Thursday, November 30, 2006

Bad Blogger!

Man I am a bad blogger. I need to update this thing way more. So far, I've been trying to close out the physical books on Shangri-La and and trying to fight of colds, flu, depression, etc. At the same time I am trying to figure out what my next venture will be. At the moment I feel like importing is the way to go and I am trying to work on a business model.

Since going to China in the summer, this has been on my mind a lot. Many of the wealthier people I know are in importing. If any of you are at all interested in getting anything from China, contact me and I'll talk to my contacts there. I'll keep you posted on this! Ciao for now...

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Nintendo wii Reviewed by Kliide

rook3d says (4:22 PM):
buddy, how is it?
Kliide says (4:22 PM):
is good
Kliide says (4:22 PM):
It's pretty fun
rook3d says (4:23 PM):
how'd you get one?
Kliide says (4:23 PM):
a lot of exercise, though
Kliide says (4:23 PM):
me and vic were playing till 5am last night
Kliide says (4:23 PM):
I just went to HMV in the morning
Kliide says (4:23 PM):
they open at 10am, I got there at 730am...no one in line so I went back home
Kliide says (4:23 PM):
went back again at 940am
Kliide says (4:24 PM):
and there were 4 people in line for the 13 units
rook3d says (4:24 PM):
price?
Kliide says (4:24 PM):
279.99
rook3d says (4:24 PM):
2 games?
Kliide says (4:24 PM):
no, just 1 game: wii sports
Kliide says (4:24 PM):
I had to spend another 130 to buy games
Kliide says (4:24 PM):
monkey Ball and Zelda
rook3d says (4:25 PM):
heard those were the best for wii so far
Kliide says (4:25 PM):
they're really great
rook3d says (4:25 PM):
so...
Kliide says (4:25 PM):
haven't really tried zelda
Kliide says (4:25 PM):
the monkey ball SP sucks
rook3d says (4:25 PM):
when will you be bringing that bad boy over here
Kliide says (4:25 PM):
BUT..the party games really show off practically anything you'd want to do with the wii-mote
Kliide says (4:26 PM):
january, I guess
rook3d says (4:26 PM):
do you know anyone who got a ps3?
Kliide says (4:28 PM):
no
Kliide says (4:28 PM):
maybe one of vic's friends has
rook3d says (4:28 PM):
you buy extra nunchuks?
Kliide says (4:28 PM):
no
Kliide says (4:28 PM):
to add another player, you need the wii-mote
Kliide says (4:29 PM):
if you want to play ALL games, you need to buy wii-mote plus nunchuck (~70.99 before tax)
rook3d says (4:29 PM):
wow, how about the Nintendo library of games?
rook3d says (4:30 PM):
when do they let you into the archives?
Kliide says (4:31 PM):
right now, actually
Kliide says (4:31 PM):
but I have to buy Wii points
rook3d says (4:31 PM):
wha? I thought it was going to be free! Darn, M$FT
Kliide says (4:32 PM):
I could buy Gamecube games right now
rook3d says (4:33 PM):
was it everything you hoped?
rook3d says (4:33 PM):
mini-review pls.
Kliide says (4:33 PM):
I think it's what I expected...Graphics suck (gamecube). Wii-mote fun factor is extremely high
Kliide says (4:34 PM):
I don't doubt that M$ and Sony will have their own version of the Wii-mote and Nunchuk pairing
Kliide says (4:34 PM):
the sixaxis doesn't compare
Kliide says (4:34 PM):
playing with motion control really immerses you in the game
rook3d says (4:34 PM):
how accurate is the wiimote?
Kliide says (4:35 PM):
plus, you WILL get adrenalin rush for almost anything you play
Kliide says (4:35 PM):
it is not point and click
Kliide says (4:35 PM):
it's gyroscopic relative motion
Kliide says (4:35 PM):
BUT, the accuracy is ok
Kliide says (4:35 PM):
about 75%
Kliide says (4:35 PM):
so far, a solid control'
rook3d says (4:35 PM):
overall rating out of 100?
Kliide says (4:37 PM):
for the hardcore gamer, 7.5
casual gamer, 8.5
in general, 7.0
rook3d says (4:37 PM):
can I blog this?
Kliide says (4:37 PM):
sure
Kliide says (4:38 PM):
make it sound like I said something funnier, though.

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Oilers down Colorado 2-1

Okay, this was a pretty good game for the Oil. The Ryan Smyth knee incident? Well, at least we are looking at a charley horse instead of something more serious. MA Bergeron looks like he got the message for more offense, he got shots to the net, finally. Looking forward to the next game!

Monday, November 13, 2006

Review: Coca-Cola Blak


Okay, I had to try it. Bought from a local Edmonton gas station, I was thirsty for something cold, but still hadn't had my morning coffee.

Now, first of all, I want to preclude my review with the statement that I am a big Coca-Cola fan and have always chosen Coke over Pepsi whenever I have the choice.

Oh, Lord, what in the world is this drink??? The taste is very "special" for this drink. I am thinking you could get yourself a can of Coke, go to your local barista and ask for a shot of espresso. In fact, I may even try that because that is exactly what it tastes like. I'll try to get the Shangri-La Girls to chime in on this one.

But for now,
Price: 1/2* out of 5 (go grab yourself a can of Coke and make your own - your cost=$0.75)
Taste:* out of 5 (pfff, baby, please...)
Look: **** out of 5 (looks cool enough to try)
Shangri-La Factor: 0 out of 5 (seriously, who does this help?)

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Oilers downed in St. Louis 5-3

Craziness. That's all I can say. Curtis Sanford seems to have a knack for stoning the Oilers. From my viewpoint it was an okay game. Aside from a couple of weak goals let in by Markaanen, we almost pulled this one out.

Now, I'm hoping that we can find some way to get our forwards some confidence in shooting the puck. Lately I am seeing a lot of hesitation handling the puck, much like when we got Roloson last year. This led to a torrent of shots on net, much like we are seeing now. I'm not sure what it will take for our boys in blue to handle that hot potato we like to call an ice-cold puck, but they were world-beaters just a few months ago. Not that much has changed since then has it? Please, no Pronger statements (ugh).

Coffee Pricing Madness!

I am at the same time amazed and angry at the rising prices in national brand coffee shops (no names will be mentioned here). Having run a coffee shop, I understand the costs involved in providing a freshly brewed cup of coffee to a friend on the other side of the counter. On average, for a 16oz coffee, my costs were:
Polystyrene cup - $0.14
Plastic lid - $0.04
Coffee - $0.25
Condiments/Cream/Milk - $0.08
______
Total $0.51

I factor in labour, rent and other things and my price was $1.80 including GST. This provides me with a reasonable profit margin if the sales volume is what I need it to be (not much).

So why is it National Coffee Chains need to raise their already high prices under the guise of needing to combat labour shortage, rising gas prices, etc? They don't.

Now, if these National Coffee Chains said we are raising our prices to combat economic factors which impede our rate of expansion in our current markets; I would whole-heartedly agree. I am not against making a dollar in our society, but transparency is key.

Step back and think about the actual cost of coffee and the motives behind rising prices. If the motive of price increases are to make a National Coffee Chain larger and richer, then I do not support it. If it is to maintain a certain level of service I enjoy, then yes, I'd buy that coffee.

Keep in mind what your choices are and vote with your dollar. Perception of good coffee can affect your decisions greatly. I like my coffee to be brewed on small batches to keep the coffee fresh. I tend to shy away from places that keep the coffee "cooking" in big square sattelite brewers. My attitude is, hey, I spend good money for a cup of coffee, spend some of that money on me!

I realize this probably went past a post into rant territory, but try diversifying your coffee dollar and keep the variety in coffee vendors alive! Monopolies, Duopolies or Triopolies will not help anyone get a decent cup of coffee for a decent price.

Saturday, November 11, 2006

Oilers beat Columbus 4-1!

Yeah, yeah, I know it's Columbus... but, you have to start somewhere right? It was a nice win by the Oilers, if only to get their confidence back. If anything this is hopefully the beginning of a long road back to respectability for the Oil.

In case you were wondering what this site is about: Food, Life, Technology, and the Oilers! (Hockey)

Keepin' it Real!

For any of you who remember my Oilers hair, here is a pic of me in a music shop in Hong Kong over the summer. While I was over there Taya, Rachel, Kora, Shai, Hayley and Letiticia were hard at work making wonderful lattes and chais for all the peeps back in Shangri-La!

In case you were wondering, this is a Chinese harp that I am "playing". BTW, check out the farmer's tan! How's that for representin' Canucks in Asia!

Shangri-La Juice, Tea, and Coffee reopens!

It's been almost two weeks since shutting down the physical store. We're back now, but online. From our virtual location, we'll try to serve in the same way (with a smile); providing encouragement, inspiration, inane humour and our general insights on life.

At the same time, we are hoping to help others as much as we can, so we will have ads on the site with hopes of generating a source of funding to help those in need.

So, with that said, welcome back all of our Shangri-La employees as they post a guest article or two to keep you informed of what we think!