Concert: Musical Nooners x Oh No! Yoko x CBC Vancouver

CBC Musical Nooners with Oh No! Yoko at CBC Vancouver plaza on July 26, 2012.



Getting to hear Oh No! Yoko twice outdoors live in one week after their weekend performance at Khatsahlano.

Southern Fried Chicken x Chewies Oyster Bar x Kitsilano

Early dinner at Chewies Steam & Oyster Bar in Kitsilano on July 21, 2012.



Janice and I hit up Chewies for some southern goodness in between musical sets at Khatsahlano. The place was starting to fill up and it was a long wait for our food, but well worth it.

Taiwanese Breakfast x Yung Ho Soy Drink x Food Court x Richmond

Taiwanese breakfast at Yung Ho Soy Drink at President Plaza food court in Richmond on July 21, 2012.



On return from Taiwan, Tania had a hankering for an authentic Taiwanese breakfast.

Concert: Musical Nooners x Brasstronaut x CBC Vancouver

CBC Musical Nooners with Brasstronaut at CBC Vancouver plaza on July 25, 2012.



I finally caught a Musical Nooner outdoor concert outside my old stomping grounds at CBC along with hundreds of others.

Canucks Autism Network x Fundraiser x Red Card Sports Bar

Canucks Autism Network fundraiser at Red Card Sports Bar on July 19, 2012.



Hitting up Red Card once again, for the Macquarie Group lead up event and fundraiser for Fishing for Kids Tournament and the Canucks Autism Network charity. Think beer, fishing, hockey, and charity.

Asian Fusion x Indochine Kitchen x Broadway

Dinner and beer special at  Indochine Kitchen on East Broadway in Mount Pleasant on July 12, 2012.



We returned to Indochine for $10.99 house lager beer pitcher and to try the rest of the menu. I enjoyed the black pepper poutine (with ground beef and a fried egg), but it was more a novelty than anything. The egg added nothing and it needed more cheese. I liked the beefy, Asian-style gravy.

Concert: Khatsahlano! x Music + Art Festival x West 4th

Khatsahlano! Music + Art Festival and outdoor street party on West 4th Avenue in Kitsilano on July 21, 2012.



Eight stages located across ten blocks of West 4th, showcasing forty of Vancouver's finest independent bands, solo musicians, artists, and performers for free. Music curated by Zulu Records.

ChineseBites x Fatty Cow Seafood Hot Pot x Victoria Drive

ChineseBites signature dishes tour dinner #2 at Fatty Cow Seafood Hot Pot on Victoria Drive on July 19, 2012.



Our second ChineseBites outing was for some more spicy, seafood hot pot goodness.

Menu Tasting x Establishment Lounge x Broadway x Kitsilano

Menu tasting at Establishment Lounge on West Broadway in Kitsilano on July 18, 2012.



A few foodies and fashionistas trekked down into the heart of Kits for a tasting of the relatively young Establishment kitchen's menu, courtesy of Alicia Quan. It was a delicious fork and knife affair.

Hapa to Yelp You x Elite Event x Hapa Izakaya x Coal Harbour

Sayonara Spring! Hapa to Yelp You, Summer! Elite Event at Hapa Izakaya in Coal Harbour on July 16, 2012.



Ahoy, hoy. Sails up. Ships out.

Review: 'The Dark Knight Rises' – An Interesting Spectacle

The Dark Knight Rises is pure spectacle of the grandest sense. Director Christopher Nolan has crafted a massive cinematic experience, closing his Batman trilogy with incredible ambition and theatrics. Nolan takes the Caped Crusader as far as he can go, ending his DC Comics saga. The film is imminently watchable yet hard to process due to the scale and size of its epic scope. It lacks a certain narrative context despite some astonishing drama.

Vancouver Daze #78: Wild Hawkshaw Salmon x C Restaurant

Vancouver Daze, Volume 78: Wild About Wild Hawkshaw salmon tasting at C Restaurant in False Creek on July 18, 2012. Published in Vancouver Is Awesome.



I love summer patio season and getting to enjoy the scenery with foodies like Victoria Chemko and Janice Leung (above).

Metric + Emily Haines x Meet + Greet x Commodore Ballroom

Metric backstage fan meet and greet (courtesy of Rogers Wireless Box Office) with (left to right) Irving Lau, James Shaw, Emily Haines, Joules Scott-Key, Joshua Winstead, and myself on June 23, 2012.

Metric live @ Commodore Ballroom

Cocktails x Cupcake Vodka Launch x V-lounge x Earls Yaletown

Cupcake Vodka Original launch at V-Lounge in Earls Restaurant in Yaletown on July 12, 2012.



From Cupcake Vineyard wines comes Cupcake Vodka Original, a distilled vodka from the California Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Lunch x Catch 122 Cafe Bistro x Gastown

Early dinner at Catch 122 Cafe Bistro in Gastown on July 4, 2012.



We stopped by this Gastown eatery for a quick, early dinner before a night of rum cocktails at Clough Club.

Cibo Trattoria x Uva Wine Bar x Red Card x Moda Hotel

Drinks at Cibo Trattoria, Uva Wine Bar, and Red Card Sports Bar inside Moda Hotel on July 10, 2012. Photos by Kevin Wu.



The Viaggio Hospitality Group organized an after work cocktail tour of their dining amenities located inside the Moda Hotel.

How Does A Hipster Drink Coffee? x Cuppow! x Jar x Lid x Mug

How does a hipster drink coffee? Well, using a Cuppow lid topper (turning an ordinary mason jar into a travel mug), of course.

Vancouver Cycle Chic Social x Fashion Show x Gastown

Vancouver Cycle Chic Society's Cycle Chic Social at 1 West Cordova (old Boneta space) in Gastown on June 29, 2012.



Style and cycling.

ChineseBites x Golden Swan Restaurant x Victoria Drive

ChineseBites signature dishes tour dinner #1 at Golden Swan Restaurant on Victoria Drive on July 5, 2012.



I was invited to join a Chinese food dining group to better document and guide the differences in cuisine and dishes at restaurants across Vancouver. I was joined by Kevin, Sherman, Alvin, and Louisa.

Havana Club x 3-Years-Old Rum x Clough Club x Gastown

Havana Club 3 Years Old rum launch party at Clough Club in Gastown on July 4, 2012.



Havana Club brought a little bit of Cuba to Vancouver to launch their exclusive 3-Years-Old (aka "Añejo 3 Años") brand of premium cocktail rum in Canada.

Chicken Wings x Indochine Kitchen x Broadway

Half-price chicken wings special on Wednesdays at Indochine Kitchen on East Broadway on July 4, 2012.



After hitting up Clough Club for some Havana Club rum cocktails, Dennis, Kevin, and I had massive cravings for some late night chicken wings.

Review: 'The Amazing Spider-Man' Spins A Familiar Web

It's difficult to judge The Amazing Spider-Man entirely on its own merits. The Marvel comic book superhero reboot comes only a decade after Sam Raimi's original Spider-Man. This gritty, more "realistic", teenage version of our friendly neighbourhood web head, directed by the aptly named Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer), occasionally succeeds on its own but fails to set itself apart.

Top 10 Films of 2012 So Far

Click on each title for my review of that film.

1) Moonrise Kingdom (dir. Wes Anderson)

2) The Cabin in the Woods (dir. Drew Goddard)

3) Safety Not Guaranteed (dir. Colin Trevorrow)

4) Jiro Dreams of Sushi (dir. David Gelb)

5) 21 Jump Street (dir. Phil Lord & Chris Miller)

6) The Avengers (dir. Joss Whedon)

7) Friends with Kids (dir. Jennifer Westfeldt)

8) Take This Waltz ¹ (dir. Sarah Polley)

9) Prometheus (dir. Ridley Scott)

10) Jeff, Who Lives at Home ² (dir. Jay & Mark Duplass)