Filter feeders from small fish to whales are mistaking the plastic for plankton and eating it. Larger fish who eat many of the smaller fish are getting all of the plastic from the smaller fish because their bodies cannot process plastic out. This leads to bioaccumulation of plastic and increasingly toxic animals as you move up the food chain (this is called biomagnification). As a result of biomagnification some whales and dolphins are even labeled as toxic waste. <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-hH7Mg0zZw9Y/T5uEcaUmkiI/AAAAAAAAAYk/fwnGxkgE4qE/s1600-h/biomagnification%252520in%252520the%252520food%252520chain%25255B3%25255D.gif"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="biomagnification in the food chain" border="0" alt="biomagnification in the food chain" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-W46fnL36ScE/T5uEdIa7btI/AAAAAAAAAYs/qEqa4id7GsA/biomagnification%252520in%252520the%252520food%252520chain_thumb%25255B1%25255D.gif?imgmax=800" width="423" height="414"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Re6kLdBNQok/T5uEeBW5TJI/AAAAAAAAAY0/Lld_sIc0WI0/s1600-h/2009593241%25255B8%25255D.gif"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="2009593241" border="0" alt="2009593241" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-cSOG3TrzIHQ/T5uEfRcyYPI/AAAAAAAAAY8/NLUb8ESFO2s/2009593241_thumb%25255B6%25255D.gif?imgmax=800" width="551" height="425"></a><font color="#000000" size="5"><strong><font color="#ff0000">80%</font> off all <font color="#d19049">garbage</font> in the <font color="#0080ff">o</font><font color="#0080c0">cean</font> has come from <font color="#008000">land.</font></strong></font> <br>Because sea level is lower then land elevation; wind, rain and other types of weather can easily take lightweight plastic into bodies of water that’ll carry them into the ocean. </p> <p><iframe height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/z7rNYzSH-BA" frameborder="0" width="640" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></center> <h3 align="left"><font color="#000000"></font> </h3> <h3 align="left"><font color="#000000">Effect on wild life</font><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-FM3mxHSwSFg/T5uEhXnpm1I/AAAAAAAAAZE/pAvRoXZzymE/s1600-h/go8f4013-copy6.jpg"><img style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto" title="go8f4013-copy" alt="go8f4013-copy" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-pbp37oP-O-g/T5uEisLEoNI/AAAAAAAAAZM/3OSS774bFBs/go8f4013-copy_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="640" height="426"></a></h3> <h3 align="center"><font style="font-weight: normal"><font size="2">Plastic is being consumed by animals who mistaken it for food</font> </font></h3> <p><font size="4"><font color="#333333"><strong><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-XjZO5SbUu70/T5uElS7skuI/AAAAAAAAAbQ/Ef8-50_tYHk/s1600-h/albatross%25255B72%25255D.jpg"><img style="display: inline; float: left" title="albatross" alt="albatross" align="left" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-WCtN0SsN-14/T5uEmINEJ3I/AAAAAAAAAbU/DSdYnoIMDK8/albatross_thumb%25255B77%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="399" height="247"></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-arWDswA1XXw/T5uEnL4ISUI/AAAAAAAAAbY/XMvP7sYIjXw/s1600-h/Dead-albatross-had-gutful-of-plastic-6418672%25255B42%25255D.jpg"><img style="display: inline" title="Dead-albatross-had-gutful-of-plastic-6418672" alt="Dead-albatross-had-gutful-of-plastic-6418672" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ZAtRx3eyXuo/T5uEpYRLo1I/AAAAAAAAAbc/allIKSkqXyk/Dead-albatross-had-gutful-of-plastic-6418672_thumb%25255B42%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="257" height="246"></a></strong></font></font><font size="4"><font color="#333333"><strong><font color="#a5a5a5"></font></strong></font></font></p> <p><font size="4"><font color="#333333"><strong><font color="#a5a5a5">Bottle caps</font></strong> and <strong><font color="#fb7986">lighters</font></strong> for </font><font color="#dd8484"><font color="#f3a447">birds</font> </font></font><font size="4"><font color="#333333">and <strong><font color="#8064a2">plastic bags</font></strong> and <strong><font color="#4f81bd">balloons</font></strong> for <font color="#9bbb59">turtles</font> (who eat <font color="#ff82c0">jellyfish,</font> which plastic bags and balloons look like in the water) are the <strong><font color="#000000">most commonly</font></strong> ingested items.</font></font> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-phvvJlwkSvI/T5uEtZ2FQ3I/AAAAAAAAAZ0/6BsoU6OJSqs/s1600-h/A2GarbageDump%25255B13%25255D.jpg"></p><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="A2GarbageDump" border="0" alt="A2GarbageDump" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-qKCLAoNMHds/T5uEu2iQvzI/AAAAAAAAAZ8/F77BfEAzIMg/A2GarbageDump_thumb%25255B15%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="640" height="262"></a> <p><font color="#000000" size="4" face="Georgia">“A turtle found dead in Hawaii had over a <strong><font color="#d16349">thousand</font></strong> pieces of plastic in its stomach and intestines. It has been estimated that <strong><font color="#ff0000"><em>over a million</em></font> </strong>sea birds and <strong><font color="#c0504d">one hundred thousand</font></strong> marine mammals and sea turtles are killed each year by ingestion of plastics or entanglement."</font><br><font color="#008000" size="4"><strong>- Greenpeace<img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" border="0" src="http://i47.tinypic.com/jjwg1f.jpg"></strong></font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-9_BuDS64Uzs/T5uEvyV3J0I/AAAAAAAAAa4/XrymvpImBwg/s1600-h/seal-with-plastic2%25255B48%25255D.jpg"><img style="display: inline" title="seal-with-plastic2" alt="seal-with-plastic2" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-oNHBb1l_BlQ/T5uEwd2IGtI/AAAAAAAAAa8/4aEkPtkSA4M/seal-with-plastic2_thumb%25255B47%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="303" height="232"></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-6mQgjeZ-d0E/T5uExptmiiI/AAAAAAAAAbA/rr5qMK0BXco/s1600-h/turtle_plasticbag031-600x375%25255B49%25255D.jpg"><img style="display: inline" title="turtle_plasticbag031-600x375" alt="turtle_plasticbag031-600x375" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-zR8IoZa5kAY/T5uEyl_s5oI/AAAAAAAAAbE/5peKUluRJAc/turtle_plasticbag031-600x375_thumb%25255B49%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="370" height="231"></a></p> <p><font color="#000000" size="5"><strong>Effect on Us</strong></font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-o_fwSsIhpyA/T5uEzz57_xI/AAAAAAAAAak/8PPcnKG-SeQ/s1600-h/oxygen%25255B4%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="oxygen" border="0" alt="oxygen" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-aAUIMW_CPGo/T5uE1SnPy4I/AAAAAAAAAas/Eyd9qVvEWmM/oxygen_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="650" height="243"></a></p> <p>The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is just one of<em> many</em> examples of how we are abusing our resources and destroying our planet. Since plastic and toxic chemicals from plastic are finding their way into the ocean’s food chain, we’re finding them on our dinner plates and in our bodies. Our body processes these plastics the same way it processes fat. Plastic is stored on the body as energy and when we loose fat the concentration of plastic increases because the concentration of fat decreased. Scientist are constantly discovering how toxins from plastics are disrupting the natural functioning of our bodies and the heath risks that are a product of it. Mothers producing milk, which is essentially fat, are transferring the toxins from her body to her child’s through her milk. </p> <p><font size="3"><strong><font color="#a5a5a5">Plastic </font><font color="#808040">toxicity </font>is also said to be linked with <font color="#ccb400">obesity,</font> <font color="#ff80c0">birth defects</font>, <font color="#9c85c0">cancers</font>, <font color="#4f81bd">immune system suppression</font> and <font color="#d19049">developmental problems</font> in the young.</strong></font> </p> <p>The ocean also has a <font color="#000000" size="3"><strong>huge effect</strong></font> on our<strong><font size="3"> <font color="#809ec2">weather</font>, <font color="#dd8484">temperature</font></font></strong> and<font color="#9bbb59" size="3"><strong> overall climate</strong></font> and these effects could turn violently negative if we continue to consume and discarded at the rate we are now. Cleaning up the ocean manually is out of financial reach and could cause unpredictable damage to wildlife. </p> <div style="text-align: center; clear: both" class="separator"><font face="Courier New">*mouseover to enlarge*</font></div> <div style="text-align: center; clear: both" class="separator"><a class="cloud-zoom" href="http://i46.tinypic.com/20rwlzt.jpg" rel="softFocus: true, position:'inside', smoothMove:2"><img src="http://i46.tinypic.com/20rwlzt.jpg" width="650"></a></div> <p><strong><font color="#000000" size="5"><font size="4">Together the <font size="5">5 garbage patches</font> cover</font> <font color="#ff0000">40%</font> of our oceans</font></strong></p> <p>If you don’t think our lifestyle is having an impact on our planet, your denial won’t save you from the consequences. Think of all the inorganic waste you produce, every day, every week, every month, every year, All of that waste is still right here on earth. <font color="#000000">We need to stop the build up and start the clean up by changing our unsustainable practises in our everyday life. Small changes in our day-to-day routine build up, just as bioaccumulation and bio-magnification build up and make a massive difference. </font></p> <p>sources: <a href="http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/albatross/">national geographic</a> / <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch">wikipedia</a> / <a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/oceans/pollution/trash-vortex/" target="_blank">greenpeace</a> / <a href="http://www.newint.org/features/2008/09/01/plastic-is-forever/">newint.org</a> / <a href="http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/sci/A0860103.html">factmonster.com</a> / <a href="http://www.savemyoceans.com" target="_blank">savemyoceans.com</a> / <a href="http://www.ecology.com/2011/09/12/important-organism/" target="_blank">ecology.com</a> / <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080514091427.htm" target="_blank">sciencedaily.com</a></p> cocoabeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07633895108146716511noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833744442471878266.post-43263651542884673912012-04-20T22:07:00.001-07:002012-04-20T22:07:09.655-07:00eco challenge 2012<p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-xBGRDDDk4Ww/T5JALOtXWWI/AAAAAAAAAUs/vsUrQdzQ0Ho/s1600-h/ecochallenge%25255B7%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="ecochallenge" border="0" alt="ecochallenge" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Xn_ROMk1iNk/T5JAPQDmsPI/AAAAAAAAAU0/KCq5EvReAQc/ecochallenge_thumb%25255B5%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="650" height="400"></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-3mMaIpqnLeY/T5JAWmdasQI/AAAAAAAAAU8/SWbLp8EAD_E/s1600-h/the_forest_i_by_crazyheadbanger-d4vjkta%25255B4%25255D.png"><img style="display: inline" title="the_forest_i_by_crazyheadbanger-d4vjkta" alt="the_forest_i_by_crazyheadbanger-d4vjkta" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-LHV4M46geO4/T5JAdbjiKfI/AAAAAAAAAVE/p1HLS45FRf0/the_forest_i_by_crazyheadbanger-d4vjkta_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="650" height="396"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-klcXim7X9kI/T5JAeCBe-1I/AAAAAAAAAVM/7q7MhLG1rf0/s1600-h/19093047%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto" title="19093047" alt="19093047" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-foGdegwBzYs/T5JAfBKp1PI/AAAAAAAAAVU/yFL8zKcW9Tg/19093047_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="400" height="300"></a></p> <p>The past few years I’ve become a <font face="Georgia"><em>diligent</em></font><font size="1"> <font color="#000000">c<font color="#333333">onsume</font>r </font></font> but over the last few weeks I’ve been exposed to an enormous amount of alarming information about the fragile state of the earth that we have put it in. Reckless consumerism has lead to <font color="#333333" size="4" face="Georgia"><em>the fastest rate of extinction of species in history</em></font>. <strong> Faster than the dinosaurs.</strong> </p> <p>For the next while this blog will be dedicated to a <strong><font color="#000000">research project</font></strong> I’m starting out of my own interest about<strong> </strong><font face="Georgia"><font size="2"><font color="#333333"><strong>pollution</strong>, <em>climate change</em></font><em>,</em> and the extinction of species</font></font>. I’m going to try to <font face="Georgia"><font size="4">put facts in a way that they’ll make sense</font>. </font><font face="Arial">And wont set you to sleep. </font></p> <p align="center">Tree hugger phase 3.0</p> cocoabeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07633895108146716511noreply@blogger.com3