Celebrating Failure as a Sign of Progress

There's a new exhibition -- in a Vancouver shopping mall -- that most people can probably relate to.

Called The Museum of Personal Failure, it's a collection of artefacts from the public, from a dead plant to a wedding dress and a spilled can of paint with anecdotes to explain why they were not successful.

It's the brainchild of Burnaby resident Eyvan Collins, who started it when a relationship of his fizzled out.

"I felt like a failure. It was a heartbreak," Collins told the CBC. "I just needed to do something with it -- and this is what I did."

He made posters saying, "Failures Wanted" and plastered them around Metro Vancouver. People responded with offers of all kinds of items signifying their failures.

Collins says failure is an essential part of life. 

"It's part of making an attempt. Sometimes it goes the way you want it to, sometimes it doesn't," he said.

There's also a "Wall of Reject", featuring firing notices and rejection letters.

I'm sure many people would have some of these lying in the back of their desk drawers.

His mother, Jennifer Campbell donated her wedding dress for display.

"I wanted to sort of tell a story about a failing that occurred in my marriage, and how we were able to move on," she said.

"I've called it Threads of Innocence, because it's about the innocence of false fairy tales or things that you think are going to happen when you're young... and it doesn't happen."

The dress is even shown in a cardboard moving box to signify her being able to move on from it. 

Meanwhile, bladesmith Casey Vilensky submitted a knife he can't be sharpen because he made mistakes while making it.

"Failure is a step forward. You don't go forward until you fail. You have to be able to look back at your failures, figure out why they failed and change the process and move on. I don't harp on them... I put them in the bucket," he said.

If I were to submit something to the Museum of Failure, I'd probably donate my empty sketchbooks.

I keep meaning to get back into drawing, but have left them blank, too terrified to make a mistake. A fear of failure.

But it's totally unfounded!

Or probably some jewellery from failed relationships... 

What would you donate to the Museum of Failure?

The exhibition is on until February 3 at Kingsgate Mall.

Anne Frank's Story Still Resonates Today

Thinking of Anne Frank on Holocaust Remembrance Day

When I was in elementary school, my mother gave me a copy of The Dairy of a Young Girl and got to know Anne Frank this way, and was impressed by her deep, sophisticated, thoughtful observations and feelings at a young age. This was also how I got to learn about the horrors of the holocaust.

January 27 is International Holocaust Remembrance Day and I just saw a traveling exhibition in a school in Vancouver called "Anne Frank: A History for Today."

Presented by Anne Frank House, there are several large panels that document what was happening in Europe in the 1930s with the rise of Adolf Hitler in Germany and how these big historical events coincided with those of the Frank family.

Anne was born on June 12, 1929 and had an older sister, Margot, her mother Edith, and father Otto. Anne writes that her father was 36 years old when he married her mother who was 25 in 1925.

The stock market crash in 1929 which led to the Great Depression resulted in growing unemployment, and Hitler of the Nazi party promised jobs, promoted antisemitism, and criticised communism. When his party was voted into power, Hitler began doing as he promised, and began making life difficult for Jews, attacking Jewish people and businesses in Kristallnacht, or Night of the Broken Glass.

Germans were told not to patronise Jewish businesses, or associate with them, and later Jews were forced to give up their businesses to the government. Nazis didn't like gypsies, Blacks or the disabled either.

The Franks were uneasy with the situation and in 1933 they moved to Amsterdam where Otto set up a company that sold spices and pectin to make jam. 

But the Nazis weren't satisfied with just controlling Germany. In 1939 the Nazis invaded Poland and the following year entered the Netherlands, which surrendered in a week. 

In the meantime Otto tried to apply for visas for the United States, Cuba and Britain, but they were either granted and he didn't receive it on time, or their applications were not approved. In July 1942 the family began living in the secret annex behind his office, which is where Anne recorded her innermost thoughts for two years, until they were suddenly arrested in August 1944.

Anne and her sister Margot died days of each other of typhus in a concentration camp, mother Edith died on the way to the camp, and Otto was the only survivor of the family, when he and others were liberated by the Soviets in January 1945.

Watching a documentary about the Franks and Nazism immediately drew parallels with the ICE raids in the United States, in particular what has happened in Minneapolis these last few weeks. Immigration Customs Enforcement agents are violently taking down and arresting who they think are illegal immigrants, detaining them and sending them out of the country.

They are doing President Donald Trump's bidding, as he claimed these undocumented people are violent drug dealers, rapists, pedophiles, murderers, gang members, and terrorists who need to be removed from the country.

The US Department of Homeland Security reports to have removed over 670,000 people, and over 2 million self-deportations.

Now two American citizens are dead after trying to protect these alleged criminals.

It is eerie and shocking to see how this is happening today just south of the border from us. 

How is it that history is repeating itself in 2026!

Review: Rental Family

Fraser plays a token white guy trying to help Japanese people

An unemployed American actor in Tokyo is desperate for work and stumbles on an opportunity -- to play the part his client is paying him for -- a journalist, a second gamer, a groom, a father.

That's the premise of Rental Family, starring Brendan Fraser as Phillip Vanderploeg as the aforementioned gaijin, or foreigner in Japanese. It seems the part is made for him until you see that he executive produced the comedy-drama, which is not particularly hilarious, but sweet at times during the 110 minutes.

Phillip connects with an actor with dementia

At first Phillip is confounded with the idea of playing a character in real life, but his boss Shinji (Takehiro Hira) says this is what clients want, to be seen, or he is a means to an end. 

In the case of single mother Hitomi (Shino Shinozaki), she needs a "token white guy" to be the father of Mia (a very cute Shannon Mahina Gorman) so that she can get into a prestigious school, and for adult daughter Masami, Phillip is a journalist to jog her father Kikuo's memories, a famous elderly actor (Akira Emoto) with dementia.

Being told her father disappeared, Mia is angry when she first meets Phillip, but soon she grows attached to him and draws him pictures; he feels hey, this is a job I can do. The same could be said with his relationship with Kikuo, who feels comfortable around the American, even though he doesn't act like a journalist taking notes or recording interviews.

However, Phillip's initial reluctance becomes real when the situations he's in become more complicated, or don't go according to plan, and that's when Shinji tells him to cut the cord and extract himself from the client.

Phillip plays a dad to 11-year-old Mia

But is is that easy? As Phillip accuses his boss of running a soulless company that claims to help clients make personal connections, but they are really fake.

Most heartwarming was the "jailbreak" that Phillip and Kikuo make to go to the latter's hometown, but viewers can sense what will happen next.

The ending seems to be neatly tied up in a bow, but Rental Family is not meant to be too deep either. Nevertheless it brings up the theme of loneliness and how people yearn connections with others. Fraser is thoughtful in his role and respectful of Japanese culture, even if his character doesn't completely understand it.

Rental Family

Directed and co-written by Hikari

110 minutes

Canadian Cities Fight Over Heated Rivalry Star

Williams' star has blown up and everyone wants a piece

It's funny how some Canadian cities want to own a piece of Hudson Williams, one of the co-stars of Heated Rivalry.

Tourism boards are using whichever angle they can to promote their city's connection with the hottest TV show at the moment.

The 24-year-old Williams is a BC boy -- born in Kamloops, British Columbia, and studied Film Arts at Langara College in Vancouver.

His last job before he was chosen to act in Heated Rivalry was being a server at The Old Spaghetti Factory in New Westminster. Williams admits he was terrible at serving.

In the show, his character Shane Hollander is the captain of the fictional Montreal Metros, while his dad David was a graduate of McGill University, which is why Montreal is claiming Hollander, the fictional character.

Meanwhile Ottawa boasts being the "birthplace of Shane Hollander", which is amusing, when Kamloops says it is the "birthplace of Hudson Williams."

Perhaps even more stranger than fiction is that it has been announced that Williams and his co-star Connor Storrie will be two of the torch bearers for the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics!

Will they smooch before lighting the cauldron to fan the flames of passion?

Unbelievable.

 

Popularity of Heated Rivalry Spawns Numerous Tangents

Heated Rivalry has blown up as the hottest show now

This week my social media has blown up with either clips of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's decisive, call-to-action speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, or of scenes from Heated Rivalry, the Canadian TV series that has turned the two stars, Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie into celebrities overnight.

In real life and in fiction, both are pushing back against angry men who want to aggressively take over the world and demand subordination from trad women.

There is so much analysis of Heated Rivalry that it's pretty crazy how everyone has fallen for the two characters, Canadian Shane Hollander and Russian Ilya Rozanov, who are hockey players on rival teams and are smitten with each other.

Analysts opined why the show appeals to women

Aside from the sensual sex scenes, many say female viewers are so obsessed with the show because the two actors are gorgeous men who play a very physical game, but when it comes to their relationship, they are very sensitive -- which analysts like psychologists say is what women want in men.

There is the yearning in the dialogue as well as subtle body language to hint their intentions which female viewers love picking up in the show.

Heated Rivalry was inspired by the book of the same name written by Canadian Rachel Reid in 2019, but it turns out there was a real heated rivalry story many years earlier between two female hockey players, Canadian Caroline Ouellette and American Julie Chu, who faced off against each other in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Both were team captains and both wore the number 13. While they were fierce rivals on the ice, Chu and Ouellette became friends and then lovers, but kept their relationship private for many years. After they were both played in the Olympics four times, they hung up their skates and have two girls and live in Montreal. Ouellette is the assistant coach for the Canadian women's hockey team for the upcoming Milano Cortina Winter Olympics next month.

Storrie and Williams became celebs overnight

Another tangent is that the phenomenon that is Heated Rivalry the show, is not new in Asia. As pointed out in Lingua Sinica's Substack, BL, or "Boys' Love" has been going red hot for years in Thailand, Taiwan, Japan and China.

The shows appeal mostly to women and some men, with storylines that range from mutual love without physical touching to those that include sex scenes. Thailand has the most mature BL scene, which generates a lot of revenue not only from the shows but also from meet-and-greets with the fans.

These events in Thailand can last five to six hours, where tens of thousands of fans from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan, fill stadiums to see their favourite stars in person. The fans snap up all kinds of memorabilia, which means lining up for an hour just to buy them. General admission to these fan events alone costs HK$2,600 (US$333), and together with airfare and hotel, means these fans are around 30 to 40 years old, and mainly female.

So in a way the West is finally discovering BL, which is already hundreds of miles ahead in Asia. And with Shane Hollander the character and Hudson Williams the actor both half Asian, Heated Rivalry has gained a huge fan base across the Pacific.

Fog That Wraps Around Vancouver

There's been some dramatic photos of Vancouver these days

Vancouver has had over a week of fog, a very unusual occurrence, and hopefully tomorrow evening will be the last day. Environment Canada has issued fog advisory warnings for pedestrians and motorists to be careful on the roads because at times there can be zero visibility.

The fog is caused by a ridge of high pressure, trapping moisture; one meteorologist explained it like steam trapped in a pot covered with a lid. In the past several days there has been hardly any wind to blow the fog away.

The Lions Gate Bridge enveloped in fog

As a result Vancouverites have been hearing a lot of foghorns, as ships depend on them to navigate waterways when there is limited visibility.

"In restricted visibility situations, such as on foggy days, these international regulations require anchored ships to sound their horn every minute and transiting ships to sound their horn every two minutes," explained Port of Vancouver spokesperson Sarah Matek.

Driving around the city enveloped with fog can be daunting at times, with some areas where you can hardly see anything, and others are clear. By evening the fog rolls in again and driving in the dark without cars in front of you can also be kind of scary. 

Last night an Uber driver told me of other motorists crossing the road lines into incoming traffic because they couldn't see where they were going!

The fog may dissipate by Thursday night

That said it's been a boon for photographers, both amateur and professional to take some dramatic shots of Vancouver.

Cantopop Group RubberBand in Vancouver

Mau of RubberBand performed in Vancouver

A Hong Kong friend had an extra ticket to see the Cantopop band RubberBand so I watched them perform tonight at the Vogue Theatre downtown.

The venue was pretty much sold out, with lots of eager fans to see their favourite band live.

Singer Mau Hou-cheong, guitarist Clement Fung Ting-ching, bassist Lee Siu-wai, and drummer Lai Man-wang are celebrating the band's 20th anniversary with a North American tour of San Francisco, Vancouver, Toronto and New York City.

Hong Kong fans embraced the band at the Vogue

During the set with an intermission in between, Mau told the crowd he had lost his voice a day earlier, but he sang as much as he could without straining his voice. The fans were appreciative of his call-outs to Vancouver, and sang the lyrics to many of the songs.

While the band formed in 2005, RubberBand didn't sign with a label until the following year. In 2018 they became independent and started their own music label called R flat. 

The indie band became particularly popular during the Umbrella Movement in 2014, as they supported the protesters occupying the streets calling for universal suffrage.

In January 2022, RTHK blacklisted 10 local groups and singers, including RubberBand together with Denise Ho, Anthony Wong Yiu-ming, Kay Tse and Charmaine Fong.

A year later RubberBand toured around Europe, performing to Hongkongers who emigrated overseas. Coming to North America is an extension of the tour, with RubberBand making its United States debut.

No rest for the wicked -- after finishing the performance around 10.40pm, the band held a meet-and-greet after the show for VIP ticket holders and then fly to Toronto tomorrow. 

 

China's Birthrate Continues to Fall

China's birthrate made a record 17 percent drop last year

China's birthrate has dropped for the fourth consecutive year, despite government efforts for couples to have more children.

Last year registered births fell to 7.92 million, down 17 percent from 9.54 million in 2024, the biggest drop since the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

Yi Fuxian, a demographer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison was quoted in The Guardian that births in 2025 were "roughly the same level as in 1738, when China's population was only about 150 million."

The government's incentives aren't enough

The falling birthrate is not news the authorities were hoping to hear after years of trying to encourage couples to have more kids.

One of its initiatives that begins this year is 90 billion yuan (US$12.9 billion) poured into the first nationwide childcare subsidy program for children under the age of three. There are also plans to expand national healthcare insurance to cover all childbirth-related expenses, including IVF treatment.

But when the economy is slowing down coupled with high unemployment -- particularly among fresh graduates, people don't feel it's the right time to have kids, who have also become a very expensive investment.

The average cost of raising a child in China until the age of 18 is 538,000 yuan -- more than 6.3 times as high as the country's GDP per capita, compared to 4.11 times in the United States, and 4.26 times in Japan, according to a Chinese population think tank.

It's also a big problem when companies frown on young women getting married and having children, overlook them for career advancement, and society still expects women to do the household chores.

Instead women are pushing back, choosing either to remain single and childless, despite calls from the government, including Xi Jinping, for Chinese people to "actively cultivate a new culture of marriage and childbearing and strengthen guidance on young people's view on marriage, childbirth and family."

The drumbeat has already begun, with women receiving calls from community workers asking about their plans to have children. But dangling 3,600 yuan ($500) a year for families with children under the age of three is hardly much of an incentive, particularly for those living in cities. 

So... perhaps a re-think on how women are treated before coming up with plans on bumping up birthrates?

Picture of the Day: Magical Light

When the sun hits fog among the trees

Sometimes the forest inspires some amazing photographs and today was one of them.

This morning it was foggy, but with the forecast promising it would be sunny with a high of 10 degrees Celsius.

It was around noon when the sun hit the fog and created exciting lines of sunshine to dramatic effect.

Not Quite the Real Thing

The Williams Sonoma plate at Alouette Bistro

I went to Alouette Bistro in downtown Vancouver for lunch today with a friend.

When I sat down I was surprised to see the plate on the table looked like the Canton Rose pattern that was popular in the late Qing dynasty; it was named after the southern Chinese city (now Guangzhou), when it was the only Chinese city exporting china.

The Canton Rose design refers to the pink roses that were hand painted on the plates along with butterflies, birds, and other flowers.

A Canton Rose platter at Yuet Tung China Works

These colourful plates, decorated with gold paint, were called guangcai, and one of the last factories that make and sell these kinds of porcelain is Yuet Tung China Works in Hong Kong.

Its office/shop/studio is located in Kowloon Bay, and visitors need to be very careful walking through the rooms that are piled high with plates, bowls, tea cups, vases and platters -- if they break anything, they have to buy it.

Back at the restaurant I couldn't help but turn the plate around to see where it was made and saw Williams Sonoma printed on the back. This design is called Green Famille Rose.

Here's the description on the Williams Sonoma website:

"Fanciful, festive and inspired by Chinese porcelain, our hand-finished salad plate comes in eye-catching colours. Each gold-rimmed porcelain piece features a unique design embellished with flora and fauna, including multicoloured butterflies. It layers beautifully with the rest of the collection for both everyday dining and special occasions."

Stacks of bowls in the Canton Rose pattern

While we appreciate the nod to its Chinese origins, a bit more historical context would have been appreciated. That said these plates pale in comparison to the originals.

Just Checking -- Are You Dead?

People living alone can check in with the app every two days

The most downloaded paid app in China at the moment is the morbidly sounding, Are You Dead?

Its name is a play on a popular food delivery app, "Are You Hungry?" with "Si le ma?" [Are you dead?] sounding like "E le ma?"

While the app launched last May, in the last few weeks, tens of thousands of young people have downloaded the app because, well, it's practical.

It has become the most downloaded app in China

The app is straight forward: every two days you need to check in with it, otherwise it will send a message to your emergency contact, informing them that you may be in trouble.

For many, this seems like a useful solution if you are living on your own, young or old, and is a good way to notify others in case something happens to you.

"People who live alone at any stage of their life need something like this, as do introverts, those with depression, the unemployed and others in vulnerable situations," posted one user on Chinese social media.

"There is a fear that people living alone might die unnoticed, with no one to call for help. I sometimes wonder, if I died alone, who would collect my body?" said another.

Research institutions have projected there will be some 200 million one-person households in China by 2030 -- four years from now.

The app's founders, young developers who were born after 1995, say they want to expand the app's reach to seniors, particularly those in the rural areas, saying, "we would like to call on more people to pay attention to the elderly who are living at home, to give them more care and understanding. They have dreams, strive to live, and deserve to be seen, respected and protected."

We all do, really. And the app is also a reminder for us to check on our loved ones to make sure they're OK.

Ming Pao Closes in Canada

Ming Pao will print its last edition on January 17

The media landscape in Canada continues to shrink with Ming Pao announcing it was winding down operations in Vancouver and Toronto due to financial reasons, with the last day of publication on January 17.

My dad was very upset to see the headline stating this on the front page of the Ming Pao paper on January 12.

Sing Tao (below) is available online

That was the same day employees based in the two cities were given termination letters that were sent by the parent company in Hong Kong.

"Staff in Canada were informed by management that the decision to cease operations and halt publication was made by the Hong Kong headquarters," the notice said. Sixty employees are affected.

Ming Pao was the only Chinese-language print newspaper after Sing Tao ceased printing its Canadian edition in August 2022, though a digital version still continues. 

Started in 1993, Ming Pao also published a weekly magazine that covered Hong Kong's entertainment scene, and a food publication featuring recipes from the city's well-known Chinese and western chefs.

For many Chinese immigrants, Ming Pao and Sing Tao were papers they depended on for news from a Hong Kong and China point of view. They also covered stories that were focused on Asia that would rarely make it in western media, and gave practical advice on settling down to newcomers to Canada.

Ming Pao's food magazine

People like my dad are newspaper readers, so used to touching newsprint, and in his case, likes to cut out articles in the paper, and sometimes shares them with friends. 

We used to subscribe to both papers and when Sing Tao stopped its print edition, he was encouraged to read it online, but that it is not something he is comfortable doing. 

It's a pity to see fewer media outlets operating, which means less information being disseminated and fewer opportunities for the media to hold others, particularly governments to account. And with Ming Pao closing, that means only Sing Tao is left to be the voice of the Chinese community in Canada.

Nostalgic Tomato-Flavoured Lunch

Straight from the oven, baked fish fillets in tomato sauce

Today we headed to Vancouver's Chinatown and to our usual eatery for lunch -- The Boss Bakery & Restaurant.

It's categorised as a cha chaan teng, with its extensive menu filled with all kinds of dishes from Hong Kong-style borscht soup to pork chops with cream sauce to fried rice. Wash the meal down with yuen yeung (mixture of coffee and tea), milk tea or Horlick's, and finish with egg tarts or cocktail bun.

I ordered the baked fish fillet with tomato sauce, a stainless steel shallow round pan filled with rice mixed with bits of scrambled egg, a few spinach leaves and two small fish fillets that are smothered in a kind of Campbell Soup-flavoured tomato sauce and baked.

Because it's in the oven for a while, it is a test of your patience, while everyone else at the table is already tucking into their plates of food.

Finally it arrives, piping hot, but after blowing a spoonful to cool it down a bit, it's comforting to eat, a reminder of when I was a kid and after school made Campbell's Soup from a can and added instant noodles. But this version is healthier with the fish and spinach.

No way can I finish this serving -- the portions at The Boss are huge and we always bring food containers to bring them home.

The Boss Bakery & Restaurant

532 Main Street

Vancouver, BC

604 683 3860

Review: Last Boat Out of Shanghai

A riveting history book

Several years ago I interviewed a woman who was doing research on her grandmother who had lived in Shanghai during the Chinese revolution and mentioned a book I should read: Last Boat Out of Shanghai by Helen Zia.

She didn't give any hints on what the book was about, just that it was a really good one.

I finally got around to requesting it from the library and after waiting for my turn I finally got a copy to read.

Chinese residents forced to bow before Japanese

It brings history to life, focusing on four children from different families in Shanghai, one chapter dedicated to each "character", from when they were between two and 13 years old when the Sino-Japanese War caused havoc in China. We learn about each of their family backgrounds, what their parents and siblings were like, and how they each navigated life under Japanese tyranny.

There's one boy whose father is a Japanese collaborator, another from a landowning class, a girl whose impoverished father sells her to a family, and another girl whose father was a Nationalist official. Their childhoods contrast each other economically and politically, and the family dynamics are also fascinating to read, including details of what they ate, how they dressed, and their living arrangements.

After the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, World War II was over for everyone else, but civil war continued in China, with the Communists fighting against the Nationalists. The book follows the four now teenagers and their circumstances when it is clear Chiang Kai-shek and the KMT are retreating to Taiwan, while the Communists peacefully take over Shanghai.

Each time these young people and their families wonder what is best for them and their futures, is it time to leave, and if so where?

As I read Last Boat Out of Shanghai, I couldn't help but think about my great aunt who was born in Shanghai and left on a boat to go to San Francisco to meet my great uncle to marry him. They had only corresponded by letters and exchanged pictures. 

Shanghai emigres made new lives in the US

I also thought about my dad, who was born at the beginning of the Sino-Japanese War, and how his family hardly had anything to eat, constantly on the run. They left Canton (now Guangzhou), but after the war went back there, unaware the Communists were coming and had to flee again.

We have been taught to believe that we are masters of our own destinies, but in the case of those living in China, there was such massive upheaval because of war and political ideology and instability, these factors dictated millions of people's lives. 

Everyone did what they thought was the best way to survive, be it collaborating with the Japanese, fighting with the Nationalists, or literally trying to ensure a roof over their heads. 

Author Zia has done an astounding amount of research on this book, starting with her own family, and then interviewing as many people as she could about their personal experiences and weave them into the book. 

Zia captured her mother's story in the book

The acknowledgements alone go on for pages with hundreds of names, including the likes of former Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa, famed chef and restaurateur Cecilia Chiang, and journalist Frank Ching, along with the four main people in the book.

She also gives a lot of historical context and details that give a nuanced picture of what life was like for Shanghai emigres in the United States and Hong Kong, how their experiences were different from those from southern China. 

Zia explains how the Shanghainese are so much more sophisticated than other Chinese in terms of fashion and culture, as the city was known as the "Pearl of the Orient," and apparently was more modern than many cities outside of China. As a result, many found it difficult to establish themselves elsewhere and it required humility and flexibility to not only stay alive, but also fit in.

There's also more background information on the tensions between the Nationalists and the Taiwanese, how the former controlled the island with an iron fist, despite thinking their stay was temporary, while the latter felt their rights were trampled on.

Zia did a lot of research, interviews

Last Boat Out of Shanghai was a page turner and almost read like a novel -- with real characters.

So grateful for Zia for interviewing these people, documenting their personal experiences in English so that we can have a better understanding of life during this turbulent period, and see how history continues to repeat itself even today. 

She also hopes the book will encourage readers to have greater empathy for refugees who are faced with heart-wrenching decisions, in the hopes to have a better future for themselves and the next generation.

Convenient Krispy Kreme

Krispy Kremes are easier to get in Vancouver

Fans of Krispy Kreme doughnuts in Metro Vancouver were excited to see it open a second store in a convenient location -- Cambie and Broadway. 

The first location, which opened in 2004, is all the way out in Delta, about a 29km drive that would take about an hour and a half. 

For many who work and live in Vancouver, this location will be convenient for those who take the Canada Line, or bus along Broadway. 

This box needs some love handles!

Krispy Kreme has 24 locations across Canada, with nine locations in Toronto alone! Going head-to-head with Tim Horton's...

This latest Krispy Kreme location opened just before Christmas and hardcore enthusiasts of the American brand of doughnuts were willing to line up 12 hours before the shop opened at 7am on December 16.

This busy intersection also has a Jollibee across the street, making it, as one person commented on social media, "a deadly combo," with doughnuts and fried chicken steps away from each other.

Yesterday I happened to be in the neighbourhood and wandered to Krispy Kreme to check it out in the afternoon. I was surprised to see the shop is actually quite small, but it turns out the doughnuts are made in Delta and transported over twice daily.

The customer in front of me just bought one original glazed doughnut, while I was admiring all the other flavours: maple glazed, strawberry iced with sprinkles, glazed lemon filled, raspberry cheesecake, and caramel kreme crunch to name a few.

In the end I got three: the original glazed, chocolate ice custard filled, and glazed raspberry filled. They were placed in a box for half a dozen doughnuts and I carefully carried it home on the bus.

As soon as my dad saw the box he got all excited and ready to try them!

Following the recommendation on the box, I microwaved them for eight seconds, though nine or 10 seconds would have been OK too.

The original tasted the same, though if it was fresh, it would have been even better. 

I didn't have a chance to try the others because my dad ate the entire chocolate ice custard one, and late ate the raspberry doughnut too!

Krispy Kreme

519 West Broadway

Vancouver, BC

236 466 5433

Taking Public Transit in HK will be Safer...

Soon there won't be so many phones in cars

New year, new regulations.

People who ride buses in Hong Kong will have to buckle up from January 25 or face a fine of up to HK$5,000 and three months in jail.

This regulation isn't just on large buses, but also mini buses, school buses, and anyone sitting in vehicles delivering goods.

This regulation will be hard to enforce at first, and passengers won't be used to the idea of buckling up on a bus.

Also happening on January 25 is a regulation requiring all drivers to limit having a maximum of two electronic devices -- smartphones or tablets -- while behind the wheel.

The screens must not be bigger than 19cm in size and cannot obstruct the driver's view of the road or mirrors.

Any driver who violates these requirements will be fined a maximum of HK$2,000.

Gone will be those taxi drivers with several phones all over their dashboard... 

Someone taking all their toys to work everyday

A friend used to take snaps of taxi dashboards, but perhaps there should be a crackdown on decorations?

Hong Kong's Chilly Weather Bring Back 2016 Memories

Back in 2016 when there was frost on Tai Mo Shan

On Thursday Hong Kong's temperatures dropped to as low as 5.9 degrees Celsius in northern districts like Ta Kwu Ling, while Sheung Shui, right next to the border with China was at 9.1 degrees.

The Hong Kong Observatory even posted a frost warning in the morning, which was cancelled by 7.45am.

For the southern Chinese city used to sub-tropical temperatures, that's pretty cold.

People from North America would scoff at Hongkongers for wearing puffy jackets as soon as temperatures dropped under 20 degrees.

"Frost chasers" slipped on the icy road

But as someone from Canada, specifically Vancouver, the cold in Hong Kong is very different, especially when there's no insulation at home; the wet-cold weather outside sometimes felt warmer than inside and you had to wear your winter jacket inside the flat.

While some of us go to great lengths to try to keep as warm as possible, others were keen to seek out frost on Tai Mo Shan, Hong Kong's highest peak exactly 10 years ago.

Temperatures up there dropped to minus 5 degrees and some people called "frost chasers" went up the mountain to check out the icicles on sign posts and trees that looked like they were made of glass. Some people were participants in a 100K race and were not prepared for the cold let alone icy conditions.

As a result some 100 people had to be rescued by the Fire Services Department, which deployed some 300 personnel and helicopters.

There was a lot of backlash against these "frost chasers" for tying up emergency services, and hopefully they learned their lesson that frost and ice are not fun!

Lego Gallops into the Year of the Horse

Looking for an activity to horse around? Lego does

Now that 2026 has started, we're already looking towards Chinese New Year which starts February 17!

It will be the Year of the Horse, specifically the fire horse, which promises to bring speed, passion and opportunity.

This afternoon at Costco we spied the latest Lego set promoting the four-legged animal. Called "Galloping Horses Canvas" (C$140), the set features four equines kicking up dust as they run, and in the background is an ink painting. 

It features four horses too in a Chinese painting that is kind of reminiscent of the artist Xu Beihong, who painted horses so well. The ones here, not so much.

Nevertheless, what is cool about the set is that the four horses actually move when you move the crank at the back. 

The set also comes with two figurines, one wearing a horse head, the other a girl, and they are by a table with an ink brush and a scroll with a horse drawn on it and the Chinese character for the animal. 

The Galloping Horses Canvas is one of three New Year-related sets; there's also one called Fortune Firecracker, and another called Fortune Master with the likeness of Choi Sun, the God of Wealth.

That said, this Lego reviewer gave a pretty honest review about the three sets. Might want to watch before you buy...

First Taste of Yemeni Cuisine

Traditional fava bean stew called ful with Yemeni flatbread

There used to be Vancouver's first Yemeni restaurant in Chinatown that was strangely closed during the day. We wondered if it had any business because we never saw it open.

But then a friend did go to Saba Foods around 6pm one evening and he said it was very quiet, but two hours later the place was hopping with diners. He did rave about the food, adding one needed to bring a football team along to be able to eat the large portions of food.

The bar hasn't changed from its West days

Then in January 2024 it closed and I heard it moved to South Granville which was a surprise -- that area would have relatively high rent and would the neighbourhood welcome a restaurant like this?

Apparently so, and its loyal customers followed Saba Foods to its new location. The restaurant was started by Alwaleed Ogbah and his Chinese wife Brenda Seng, when he missed eating Yemeni food in Vancouver.

He started Saba by doing pop-ups back in 2017 and then cooked out of a commissary kitchen, and a food truck, and eventually opened the Chinatown location in 2021. 

A friend who has been there a few times took me to the latest location for lunch today, and it is where the west coast restaurant West used to be.

When I walked in, the West decor had not changed, the bar with its numerous square slots for wine bottles were there, as well as the same tables and chairs, and the felt embroidered design on the south wall.

Okra, potato and lamb stew with basmati rice

As we perused through the menu, my friend remarked the food offerings had expanded, with brunch and lunch dishes, like steak and eggs, omelettes, and chargrilled beef.

Other typical items are hummus, lamb soup, falafel, roast chicken, and kunafa for dessert, a phyllo pastry layered with cheese and soaked with a syrup.

We decided to stick to some traditional dishes, like ful, a stew of fava beans served with Yemeni flatbread, and okra and potato stew with braised lamb and basmati rice, along with some fresh lime juice.

I've had lime soda, but lime juice was a first. It arrived in a lovely shade of (lime) green, and while it was on the sweet side, it was very refreshing and had a tart finish.

The dishes arrived very quickly, but not piping hot. Both dishes were flavourful. We spooned the ful on our plates and ate it with the large, round and soft flatbread with bubbled charred marks on it. 

Meanwhile the okra had practically disintegrated into the stew with potato, with some chunks of braised lamb, accompanied with saffron rice.

Dubai chocolate with pistachio and phyllo

Owner Ogbah came by to say hi to my friend, and gave us a complimentary dessert of Dubai chocolate, a small bar made from Belgian chocolate filled with pistachio paste and delicate phyllo. It went well with small cups of Yemeni coffee that was beige in colour and had a cardamon taste.

As we were finishing lunch, Muslims began trickling into the restaurant, around 2.30pm so by the time we left an hour later it was bustling with a second round of guests. It was fascinating to see the range of diners, and that the halal food is what brought many people here.

My friend has suggested we have to come back again for the lamb haneeth or slow roasted lamb shoulder that is marinated with spices. We'll have to recruit a football team of eaters to come with us next time.

Saba Foods

2881 Granville Street

Vancouver, BC

604 358 0566

A Natural Form of Resilience

Chinese tourists in Kennedy Town last year

On Xiaohongshu, Chinese tourists flock to Kennedy Town, specifically Forbes Street to take pictures of and with the banyan trees that seem to effortlessly cling onto the wall. This phenomenon is unique to Hong Kong.

Some people call them masonry wall trees because stone walls were built between the 19th century and World War II as retaining walls using stone.

Banyan trees in Kowloon Park

As these walls were being constructed, some banyan tree seeds may have blown into the crevices of the stone walls or dropped by birds and managed to sprout and grow, with their roots on the outside of the wall. It's quite amazing these trees have managed to flourish despite such an unnatural environment to establish themselves in.

There are many trees in Kennedy Town, Mid-Levels and Wan Chai.

On this trip I saw some of these banyan trees in Kowloon Park, adjacent to the aviary pond.

Banyan trees are considered to have good feng shui, symbolising longevity and perseverance. It is not a tree that is cut down for its wood because its wood is full of knots, and it is hard to set on fire so it can't be used as firewood.

These trees are beautiful signs of resilience in nature!

Picture of the Day: Bubbling Claypot

This claypot has pork liver slices, eggplant and rice rolls

Southern Delicacy is a neighbourhood Chinese restaurant in Vancouver's Kerrisdale area and these days presents some pretty solid Cantonese dishes. A group of us eat there once a month for dinner not just because the location is convenient, but also because the food is great.

One of our favourite dishes on the lunch menu that we order in advance for dinner is the pork liver, eggplant and rice roll hotpot.

The large claypot arrives bubbling hot, the slices of liver just cooked so they are very tender, the eggplant soft and sweet, balancing the slight bitterness of the liver, and the rice rolls soaking up the savoury thick sauce.

So good!

First Attempt at NYT Chocolate Chip Cookies

Big chunky chocolate chip cookies for the holidays

Happy New Year and wishing everyone all the best for 2026!

Just before the Christmas holidays I finally got off my butt and made some cookies that turned out pretty well.

The New York Times has several chocolate chip cookie recipes, but this one has gone viral. Check out the video here.

I read the recipe several times, bought the semi-sweet chocolate discs and went to work.

It calls for bread flour and cake flour, but I read in the comments that all-purpose flour worked well too. I found cake flour in our pantry so I used it and all-purpose flour.

Perhaps I didn't wait long enough for the unsalted butter to be at room temperature, but it seemed to be well combined in the mixer.

I cut a lot of the sugar, both light brown and granulated, and in the end the dough yielded 19 golf ball-sized dough balls that I froze for 24 hours before baking my first batch of a dozen cookies.

Again I didn't defrost them completely before putting them in the oven, so they ended up like big mounds instead of lying flat. But they were cooked through and I lightly drizzled sea salt on top of the cookies as soon as they came out of the oven.

The end result was a buttery, slightly flaky cookie that had a lot of rich chocolate without the cloying sweetness. 

I gave them to a friend from Singapore who was visiting and her son loved the chunky cookies!

Then I tried defrosting another batch of the ball-shaped dough a bit longer before baking them, but they still turned out round and chunky with slightly melted chocolate discs.

So I don't know why they ended up like that, perhaps the discs were too big? Or I over mixed the flour? 

Nevertheless they were still happily eaten by others so they are worth trying to make again.

Hong Kong Island Promenade is Complete

Visitors can wear shoe covers on the glass walkway

During the Covid-19 pandemic, after dinner during the week I walked along the Hong Kong waterfront from Kennedy Town to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and back, a good 10K.

I enjoyed being among people, in the fresh air and getting exercise.

The last 1.1K section was unveiled to the public

Then on the weekends my friend and I would walk further to Sai Wan Ho, but when we got to Tin Hau and Fortress Hill, there were breaks in the path and we had to walk inland a few blocks before getting back on the harbourfront path.

But yesterday the last section, about 1.1K long was finally completed, from the North Point Promenade to Hoi Yu Street in Quarry Bay. Now people can literally go from Kennedy Town to Shau Kei Wan in 13K.

Part of the North Point section features a glass walkway, where visitors need to wear shoe covers... seems a bit over the top for a path that's mainly for looking at the scenery above than below the water.

Nevertheless this project of designing and constructing a 13k promenade is 16 years in the making and it's great to see it's finally finished.

The path is a great way to see the city

It's a fantastic way not only for locals to enjoy their city, but also for visitors to see how accessible Hong Kong is and to appreciate the views from the waterfront. 

When I recently visited Hong Kong I was staying in North Point and walked along the waterfront towards Causeway Bay a few times. 

Can't wait to go back and walk the whole 13K!