Lori "Sensei" O.'s Profile

Great service and knowledgeable staff. I had originally gone in to purchase a candle aromatherapy diffuser, but after being explained the difference between that and the ultrasonic diffuser (with a no-pressure description) I ended up making the upgrade. It made more sense because you don't need to use as much essential oil with the ultrasonic model so I saved money in the long run.

Getting beyond my own personal purchases... I love the overall presentation of the store. It's an absolute pleasure to walk through. Their products are such good quality too. I just love their aromatherapy blends. It was so hard to choose between them. Oh and their wellness products really work too! I had great results with their headache roll-on and their arthritis treatment which I used to help with my recovery with a joint injury.

So check out Escents if you're looking to pamper yourself (or someone else).

Meat. Tasty Chinese BBQ meat sold by the pound.  Sure, they offer rice, and veggies too, but I like to go to this place pick out my meat, then prepare my own rice and veggies. You can get a better deal for take-out food if you do it that way.

All the meat dishes I've tried have been very tasty.  The staff don't speak much English but they're happy to stumble through language difficulties to get you what you want.

Malone's is a solid 'meh.'  I used to frequent the place when I worked downtown because it had really big booths that could handle the large groups of people from my work with whom I used to drink there.

The food is unmemorable (possibly a result of the excessive amounts of beer that was consumed).  The service is consistently very slow.  Also, there were one or two waitresses that were kinda bitchy, but that might've been partly our fault.  One or two of the technogeeks I used to work with liked to let loose a little too much after a few drinks. I also seem to recall an incident that led to our group getting kicked out...

Anyway, all the bad things said, Malone's capacity for taking large groups kept us going there.  And they are mostly tolerant with drunken outbursts.  But if you've got a smaller group, there are better options in the area.

Cravings Bistro has the restaurant equivalent of multiple personality disorder.  And this is why I can only give it 2 stars despite its good food and service.

I have a weird relationship with Cravings.  I've liked the food every time I've visited.  The serving staff has always been friendly.  And yet I never really feel like eating there, despite the fact that I live spitting distance from it.

The problem is there is no one theme to their restaurant.  Cravings tries to be a restaurant for all occasions - brunch, sandwiches, haute cuisine, Greek family restaurant, lounge, sports bar - falling short for all of them.  

They offer more expensive haute cuisine dishes ($22+) and serve them by candlelight in the evenings, but they have several TVs showing sports channels, ruining the effect.  But you wouldn't go there if you're looking for a sports bar though because there aren't enough TVs and you'd feel like you were disturbing other patrons if you got too into a game.  

Cravings has two distinct areas in its restaurant, the decor of which couldn't be more different from each other.  The front area looks more like a family restaurant, while the back area has more of a lounge-y atmosphere.

The way this restaurant is set up is all very confusing.  I feel bad about the 2-star rating because, again, the food and service is great.  The problem is, when I go out for meals, atmosphere is one of the main things I think about.  I choose a category of restaurant based on the mood I'm in and because Cravings falls short in all categories, I almost always end up passing it over in favour of restaurants with more clearly defined themes.  Based on my experiences, I think they would be better off going with a Greek family restaurant theme that also has a brunch menu.

I've trained with Robert Mustard Sensei (head of this dojo) at his school and at seminars run at other schools.  He is a phenomenal Aikido practitioner and instructor and is every bit as good as he looks in the YouTube videos.

Mustard Sensei is considered by some authorities to be the best non-Japanese Aikido practitioner in the World.  He has been training for decades and if anyone doubts the power of his technique, he is happy to apply it on you.  He has an hilarious sense of humour - I sometimes find it hard to contain myself on his mats.

Keep in mind that Aikido is a difficult art to learn.  It is not an art that is immediately usable as self-defense - it's more about personal development.  But through dedicated practice over the long term, the skills you learn can be effective.  

There is a lot to be gained from studying this beautiful art.  And this is a great dojo at which to start.

I had my bubble tea cherry popped at Dragon Ball.  They say you never forget your first.  All too true in my case.  I've yet to find a place at which I can get a better bubble tea fix in the Vancouver area.

My two personal favourites are mango and lychee, made with fresh fruit, milk and pearls.  I often go there for after-movie refreshments coming off the late show.  And even at that time it's busy.  You may or may not get a table.  Accept it.

Some dislike the way the orders are taken and yelled, not appreciating the efficiency.  Sure, it can come across as curt, but the quicker I get my bubble tea the better.  And yes it's true that the seating area is a little ramshackle making it look more like a garage sale than a restaurant, but I can handle that knowing that the bubble tea is so tasty.

Finn slough is a hidden gem of local flavour.  It is a little heritage site that no one seems to know about, a tiny fishing village that stands on stilts/ floats over the south arm of the Fraser village, not far from Steveston Village.  When I stand on the bridge and look at it, I feel like I'm in a place where time stands still.

Once there were dozens of such villages on the banks of the Fraser.  Now we're down to this last one.  The people who live in Finn Slough live a way of life that is all but forgotten in modern times.  Whenever I tour around south Richmond on my scooter, I usually make a stop at Finn Slough to take a quiet moment to ponder.  If you go there though, be sure to respect the privacy of those who live there.  Stay in the designated public areas.

Being the geek that I am, I can't help but wander into Novelty Gifts Express while on a walking tour of China.  It's worth it just to see the 10-foot Transformer-like robot that is housed there.  This store is a colourful explosion of anime and video game paraphernalia that may cause over-stimulation as you wander through it.  Tip: Do not enter this store while hopped up on caffeine.

At this store, you'll find trinkets and toys for all your favourite characters, including Astroboy, Jack (from 'The Nightmare Before Xmas'), Winnie the Pooh (dressed in various animal costumes), MonokuRo Boo pig, Hello Kitty (of course!) and much, much more.  My personal favourites were the plush items of the characters and icons from Super Mario Brothers.  Who wouldn't want a pair of power-up mushroom slippers?!?!

Novelty Gifts Express is THE place to buy stuff you really don't need but couldn't help buying because it tickled your inner child.

If you're looking for furniture and accent pieces while on your walking tour of Chinatown, you can't miss out on Bamboo Village.  They have a great selection of Asian pieces at reasonable prices - chests of drawers, lamps, tables, statues, even ornately cut wood for builders.

Beyond furniture and home decor, they also have a number of amusing conversation pieces from Chinese army hats to anime character plastic frogs that greet you with a high-pitched "Hello!!! Welcome!" as you come near.  Incidentally, my friend tried to convince me to buy one for my own place.  I was tempted at first for novelty value, but the growing madness I experienced every time someone walked into Bamboo Village (yes, they had one active at the door) convinced me otherwise.

Anyway, if you can handle the madness, be sure to check out this neat shop.

I recently went into Chinatown in search of a blank scroll on which I was planning to have a friend do some calligraphy for me.  I went to every place on the strip none of which had blank scrolls in the size I wanted, if they had them at all.  That being said, each place had some reason why I wouldn't find exactly what I wanted at any other store and should just buy what they had even though it wasn't exactly what I wanted.  It was misleading to say the least.

The last store I ventured into was Family Art Gallery.  Compared to some of the other stores, it didn't have as much variety, but the artwork itself was just as nice and it was much more affordably priced.  Great for picking up lovely Asian art without breaking the bank.  You can also have them do custom art and framing if you have something specific in mind.

The art supplies they offered (yes, they had the exact scroll i wanted) were also more affordable than what I had seen at other stores.  The scroll was less than half the price that i was offered at one other place.

The store was being serviced by the owners it seemed and they did a great job of helping me find what I wanted without being overly pushy or tentative like I had seen at some of the other shops.  Well worth a visit!