My Blackberry Pearl has served me well over the last two years.

The ease of use and no-frills usefulness of the BB Pearl’s trackball has given me the best, and problem free, mobile phone experience since my first cell phone fifteen years ago (remember those brick phones by Motolora?).

However, I’ve been enviously looking over the shoulders of all my friends who now have iPhones.  The sleek multimedia images and touchscreen browsing made my Pearl feel like a fossil.  For a time, I was content just texting and calling. Plus, I hate Apple and everything that hippie/yuppie, marketing genius of a corporation stands for.  Alas, the urge to get something with more multimedia features was too strong and I almost settled for an iPhone.

Now, with the Storm, I hope I can have the best of both worlds.  I don’t usually like to get new technology when it first comes out.  I try to get the 2nd or 3rd generation when they manage to work out the kinks.  Oh well, call this an early Christmas gift for myself.

At first glance, the Storm is a sleek, sexy device.  It is a nice compact size but carries some weight due to its metal construction.  No cheap plastic parts here.  It’s about the size of the Blackberry Curve, big enough for a good sized display and still compact enough to fit in your pocket.

The touch screen is unique in that it acts much like a computer mouse.  Touching the screen selects items and depressing the screen (yes the whole screen goes in) initiates the icon selected.  Although it is a neat enough feature, I found myself missing the simple trackball technology and I think most people familiar with the trackball will agree that the touch screen takes some getting used to.  There is definitely a greater learning curve associated with the Storm than any other Blackberry predecessor.  The keyboard changes orientation from portrait to landscape, depending on how you’re holding the device.  People with big fingers will have trouble with the keyboard.

The high resolution screen is amazing and turning the phone sideways for a landscape screen allows for better multimedia viewing.

The speaker is LOUD.  The loudest speaker I have ever heard on a phone.  A nice change from the muffled Pearl speaker that was hidden behind the battery cover.

The 3.2 megapixel camera and video camera is a nice addition and the flash/LED video light  is very bright.  So bright is the LED it actually comes in handy as a mini flashlight.

Applications are few, expect that number to increase as the Storm gains in popularity, but don’t expect iPhone levels of application madness.  It is still a business phone after all.

Browsing is a little slower than expected and you still can’t view a lot of online movies because there are no Flash or Quicktime drivers for the Storm.  I hope that changes soon because most download sites have an option for iPods and iPhones.

Overall, it’s a great phone for people like me who detest iPhones and want the basic functionality of a business Blackberry but would like the expanded multimedia features of the iPhone.  The Storm is a good first attempt by Blackberry to compete in the iPhone dominated segment and I’m sure subsequent models will bear more improvements.  I still wish it had a trackball though.

What BlackBerry Storm 9530 comes with:

• 3G Blackberry Storm 9530 Smartphone
• Li-ion battery
• Travel charger
• User guide
• 8 GB microSD card (yup, that’s a good size)
• Charging data cable
• Premium stereo headphones
• SIM card (which technically means you can unlock this phone and use it on any GSM network)
• Quick reference guide
• Blackberry user tools CD
• International travel guide
• Pocket carrying case

Yesterday, John Chow (with his wife Sarah), Ed Lau and Stephen Fung and myself checked out the media kick-off party for the 4th Annual Taste of Yaletown.

The event runs through October 14-26 and features a list of twenty-two participating restaurants. Much like the Taste of Vancouver the restaurants offer special three-course menus at fixed prices of $25, $35 and $45, but the Taste of Yaletown features only restaurants within this trendy Vancouver district.

Yaletown used to be a light industrial zone and now the old warehouses have all been converted to modern lofts with retail and restaurants anchoring the ground floors.

Taste of Yaletown is sponsored by American Express, who will donate 5% of purchases charged to its cards during the event to the Canadian Association of Food Banks.  In addition, each restaurant will be donating a portion of the proceeds to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank.

The media party was held at the cozy, little Tequila Kitchen.  Kind of a small venue for a media event but the invitations to the party were scarce, so the attendees managed to comfortably pack the place in nicely.  Nice enough that Ed knocked my red wine all over me and he almost backed into the servers and guests a few times.  Can’t take that guy anywhere, I guess he’s just too use to Richmond

We sampled various dishes from the participating restaurants, my favorites being the Peking Duck Clubhouse and a wonderful chocolate mousse/peanut butter brittle dessert.  Both were concoctions of Rob Feenie, who came over to our table to explain the dessert in detail as he is now working with Cactus Club.

I look forward to taking advantage of the Taste of Yaletown to sample some more restaurants and reviewing them here.  But I was still hungry and couldn’t wait, so Ed, Stephen and myself headed down the street to Pinkys Steakhouse.  What can I say?  I felt like having a steak

That is until I saw their menu.  The Kobe Beef Smoked Cheddar BBQ burger sounded too good to pass up.  At $18 with onion rings and a side of fries (your choice of regular potato or yam) it was reasonable considering Kobe beef often goes for about $3 an ounce.  Ed settled on a Jumbo Prawn appy (and they were huge prawns!) and Stephen went with a boring fettucine carbonara.  However, it must have been good because Stephen Hoovered those noodles up.

I expected my Kobe beef burger to be rich and a little greasy but it was surprisingly, well, regular.  It was delicious but didn’t taste different from any other gourmet beef burger I’ve tasted at other fine establishments.

It’s been a while since I updated this site.  Been really busy working on various shows, just finished a week of night shoots on Reaper as a demon MMA fighter, performed some stunt driving on a low budget movie, and getting ready to head off for Kamloops to film a big budget movie.

I finally had some time off to kick back and relax so I rented some movies.  To my surprise, they made a third sequel to the cult favorite Starship Troopers.

Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation was a big disappointment as they tried, and failed, to break into a more serious horror/sc-fi genre.

Starship Troopers 3: Marauder returns to it’s campy B-movie roots with director Paul Verhoeven and Casper Van Dien makes his grand re-entry as Johnny Rico, who is now a colonel.  Ten years later and Casper doesn’t look a day older.  ST3 Marauder also stars Enterprise hotty Jolene Blalock, who looks like a hotter, less-pregnant and married Angelina Jolie.  She is just too fine

Just like Robocop, another Verhoeven concoction, some of the most entertaining parts were the cheesy, sexual innuendo-filled commercials inserted throughout the film.  Do you get good HED?

Apparently ST3 Marauder is the closest interpretation to the Heinlein books they are based on and focuses more on the religious aspect of the war with the arachnids.  The large mechs also make a brief appearance at the end and seems to indicate that there will likely be a Starship Troopers 4 in the works.

Gratuitous violence and nudity is back on the menu.  I had a good laugh when the Maruaders team were getting scanned for their mechs and it reminded me of a naked Power Rangers scene.

If you enjoyed the first Starship Troopers I think you’ll like Marauder.  It’s not as good as the first but just remember to turn off your brain and understand that it’s a movie that’s not afraid to make fun of itself.

The Sky Marshal in ST3 Marauder is named Omar Anoke and has an album out called “Anoke Live!”

I can’t get this catchy tune out of my head.  Enjoy!

It appears I may have found a new hang out. Okay, so I didn’t really find it since The New Bohemian is the creation of Ivo Staiano and Paul Gibbons whom I had the pleasure of knowing from the Balthazar’s days.

When Paul and Ivo invited me to attend their grand opening I could not in good conscience decline

The New Bohemian is located in the hip and young Kitsilano area of Vancouver, better known for its beaches that are populated by yoga practicing fitness enthusiasts than its fine dining. This restaurant and lounge manages to capture the spirit of Kitsilano’s inhabitants by offering only oceanwise seafood and organic meats.

The decor is lush, with unique wall murals enhanced by warm mood lighting. The New Bohemian features a live DJ performing every Thursday to Sunday evening. Mondays and Tuesdays offer wine connoisseurs a treat with 25% off each bottle and a select food menu to pair with the the red or white of your choice.

I sampled the Organic Beef Burger with Yam Fries ($13) and the Grilled Wild Salmon Sandwich ($14). Both selections were fresh, delicious and moist, the yam fries were a tasty alternative to the average spud variety. For the grand opening, the servers were also floating around with platters containing various complimentary h’ors douerves and a chocolate fondue fountain was set up for the party.

The highlight of the evening was the live entertaining, which consisted of a bongo drummer, fire swallower and a belly dancer, performed by the stunning Arzu. Here’s a video of the main performance that took place outside the patio, the drunk, white chick that can’t dance was not part of the show. As is apparent by our heckling, we were trying to get her out of the way so that we could enjoy Arzu perform.

Wally’s Burgers has been a local icon since the 1960’s, when Kingsway was the strip that local hot rodders and car enthusiasts would cruise down in their muscle cars. I think Honda was still making rickshaws at the time. These same cruisers would stop into Wally’s Burgers and fuel up on their Deluxe Wagons and signature milkshakes.

Unfortunately, at the end of March, Wally’s Burgers will be closing its doors for good. The owner of Wally’s would love for the business to continue, but the landlord has chosen to not renew the lease. Most likely a new condominium development will replace the current landmark in this hot Vancouver real estate market. Monthly taxes and rent linger at the $6500 mark, so it’s also probably tough to sell that many burgers to cover the overhead expenses.

Stephen and I already did a review on Wally’s Burgers last year. To commemorate its closure, we decided to hit up Wally’s again after our recent return to Crossfit ( I haven’t worked out since August 2007). Barely able to walk from our workout, we hobbled into the local landmark eatery once more. Paying tribute to Wally’s just seemed like the right thing to do. Stephen went with the Deluxe Wagon while I went with the slightly smaller Chuck Wagon, the only difference is that there was no cheese and hot dog on my burger. I also opted for the spicy curly fries and hot onion scoops with a large strawberry milkshake as sides. We were just about finished when Michael also showed up to join us for a meal. Perhaps this week we will move our Dot Com Pho to Dot Com Burger at Wally’s

I’m not entirely sure why, but this time around my burger was absolutely delicious! Goodbye Wally’s Burgers.

Met up with the Dot Com Boys again for a casual lunch at Feenies, one of the restaurants owned by the Canadian Iron Chef Rob Feenie. I’ve heard about their famous foie gras burger for some time now but I had yet to taste it. The $50 price tag also held me back. Well, I finally caved into the Dot Com pressure and the Evil John Chow made reservations for us this afternoon.

The Feenie burger itself is $16 (comes with fries), the foie gras addition is $25. Go figure. I also went with the short ribs for $7. The coffee, although very tasty, was an inflated $4 (I made sure to have lots of the free refills).

There was also the option of changing your fries to poutine for an additional $3, Stephen was the only one to take this choice. The burger also came with four sauce condiments: Heinz 57, mayo/fish sauce, dill mayo and a spicy mustard.

I’m normally a value eater, meaning I’m not into the whole over-priced fancy-schmancy dining experience, but I’m open to trying everything once. I would much rather hit up a place like Memphis Blues where $30 would get me and 2-3 friends a satisfying, finger-licking good meal.

I was impressed with the size of the burger, I had expected the short ribs to be on the side but it was shredded and added into the bottom of the burger patty, with the foie gras nestled on top of the hamburger patty.

My bill ended up being $65, including tip. It was actually $64.49 but they already added a 17% service charge, being the Chi-Jew (Chinese Jew) that I am I just rounded it up. I usually tip 20% but since they imposed the tip on me I won’t fret about it.

The burger was very good, and the foie gras and short ribs also made it very rich and greasy. Admittedly, I’d probably splurge on occasion and go back for the tasty Feenie foie gras burger. The price, and the fact that it’s probably about 4000 calories, are the only factors that would hinder me from going back more often.

In attendance: (Left side, front to back) John Chow, Stephen (looks like he’s eating John’s burger) Fung and Michael (blocked by Stephen) Kwan. (Right side, front to back) Greg Morgan, Gary Ng, Ed (looking confused) Lau and moi, Leo (changing into a lycan) Chiang. Taking the picture is John’s wife, Sarah.

*No worries, no spoilers here!

By now I’m sure most of you are sick of reading reviews of the new Transformers movie, but I’m giving you another one with a touch of summer wickedness!

I’ve been reliving my childhood all week anticipating the release of the Transformers film, and after jealously reading reviews from friends Ed, Derek and Gabrielle (who braved the crowds on premiere day) I finally managed to push my way through the throngs of children and adult babies to secure my seat. The crowds were massive despite the movie theatre showing Transformers in an different auditorium every 30 minutes. My best friend Jerry, his girl Sonia, her son Isaac and I had to sit up front and pretty much look up at the screen. I was fighting nausea for the first little bit before the movie started. I was just happy to get a seat, especially after seeing all the people lined up to catch the later shows.

However, I met my nemesis in the form of Isaac, and after a great battle I finally capitulated and gave up my seat to a superior warrior. His mommy Sonia bought me a soft drink and Twizzlers so it was all good

I licked my wounds softly and vowed revenge when we go to watch The Simpsons movie

Despite sitting in break-neck row, I’m very happy I took the time out to watch Transformers in the theatre. The big sound and super-big screen really added to the atmosphere and energy of the film. Expect non-stop action with some surprising moments of comedy throughout the movie to keep you on your toes. Parents may want to beware as the film does have a bit of violence, with people and robots dying (and implied deaths), you may want to keep your little princesses and pansy kids at home

I can’t wait to buy this on the DVD, with films like this you know it’s gonna be packed with extra features. I was a little disappointed to see no marketing displays for Transformers in the lobby. I expected to see at least a giant poster or Optimus head to take a picture with, but I did get a nice photo of the Silver Surfer. I think Fantastic Four 2 is the next movie I should watch since I actually worked on it for several weeks.

Today I had to craving for a good steak. It just turns out that my friend Karen Pang works at a steakhouse called Saltlik, and she invited me to drop by for a visit. Who am I to turn down an offer like that! So I call my food review partner and online guru Stephen, and we make plans to head down for a Saltlik steak review.

Saltlik is located in downtown Vancouver on Alberni Street (between Burrard and Thurlow, adjacent to Kobe restaurant), although I’ve heard of it I have never been there before and Stephen had only been there for a salad. What kind of a nutcase goes to a steakhouse for a salad!? Stephen met me at my place and he hid his embarrassing Hyundai rental and we booted down there in my Stang. Found parking right out front too, it’s like winning the lottery for downtown Vancouver.

We arrived around 8:30pm and my first impressions of this restaurant was of an upscale Cactus Club, with black-clad attractive waitresses and all. The muted lighting, extensive use of wood furniture and stone tiles with red highlights create a soothing, almost lounge-like atmosphere. There was, in fact, a lounge side where the bar is located with an attractive glass and wood partition separating the two rooms. There is also a neat little seating section located between the main floor and the second floor seating area. The mid and upper floors would be great for medium to large private parties. The washroom is located on the second floor, which I found unusual that I had to climb a large flight of stairs to open my lucky envelope They should have a small washroom downstairs too.

Met with Karen at the front and we settled in a large booth. Karen had called me earlier and she was gonna get off early to hang with us as soon as she finished with her one remaining table on the lounge side, so we had another young lady serve us on the restaurant side.

Stephen and I started off the dinner with a half bottle of Chilean merlot (Casillero Del Diablo), one of my favorites and at a reasonable $20. Was surprised when the waitress arrived with an actual half bottle, never seen a 375ml bottle of wine before, at least not at the liquor store. Usually they pour from full bottles into separate decanters, the smaller half bottles are a great idea. I usually enjoy the occasional glass or two but I hate having to seal up the leftover wine and they never really taste the same after a couple days.

Stephen and I passed up on appies cause we wanted to get to the meat. Received a very nice breadbasket with some delicious bread, the waitress told us what kind it was but I was too busy chewing to hear. Stephen ordered their house special California Cut New York steak with baked potato ($26) and I went with the Bodacious Ribeye with Caesar salad ($28). The food arrived quickly at under 10 minutes, basically the time it took for me to climb the stairs to the washroom and back, and boy it looked good! Stephen’s steak was incredibly thick and cooked to a perfect medium rare. My ribeye was equally appealing and while not as thick, was one hell of a big steak. Usually the higher end steakhouses tend to have steak sizes ranging from 8oz regular to 10oz deluxe. My ribeye was a nice 15oz steak, true medium rare, still mooing red in the center and turning a gentle pink as it turns into a nicely baked brown exterior. So tender my steak knife cut with the force of gravity alone. Moments like this make me glad I’m no longer a vegetarian (was one for 6 years). Dead animals just taste so good.

When we finished our meal poor Karen was still waiting for her table to leave, but they appeared set to waste her time as they were only on their third drink in as many hours. Stephen broke and had to order a cheesecake with an Americano. Damn peer pressure! I had to get a cheesecake too and went with a regular coffee. The cheesecake was up-to-par with the steaks, it was a generous size and had a true, thick texture with a nice cheesy flavor. A true New York style cheesecake, the fresh raspberries were a nice accompaniment. Sorry for the poor pics, my flash is far stronger than I thought it would be.

All in all, it was another great dining experience. Liked the ambience, good, fast service, great food at what I felt was a reasonable pricing. Stephen and I had discussed that we could have had an equally tasty steak at other high-end steakhouses like Morton’s, Gotham or Hy’s and paid twice as much for the steaks

After finishing our meals and wines, we were working on our coffees and poor Karen was still waiting on the table to leave. Around 10pm they finally left leaving only $16 as tip Should have just served us Karen, we were faster and tip better too

From what I gathered of the movie trailers, I expected another grandiose example of overly artistic Chinese poetic babble like “House of Flying Daggers” and a movie where people fly around all the time like in “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”. Was very surprised to find myself really enmeshed in an intricate storyline of deceit and infidelity. The fighting was actually kept to a plot integral minimum and most of the hardcore scenes were done by real martial artists and not some untrained Canton pop star. The swordplay is awesome! Nice to see a halberd being used, don’t see much of those anymore. The final battle was a heart-pounding experience that is only comparable as a Chinese “Lord of the Rings”, minus the monsters

The acting was a cinematic masterpiece with Chinese acting legends Gong Li and Chow Yun-Fat dominating their roles and bringing their characters to life. The pain is almost palpable through their eyes and dialogue, making up for the otherwise young and inexperienced cast.

Overall, a beautifully shot film that overwhelmingly surpassed my (admittedly) low expectations. Great drama, action, dialogue, acting and cinematics . . . the elements of every good film. This is the best epic Chinese film to come out for some time.

The ending? Truly evil . . . rent it to find out.

Haven’t had much of an appetite lately and I noticed I’m already losing weight. I can’t let that happen cause then people start asking me to model and shit, you know what I mean

Anyways, some of you already know that I work part-time as a loss prevention officer, and most of the people I arrest and deal with are druggies. Drug addicts are the group most likely to carry blood diseases and other yum yum goodies. My work sent me a memo requiring me to get the vaccination for hepatitus A and B. I already had a couple of booster shots a few years ago but I’m supposed to get a set of three, plus they didn’t even have the other two on record. Long story short, the doctor I went to did not want me to unecessarily get the shots unless I needed it, so he sent me off to the lab for some bloodwork to determine my immunity levels. I had to fast for 10 hours, that’s a long time for me considering I normally eat every 3-4 hours. Needless to say after they drained four full vials full (each one bigger than the last!) of my precious life’s blood, I set out for the nearest Pizza Hut pizza to sample some of their newer specialties. Here’s another food review for you all to drool over!

Pizza Hut is currently having the buy 1 get the 2nd half price deal. I ordered two medium pies, a Chicken Lover’s Deluxe with stuff crust and the new Edge Meaty pizza’s. The Chicken Lover’s Deluxe has slices of oven-grilled chicken breast, green peppers, red onions, mushrooms and mozza cheese, the stuffed crust is filled with processed mozza cheese. The Edge Meaty is new to me, it’s loaded to the “edge” with pepperoni, spicy italian sausage, beef and lots of real mozza cheese.

The chicken was good, normal Pizza Hut fair. Loaded with toppings and lots of flavor, although I expected more chicken. When you have the words “chicken lover” and “deluxe” in the title I expect them to ask me if I would like the head and feet served on the side too. The stuffed crust is always yummy.

I didn’t know what to make of the Edge. It has a very thin crust and IS loaded to the edge with toppings, but looked kinda funny cause they chopped it up in little pieces. I soon found out the smaller pieces allowed it to be eaten easier and twice as fast as a regular pie! I grew up in an Italian neighborhood so I was used to a thinner, crispier homemade crust anyways. We also used to eat homemade pizzas with a fork and knife, so maybe the smaller slices reflected this. It was really good though and I really liked the Italian seasonings, very strong smells and flavors. The sauce was a tad sweeter than usual too, which worked well with the spicy, smoky meat toppings.

I’m still Chinese, so I finished it off with some nice green tea Sometimes I like to just keep things simple.