I was trying to think of a way to light up the “bar” area. As I couldn’t really install any light fixtures at the ceiling where the bar-top was (no in-ceiling wiring for the spot immediate above the bar-top), I thought I could install some lights that aim towards the floor and therefore would somehow illuminate the area a bit. I started by getting a brand new drill bit that allowed me to open up a couple holes at a couple different locations. Had to be very thoughtful as it was tricky to determine where to drill the holes - I need to be able to wire these lights to the existing under-cabinet lights, so that they could all be switched on/off at the same time. There was a place where I need to “fish” the wire behind a drywall, I did it by slowly fishing down a thread with a tiny metal paperclip attached to the end (acting as a weight) from a hole inside the cabinet, all the way to the bottom where the other hole was. I then was able to see the thread from the hole, and I taped the wires from the light fixtures to the thread, and slowly pull it up so that it went through the dry wall and reached the hole inside the cabinet. It was quite a risky approach as there was no way to know in advance whether it would work, but I guess I was in luck and it worked like a charm. The next day I bought some “epoxy glue” and clamps to mount the lights to the underside of the granite countertop. The glue was composed of a “rasin” and the “epoxy” (I picked one that can withstand up to 93C since the lights would get really hot), and you have to mix them up prior to application. It was basically a mixture of very sticky goo, but it was fun playing with it. After applying the glue I clamped everything in place, and let it sit for a day for it to completely dry up. Last step was to apply white caulking to one of the holes that was exposed to seal it up. I think it looks awesome

And I got my first espresso machine (Cusineart Espresso Maker EM-100) from Canadian Tire today! I had been wanting one so much but couldn’t really afford it. This one was on sale today so I couldn’t resist and took it home. Tried to make an espresso and this machine was able to create the “crema” with my crappy Starbucks beans, which was a good sign! The milk frother / steam wand was kind of hard to use though, I still wasn’t sure how exactly to steam the milk in order to make the best froth, I guess it’s going to take some practices…

Went out today for some Xmas gift shopping / walk-arounds. I went to The Bay, Sears and London Drugs to check out toaster ovens and coffee makers, ended up buying a Hamilton Beach 31509C Toaster Oven ($69 on sale) as my current toaster oven is really old/greasy/ugly and it just look bad on my new kitchen granite countertop. It’s much bigger than my current one I guess I can even put a pizza in. Also bought a Toastess 1-cup cofee maker ($13) as I dropped my old coffee maker on the ground 2 days ago and broke the glass jar… I was thinking to get an espresso machine but they were so pricy so I didn’t. I’m glad that I didn’t get it as when I got home I realized that I already have all that’s needed to make espresso/latte/cappucino, thanks to the espresso steamer and milk frother that Wendy bought me when she was in Itaty. It’s all “manual” and takes much more time to prep the cup but then I can save $100+ on getting one. I actually just tried making a cup of latte and it tasted pretty good! I guess I spent too much lately and I should really stop spending too much money on things.. Anyway, now off to Alice’s place for some dinner.

Went to the Chill Winston bar/restaurant in Gastown last night with Benny. Originally we had a reservation at the Figmint Restaurant but when we got there they were closing so had to look for another place to have some chomps on.

The place was quite nice, spacious and good ambiance - perfect for a nice night out with girls. There wasn’t too many people so it was really relaxing. Most of the items on the menu were tapas, with a couple entrees and sides. We ordered the Beef Tartar for appetizer, which was some raw grounded beef mixed with seasoning and onions…etc topped with a quail egg, served with some crispy French bread. The chef made the beef into a “heart” shape, it was really awkward since it was just two of us guys but anyway the taste was good even though I wasn’t really used to eating raw beef… I ordered a tasty drink called The Devil’s Fruit, which was some Kahlua mixed with espresso vodka and topped with coffee beans - interesting and tasty. For the entree I got the Sablefish (black cod). It wasn’t bad but wasn’t good either. The skin of the fish was a little crispy which I liked, but the texture of the meat wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be (I had better ones elsewhere, like at 14981) but anyway it was totally acceptable. I think Benny had a duck breast, which IMO was just so so since it was almost fully cooked and tasted a bit plain and the meat was a bit dry; it was acceptable though, strangely. Also ordered a pizza called “Surf”, made with lemon cream sauce, smoked salmon, clams and spinach and feta cheese. This one was a yummy surprise! It’s not greasy, crust was thin and crispy, taste of the smoked salmon was great and the clams were tender (surprisingly).

Overall I think it was a good eat. The service was awesome (very attentive while not being too buggy) and the price was right. It wasn’t top-of-the-line but I would definitely come back again for the above average food and the great ambiance/location.

BBQ party at Matthew’s friend’s house in New Westminster. He turned 40! Got there around 7….stayed till like 3am. It was quite fun to meet a bunch of people and strangely they were mostly locals.There were like…more than 10 of them including their kids (some kids were at my age). Well guess it’s always more fun to do it with locals as Chinese usually aren’t as crazy and funny.We had some pretty tasty appies then some of the guys started up the heater thing which quickly became the focal point of the night. We chopped some logs with some huge axe and threw them all in. It was quite a huge fire. Not after long a couple guys got drunk from the unlimited supply of beer/wine/shooter, and they started throwing in everything like paper plate, newspaper, trashed xmas tree…. Matthew got tons of presents, including 40 rows of toilet papers from one of his friends…pretty hilarious.

We had LOADS of food, some crazy delicious steak and grilled chicken, loads of chips/appies, caramel/espresso shooters (I really gotta look this espresso shooter up it’s called Van Gogh it was so tasty), vodka jello, different wines brought by his friends….etc. It was a really fun night, it was fun and energetic, and I love the fire! Had some long chats with Alice and Matthew, also his realtor friend (can’t remember his name). I couldn’t believe I was having fun chatting with all these people that are at least 15 years older than I am, lol.

As we were having so much fun last week hosting the dining party, we decided to do it again. Yesterday night Benny brought over some fresh Sinku oysters he got from his supplier, cheap but still very tasty (well it’d still cost you $3+/ea. when you eat them in any restaurant). As an oyster non-eater for many years, I was actually quite stoked when I saw the 2.5 dozen of oysters lying neatly on the plate.. I think I started liking them but still I need to eat them with a few drops of tabasco and lime juice even though Benny recommended eating them without. I find the smaller ones more tasty and have more flavor in them. Oh yes I also learned opening oysters with the help of this proprietary oyster opener (it’s harder than you think). Janet and I were practicing hard and I think I should be able to handle all of them on my own next time.

Followed was the Wentzel duck breast. Benny made it perfectly this time as I think he overcooked it last time. Then we had this delicious, tender black cod, curry mussels, and some naan bread with curry dips. They were all superb, paring with some refreshing Pinot Gris wine. After some chats, we had these dessert cake that Janet brought over, and some espresso to complement.

It really feels great, when you can enjoy all kinds of delicious high end food from the comfort of home