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There's less traffic at the Canada-US border these days |
Friday, April 11, 2025
Fact of the Day: Fewer Canadians Going to the US
Thursday, April 10, 2025
China Caught in Massive Tariff Showdown
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Trump said people were getting "yippy" in tariffs reversal |
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Leavitt adamant tariff U-turn was art of the deal |
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One of the Chinese captured in Ukraine |
Wednesday, April 9, 2025
Trump Tries to Force Xi to Make a Deal
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Trump has imposed a 104 percent tariff on Chinese goods |
As of 9pm EST, the United States started imposing a whopping 104 percent tariffs on Chinese imports. The extra 50 percent was added this evening because US President Donald Trump claimed China refused to back down from its counter tariffs.
Beijing refused to bow to what it called "blackmail" and vowed to "fight to the end."
Trump said at a black-tie dinner tonight that China "wants to make a deal, badly, but they don't know how to get it started."
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Will Xi bargain with Trump to lower tariffs? |
So far Xi has been pretty aloof, but with tariffs at 104 percent surely he has to act now.
However, the US is more dependent on China than Trump cares to admit.
At the same time there is no way the US will fulfill Trump's vision of manufacturing moving back to America again.
Can you imagine Americans actually standing for hours on end assembling iPhones or sewing denim jeans being paid by the piece?
It's not going to happen. Manufacturing went off shore back in the 1990s and labour costs are too prohibitive for them to return to the US, let alone finding people willing to do that work.
People online are speculating whether Walmart will raise prices 104 percent to match the tariffs. If that happened that could spell the end of Walmart!
Now people are starting to realise how dependent they are on imported goods, and what this means for their wallet.
For everyone outside of the US, how about we cut America out and make a deal on trade?
Tuesday, April 8, 2025
Vancouver Mayor Reflects on By-Election Results
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Will Sim take the office of the Mayor more seriously now? |
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Orr (left) and Maloney were elected yesterday |
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Mochrie apologised for way by-election was run |
Monday, April 7, 2025
Taiwanese Duck and Ginger Hot Pot
A warming duck and ginger hotpot for a stopover in Taipei |
Vermicelli on the left, emperor vegetables, right |
Tick off your orders here |
Sunday, April 6, 2025
Vancouver By-Election Voting Chaos
Where I started lining up at 12.20pm today to vote |
Today Vancouver held a by-election for two seats on City Council. One was vacated by Christine Boyle, who successfully jumped into provincial politics, and the other by Adriane Carr, who retired after many years in political office.
There were already signs that voter turnout would be big just from advance voting and the number of mail-in ballots requested.
I went during lunchtime (wolfed down a sandwich beforehand) and was shocked -- shocked -- to see a massive line outside the Dunbar Community centre. A woman who was helping to run the election explained that yes this was the line to vote and that the wait would be 50 minutes -- 5-0 she reiterated.
However, if you were elderly and could not stand long, or you had a ferry to catch, then by all means come to the priority line. Some followed her in, the rest of us waited, luckily in the sunshine.
An hour later, I exercised my right |
It took just over an hour to complete from start to finish.
Apparently at other polling stations the wait was over an hour, up to three hours.
Part of the reason can be faulted on city staff for anticipating (wrongly) that hardly anyone votes in by-elections. But surely from reading the news and the advance voting turnout they should know that only opening 25 polling stations compared the 50 in the 2017 by-election is going to result in long lines.
The other issue was that many elderly people did not know they could bypass the long line and walk right in. I advised my parents to do this and they were done in less than 15 minutes, while other seniors bravely stood in line not knowing about this priority line. Again this is city staff's fault for not making people aware of this option.
Why did so many people turn out for this by-election?
It was a chance for them to take part in a referendum on Mayor Ken Sim and his administration's performance so far.
And the results show it is a complete repudiation of Sim and his ABC party.
Of the 13 candidates running, two won by a wide margin: Sean Orr of COPE (over 34,000 votes), and OneCity's Lucy Maloney (over 33,000).
Although this does not change ABC's majority on council, Orr and Maloney will put more pressure on Sim and ABC to be more accountable for their actions.
"While the results tonight didn't go the way that we hoped for... we look forward to working with the two elected officials," Sim told ABC supporters this evening.
City council meetings are going to be more interesting from now on...
Saturday, April 5, 2025
Weak Yen Attracts Foreign Money
No cars on the road in the shopping area of Ginza on Sundays |
The depressed yen has been a boon for tourism to Japan. People around the world have been flocking to the Land of the Rising Sun for great deals on everything from sushi to clothing. Tourists are lapping up the deals, but leaving those in the hospitality industry burned out.
For example, an izakaya dinner for three including six alcoholic drinks, sushi and king crab, the total bill came to around 28,000 yen (US$190), which is very reasonable by most standards, and for those from Hong Kong, cheap.
When it comes to shopping, bring your passport and the value added tax is deducted at the till -- no need to line up at the airport to process refunds. A friend went to the Ralph Lauren outlet store and bought two pairs of trousers, a pair of jeans and a hoodie for his five-year-old nephew which came to around 69,000 yen (US$470).
I went on a shopping spree at Uniqlo and the total came to 17,240 -- but with my passport it was deducted further to 15,673 (US$106.80). That was for a pair of jeans, a cotton knit top, an adult T-shirt, three kids' T-shirts and two pairs of kids' shorts.
Eager to get a pair of sneakers, I headed to well-known brand Onitsuka Tiger, the precursor to Asics. The two-storey shop was swarmed by tourists, grabbing whatever sample shoes they could get their hands on and asking staff to give them the footwear in their sizes.
I couldn't help but feel sorry for the staff, who probably by now are used to aggressive foreigners demanding these sneakers that they perceive as cool. For me though, they aren't comfortable footwear, as the heel area doesn't have much support.
Instead I wandered down the street to an unassuming shoe shop in the basement and there I could browse other sneaker brands without anyone fighting over them. I also had attentive service, trying several shoes before deciding on a pair.
The Japanese-made sneakers were priced at 19,250 yen (US$130), and with duty free it came to 17,500 yen (US$119.27).
While tourism does bring in foreign currency into Japan, investment does too.
A Chinese friend I met up with in Hong Kong told me her brother had moved to a small town outside Tokyo -- as an investor. He has put money into a school for disabled children in this town and in return he and his family are allowed to have residency there.
Apparently they are learning Japanese, his young children go to school there, and they really like the laid-back lifestyle.
Since 2023, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been strongly promoting foreign investment in Japan, with a goal of achieving a balance of 100 trillion yen by 2030.
There also seems to be more foreigners living and working there, some doing manual labour like repaving roads, to making takoyaki (ball-shaped Japanese snacks usually filled with chopped octopus) in a street-side stall.
As the population is shrinking because of the low birth rate, more help is needed, which is why the country has had to become more inviting to foreign workers; it has forced the previously insular, homogenous culture to be more accepting of others.
"Necessity is the author of change", says adventurer Tim Hansel.
Indeed.
Friday, April 4, 2025
The Sad Goodbye of Hudson's Bay
Need a fancy dress? The Bay has them on sale! |
So it has come to this. The Hudson's Bay Company, which was established in May 1670 trading beaver pelts and later became an iconic brand known for being Canada's department store, has declared bankruptcy.
Customers have until April 6 to use up their gift cards and so I ventured downtown to see what was left in the multi-level store on Georgia and Granville streets.
The floors look more empty as stock is snapped up |
I went to the escalator to go up, but it was blocked off. Shut down, presumably to save on electricity. So I made my way to the back of the store where the elevators were (also closed), but that was where the staircase was and made my way up to the second floor.
If you need a floor-length ballgown in size 16 come here and grab one before the store closes. Otherwise there was a lot of clothes that people didn't want, mostly because the design seemed dated, stale, hardly interesting.
The shoe department was pretty much picked over, and it was surprising to see brands like Ugg and Hunter not completely wiped out. There were tons of kids boots still available too.
On the third floor were more casual clothes and there were racks and racks of jeans in all kinds of sizes and you had to wade through all of them to find your size. I found two pairs to try on as well as a top and took a while to find a fitting room.
The only way up and down is stairs |
Magically one pair of jeans fit, and it was 20 percent off $159 before tax. With my two gift cards totalling $39, that made my pair of jeans under $100... was it worth it? Not really, but I figured I will probably wear these jeans for several years to replace ones I've had for over 15 years.
As I made my way down the stairs to the ground floor, others were walking up, looking somewhat optimistic they would find a bargain... hope they weren't too disappointed...
Thursday, April 3, 2025
Tokyo: Eating Well in the City
Eating lots of seafood at Andy's Shin Hinomoto in Tokyo |
We ate pretty well in Tokyo, but probably not as good as most Japanphiles who specifically head to the Land of the Rising Sun for the marvellous food at cut-rate prices.
Last Thursday we arrived in the evening and by the time we checked into the hotel, it was almost 8pm. Before I went on my trip, my Japanese hairdresser suggested that I try the food at McDonald's because the items would be different than in Vancouver.
McDonald's food in Japan is... different |
We tried an ebi filet-o or Filet-O-Shrimp, chicken teriyaki Filet-O, a grape soda, medium fries and two desserts, one that looked like mini churros with a strawberry filling, and strawberry daifuku pie in sakura pink packaging.
The Filet-O-Ebi substituted fish for shrimp with lettuce and mustard and it was not bad, tasting slightly sweet, while the chicken teriyaki burger was smothered in the dark sweet sauce to make the chicken patty palatable.
Meanwhile the Qoo white grape soda was far from natural juice, but still refreshing, though the fries seemed undercooked, but we ate them anyway.
Like other McDonald's meals, you wolf down the food, but then don't feel full. For dessert, the chocolate churros, called hitokuchi kuro churros were baked rather than deep-fried, and the strawberry filling was not jam, but artificially flavoured pink. The pie, available for a limited time, had a filling that was part mochi, part strawberry jam which was strange. Nevertheless it was the latter that made the pie taste extremely sweet. I finished off the fries to balance out the saccharine taste.
Meaty king crab served cold |
The next evening we went to an izakaya called Andy's Shin Hinomoto in Yurakucho. It is located under a train overpass, so you can periodically hear trains going by. There are several eateries in each of these moon-shaped deep alcoves that are quite cozy.
Andy is Andy Lunt, an Englishman from Leicester, who in 1978 married the izakaya's owner's daughter and in 1986 came to Tokyo to help out with the business, and then taking over in 2010.
People can put their bags and umbrellas in little nooks or up above in fishing nets suspended from the ceiling. What a great idea to save space!
Our host had already ordered the king crab and it was boiled, but served cold, and the parts chopped up, but not cracked liked they would be in Chinese restaurants. Instead they were cut open with incisions here and there to help make it easier to extract the sweet meat aided by a skinny long metal tool.
Large plump clams cooked in sake |
With beers, highballs and a plum drink, the total came to 26,000 yen for three. Again we walked off the meal by walking to the Imperial Palace, which had strategically placed strong headlights to prevent people from coming too close.
We walked to a place near the subway station that sells taiyaki, a fish-shaped pastry that has different fillings. We had the custard and red bean one. They were very hot out of the waffle iron, and a good way to keep warm as the temperatures began to drop.
Tender cuts of beef for yakiniku |
We started off with thin slices of beef tongue that were delicious and then moved onto other cuts of beef that I was unfamiliar with, but everything was tender, despite not being marbled. Some cooked meats we wrapped in lettuce or shiso leaves, and grilled the odd slices of peppers.
Service was great, as after each round the staff came by to replace the metal wire rack over the charcoal. For dessert I had two scoops of soybean ice cream with a caramel sauce drizzled on top. This meal cost 2,000 yen less than the izakaya!
Our final dinner was at Savoy after our visit to Tokyo Skytree. The pizza place opens at 5.30pm and we didn't know we could make reservations so when we arrived there was luckily a short lineup ahead of us. The first group ahead of us was eight people including four young children; the parents couldn't decide if they wanted to order take away or eat in... Luckily we didn't wait too long, perhaps half an hour or so and we were the next batch of people to go in.
The best seats in the house were near the entrance where the pizza oven was located, with a roaring fire, but we were led to the back kitchen where salads were prepared and dishes were washed. It was kind of strange to have a open view of the back of house, but perhaps they felt they could take advantage of hungry diners eager for any kind of view.
A watery Margherita pizza at Savoy |
We also had some meatballs covered in tomato sauce and some sprinkled melted parmesan cheese that were very tender and total comfort food.
Not long after we finished the meatballs the Margherita pizza arrived. It looked great, with the slightly burnt crust. But when I pulled a slice away to eat, I could see the tomato sauce was quite watery, which dulled the taste of the pizza. I still liked the crust which was airy and held up to the watery filling.
Excellent blue fin tuna pizza |
Finally (and giving us a bit of time to digest), the Blue fin tuna pizza came with a side of wasabi and we were not disappointed! This was definitely a memorable pie. Since there's only a few slices of tuna, they were all bunched up in the middle and seared from being in the pizza oven; some bits were still a bit raw.
The combination of the slight sashimi taste of the tuna combined with cheese was so smooth and sweet, and the roughly chopped spring onions added a bit of crunchy texture. We did not need the wasabi to liven things up. It was already so good.
For dessert we didn't only have one but two tiramisus, very light, almost fluffy light and a hint of the espresso-soaked ladyfingers underneath. We walked out feeling sated and happy to make it to this place. Our total eating time: 45 minutes.
Wednesday, April 2, 2025
Tokyo: Looking at the Japanese Capital from Up High
Looking up at Tokyo Tower at night |
A good way to have a grasp of a city you're visiting is to see it from up high, and Tokyo, a metropolis built vertically, has not one, but two towers from which you can perch from and look down.
When I went to Tokyo for the first time in the mid-1980s on a school trip, going to Tokyo Tower was a big deal. I still remember the guide book I bought and some souvenirs like key chains.
Fantastic night scenes of the city |
Admittedly it was difficult to make out everything in the dark, but it was enjoyable with less visitors. As it is sakura season, the observation deck area was decorated with a fake sakura tree and pink petals decorating some of the windows (making it harder to take pictures). Nevertheless it was a clear night and so our night pictures were pretty good.
A day later we had afternoon tickets for Tokyo Skytree, which is also a broadcast and observation tower, the tallest in Japan at 634 metres. And because it opened in 2012, visitors are more interested in coming here than Tokyo Tower.
Women in kimonos at Sensoji Temple |
We first went to Sensoji Temple and it was packed with people, as it was a Sunday and beautiful weather, and most importantly sakura or cherry blossoms had bloomed. Many young women were dressed in kimono, but we could only tell where they were from when they opened their mouths -- some spoke Cantonese, others Mandarin. Then there were a few non-Asians who managed to squeeze into the kimonos, and one guy went barefoot, perhaps because there were no socks in his size...
They rented these outfits in order to have their pictures taken by professional photographers.
Looking across the river we could see Tokyo Skytree in the distance and began walking towards it. Along the river are restaurants and cafes, while others sat on the grass or ground and had hamani, or picnics to appreciate the cherry blossoms.
We walked around 20 minutes and arrived at the base of Tokyo Skytree, which includes a shopping complex with various brands, and yes McDonald's, and other cafes.
Walking towards Tokyo Skytree |
Finally after 4pm we finally made it to the front and allotted to an elevator where we had to wait for it to go up and then come down before opening its doors to collect us. We got the combo tickets where we could visit both observation decks at 350 metres and 450 metres.
I could see how tiring it was for the staff to corral people all day, repeat the same spiel about Tokyo Skytree every 10 minutes or so and to bow as the elevator doors closed, then repeat. Again and again.
There was a tour group from India and they were able to bypass lines to get their own elevator spot; the Tokyo Skytree staff were used to this and gave them priority, making the rest of us wait another several minutes.
But once we were up on the 350-metre high deck, it was quite the sight. Seeing Tokyo by day it made me realise how many rivers there are snaking through the city, and as a result there are numerous bridges.
The observation tower at 450 metres high |
There were some glass skywalks inside, where there was nothing holding you up except the thick glass. Some found it scary, others exhilarating.
One young woman was dressed up in a cosplay outfit so that she could take pictures at Skytree; many were willing to pay for the privilege.
We walked up an incline to get to the next elevator at 450 metres, but here it was even higher and everything looked even smaller down below. There were also more supports on the windows, which didn't give clear views for photographs.
Many rivers snake through the city |
Finally getting out of Skytree we were relieved to get away from the mass crowd of visitors. It must be so tiring for the staff dealing with so many people everyday.
Tuesday, April 1, 2025
Liberal Candidate Stands Down after Controversy
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Chiang has stepped down running for the Liberals |
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HK government has HK$1M bounty on Tay |
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Kwan raised the alarm of Chiang to English media |
Sunday, March 30, 2025
Tokyo: Snoopy Museum
A family-friendly, fun place to visit |
A friend and I have a mutual love of Snoopy. Mine goes back to when I was a child, reading the Peanuts comic strips and watching A Charlie Brown Christmas. The comics and characters reflected how kids felt at the time -- and they still hold up today! Snoopy projected our fantasies, from being able to dance to being the World War I Flying Ace shooting down the Red Baron. Oh and observations about cats and dogs were so true.
So when my friend told me about the Snoopy Museum in Tokyo I had to go visit. It is the only satellite museum affiliated with the Charles M Schultz Museum and Research Center in Santa Rosa, California.
One of the first Snoopy comic strips by Schultz |
It takes about an hour to get to Grandberry Park, southwest of Tokyo, but once you get there you can see how appealing it is for families, with lots of outlet shops -- tax free for tourists -- and activities for children to do, as well as the Snoopy Museum.
There are Snoopy statues along the way to point you in the right direction, but soon you will come across a giant Snoopy with his mouth open, indicating the entrance to the museum. We got tickets online in advance, and in exchange we received paper tickets that were each Peanuts comic strips and two stickers too.
From there we were invited to go up to the third floor and work our way down. There are some rooms where we couldn't take pictures, as they were photographs of Charles Schultz as a child or family pictures, but other than that lots of large-scale comic strips that were reproduced.
Snoopy trying to hit a golf ball with an audience |
Some of the comic strips were animated which was fun, like Charlie Brown watching TV, and Snoopy trying to get his attention and sleeping on top of his head; Charlie Brown gets annoyed and walks to the door, outside and flings Snoopy onto his red dog house to sleep.
Interestingly not much about A Charlie Brown Christmas, though a lot of jazz was played in the museum which made it relaxing to be in there.
And of course the other best part of the museum was the gift shop! All kinds of merchandise were available, but strangely no children's T-shirts, but lots of stuffed Snoopys, plastic folders, stickers, cookies, notebooks, key rings and so on.
Giant sleeping Snoopy... you can't touch though |
It was a fun trip down memory lane, but also impressive to see how Schultz's comics still stand the test of time!
Tsuruma 3-1-4, Machida-shi
Tokyo
Tokyo: Artist Ryuichi Sakamoto Revered
Many people lined up to see this exhibition |
Patterns made by vibrations |
Fog created by the water of immortality |
Sakamoto playing the piano |
Saturday, March 29, 2025
TeamLab's Immersive Art Experience
Golden-coloured fish swim around the room |
Art is projected around the walls and floors |
Spheres give a feeling of limitlessness |
Sea creatures drawn by visitors projected on walls |
Friday, March 28, 2025
Shocking Myanmar Earthquake Hits Bangkok
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A building under construction in Bangkok came crashing down |
At around midday in central Myanmar, there was a shocking 7.7 magnitude earthquake that was felt as far away as Bangkok. It was horrific to see the initial videos coming out of the Thai capital, such as a tall office building that was being constructed came crashing down, water pouring from the top floor of the InterContinental Bangkok from the rooftop swimming pool, and a construction crane collapse and crash to the ground.
As I was just there over two weeks ago I immediately contacted people I knew in Bangkok. One told me that she and her colleagues had evacuated from their office building and were waiting outside. She said they were in complete shock.
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Water pouring from rooftop pool during the quake |
He had just returned from Seoul where he attended the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants awards, where Le Du was ranked no. 20 and Nusara at no. 6.
My friend and I were thinking we were so lucky we were not in Bangkok during the earthquake -- imagine what it would have been like being on the top floor of the Empire Centre where Le Du Kaan, a bar/restaurant and Chinese restaurant K by Vicky Cheng are located.
Not to mention being on the 77th floor of Mahanakhorn which was reportedly swaying during the earthquake!
However there are some silver linings... an American chef I know who has three restaurants in Bangkok told me that because people cannot return to their hotels or condos in tall buildings, his dining establishments are packed tonight. Wonder if they will have to stay the night in his restaurants too!
So far around 117 people are missing, five confirmed dead in Bangkok, while the military government in Myanmar says 144 people have died, and 732 injured.
Hope survivors will be found, and that aftershocks won't be too severe...
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