Wong Pages

10 Words That Will Help You Win at Scrabble

2009-01-04T20:34:00.002-07:00

Due to the popularity of Facebook's Scrabulous, Scrabble has made a comeback in a big way. Here are some lesser-known words in the English language that may help you score more points in your next game. My personal favorites are xi, xu, qi and za.

http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/21406

Inspired by Food, Part 2

2008-12-03T16:51:00.002-07:00

Even better than the previous Calgary food blog I found (and updated regularly):

http://foodosophy.wordpress.com/category/canada/calgary/

Inspired by Food

2008-08-27T20:49:00.002-06:00

I was doing some research for an article today, and I came across a fabulous blog about eating in Calgary. It has beautiful photos, colourful descriptions and ratings for each restaurant visited. Check it out!

http://eatty-eatty.blogspot.com/

Favorite Free iPhone Apps

2008-08-20T19:38:00.004-06:00

After playing with the iPhone for two weeks, I've discovered some great free apps and sites built especially for mobile phones.

1) Urban Spoon - Choose the city location, type of food and shake. The app will come up with a restaurant recommendation for you.

2) Bookmarks - Access all your del.icio.us bookmarks.

3) Scribble - Like an Etch-a-Sketch. Draw a picture, then shake to erase or save to your photos.

4) Box Office - Look up movie times in your area.

5) WeDict - Free dictionary app. Bonus: Get Chinese definitions of English words.

6) Currency - Convert your money to other people's money.

7) Units - Convert just about anything else (temperature, length, etc.) .

8) Timmy Me - Locate the nearest Tim Hortons location.

9) Shazam - Figure out the song that's playing on the radio. Amazingly accurate.

10) iChoose - The iPhone equivalent of flipping a coin, rolling dice or choosing a card.

Two apps that are websites:

1) Tipr - Quickly determine the tip at a restaurant.

2) OneTrip - Add items to your grocery list with just a few clicks.

New Toys

2008-08-14T07:48:00.005-06:00

I am in love. Yes, I probably sound like the biggest dork, but I got two new toys and I'm having so much fun with them.

The first was the Flip Video camera that enabled me to make the coolest wedding video ever for my friends Rey and Mai. It was so easy to use, that even a nerd like me figured it out.

The second was the Apple iPhone. There was so much hype over this phone, I was expecting to be disappointed. Turns out I love it, and I don't know how I lived without it. It too, is so easy to use, and I have all of my favorite sites and e-mail with me all the time. Yep. Dork-o-rama.

Inspired by Everyone

2008-08-14T07:36:00.006-06:00

At this year's Summer Event at work, everyone got to make their own t-shirt to proclaim to the world what inspires them:

http://www.criticalmass.com/SummerEvent/

Recently, I got to make a wedding video for my good friends. They too, inspired me in ways that were surprising and hilarious. The best was hearing one guy talk about how he wanted to be compensated for his dry cleaning, because a bird pooped on his shirt at the park. It was classic.

Hong Kong Highlights

2008-02-24T18:46:00.004-07:00

Seeing Hong Kong for the fourth time, I decided to concentrate on two things: eating and shopping. Oh, and we saw a really big Buddha. :)

What we ate:
- Yummy won ton soup that you can only get in Hong Kong
- Shanghai soup dumplings that squirt in your mouth
- Good ol' bowl of pasta from The Spaghetti House
- Dim sum from a couple of places
- Amazing mango pudding and mango ice cream with, of course, mango
- Red bean pie from McDonalds
- Ovaltine and lots of milk tea
- More Hainanese chicken rice with a great corn and carrot soup

My favorite clothing stores:
- Giordano
- G2000
- Uniqlo
- Muji
- U-Right
- Of course, there is always the Ladies Market and Temple Street Market for fun accessories and trinkets

There will always be a place in my heart for this place -- one of the easiest cities to travel in, in my opinion.

Leaving Kuala Lumpur

2008-02-17T22:49:00.003-07:00

We're back at Changi Airport, one of the nicest airports I've ever been to, after a brief stint in Kuala Lumpur. I've adjusted (somewhat) to the hot weather and the fabulous food. In fact, this trip has turned into quite the gastronomic adventure, and my tummy has never been happier!

Some highlights:
- Freshly made roti and curry (only a quarter at one place we ate at)
- Authentic curry laksa (although Jack and I disagree on where the best one was)
- Juicy duck and spicy noodles (the most tender, flavourful duck I've ever had)
- Stir-fried turnip and egg (so delicious, I could eat it all day)
- Pie tees, little fried cups of goodness with veggie and prawn filling
- Hainanese chicken rice (so authentic and delicious, for about $1.50 inclucing soup)

If it weren't for Jack's frequent trips to Starbucks during our trip, we would have hardly spent any money at all on this trip. ;)

Next stop: Hong Kong, for Shanghai soup dumplings, won ton soup, and more shopping than my poor tired feet can handle!

Hello from Singapore

2008-02-14T04:21:00.002-07:00

I'm writing from Changi Airport in Singapore. They have free Internet access throughout the airport; how cool is that?

We've spent the past three days here, most of it spent shopping, eating and more shopping. I've never seen so many malls in my life!

Singapore seems to be an interesting mix of every Asian city I've been to. Its tagline is "Uniquely Singapore," but we've found it's anything but.

It's a great city, though. Within 10 minutes after we arrive, Jack tells me he wants to move here. The weather is a balmy 30 degrees Celsius year round, there is lots to do, and everyone speaks English. What more could you ask for? ;)

Freezing

2008-01-29T20:10:00.000-07:00

The past couple of days have turned the city into a giant igloo. Can't wait to get out of here and into some warm weather...

Reflecting

2007-12-25T14:26:00.000-07:00

One year ago on Christmas Eve, I had an accident.

I fainted in my bathroom, resulting in a fractured jaw and a missing tooth. Christmas Day and Boxing Day were spent in a hospital room. I was on a liquid diet for weeks, and off work for about a month.

Now, one year later, I am stronger, happier and grateful for everything I have in my life. I will spend Christmas with my family and friends, and enjoy every moment with them.

Juno Trailer

2007-12-12T21:15:00.000-07:00

Can't wait to watch this!

Longing to Travel

2007-10-29T22:15:00.000-06:00

We're thinking of taking a trip next year, but we're not sure when or where. Some ideas we've thrown around are Hong Kong and South Korea. But the more I think about it, there are so many places in the world that are still unexplored: Malaysia, Taiwan, Germany, Spain... why are there only three weeks of vacation a year? :(

Instant Pick-Me-Up, Part 2

2007-10-22T23:41:00.000-06:00

Seriously... how can anyone be in a bad mood after Pucca and The Postal Service?

Instant Pick-Me-Up

2007-10-21T13:08:00.001-06:00

If you're looking for something to put you in a good mood, watch this:

Movies to Watch

2007-10-16T19:51:00.000-06:00

They're making some of my favorite books into movies!

The Lovely Bones
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0380510/

Release date is Summer 2008, and the cast includes Ryan Gosling, Susan Sarandon, Rachel Weisz and Stanley Tucci. The story? A 14-year-old girl is murdered by her neighbour and tells her story from Heaven.

The Time Traveler’s Wife
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0452694/

Release date is November 2008. The cast includes Rachel McAdams, Eric Bana and Ron Livingston. The story is about a man with a gene that causes him to involuntarily time-travel, and the complications it creates for his marriage.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0417741/

Release date is November 2008. The sixth story (and my favorite) in the Harry Potter series.

Angels & Demons
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0808151/

Release date is December 2008. The prequel (with a better story) to The Da Vinci Code.

Can't wait!

Things I Love Now

2007-10-08T16:33:00.000-06:00

Banana squash - I picked some up at my local Superstore. It was already pre-cut, so all I had to do was cut off the skin and dice it. I tossed the cubes onto a cookie sheet and drizzled on some olive oil, salt and pepper, and steak spice. After about 15 minutes in a 400-degree oven, they were nicely browned. They tasted sweet and savory at the same time -- kind of like eating yam fries. Yum-o.
Gossip Girl - One of CW's newest dramas, often called the "new OC." Based on a novel series, Gossip Girl delves into the lives of spoiled rich kids in upper East Manhattan. While I didn't have high expectations for this show, I was pleasantly surprised. The dialogue is fast, vicious and smart. The soundtrack is great, and you can't help but love the sheer cattiness of it all.

The Concert

2007-09-30T12:43:00.000-06:00

It was absolutely amazing! I wasn't sure what to expect, because I've only just recently started listening to them. I loved their last album, "So Jealous," but I wasn't sure if I was a fan of the other ones (including the new one).

But those "adorable" twins won me over. They were silly, witty and lots of fun. They showed incredible talent with their pure vocals, tortured lyrics and music ability. It's great when you see artists rocking out on their own instruments and sounding pretty close to what you hear on their CDs.

Thank you, Tegan and Sara. And thanks to AnhTuan for introducing their music to me in the first place. :)

Tegan and Sara

2007-09-29T11:53:00.000-06:00

Tegan and Sara is in town tonight! Did you know they're originally from Calgary?

Welcome!

2007-09-28T13:53:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the home of my new blog. I can't promise great insights or enlightenment. Instead, you'll likely find my random rants and shallow tirades. Enjoy. :)