#top one

[mcforwhatiam]

Photos from Rockin'on magazine, Sept '98 and Nov '98 issues

Not sure of photographers

(Scans via Pop Catastrophe on Instagram)

[wildthings04]

[missguomeiyun]

AYCE dimsum

1st of its species in Edm .. AYCE dimsum @ Top One.

Located on Whyte Ave, this restaurant used to be a Korean/Japanese fusion place.

I came to this place for lunch on a Tues in mid-February. To be exact, I came on Feb. 13. From my knowledge, a lot has changed since my visit. Therefore, I will only be sharing my experience here (maybe at the end I'll share what I heard from my coworker's experience, which was 2 weeks after mine).

Okay, 1st off. I got this picture menu. I think this was suitable & useful.

The 2nd piece of paper. Also laminated, this is the ordering sheet. It has the table number as well as the check-out time. When they 1st opened, it was 2hr limit. When I went, that became 90mins; however, the lady said bcos it wasn't busy, they gave extra 20mins, which was 110 haha still not the full 120min but. .. that's the most you could get :P

Their system was actually very efficient. When I heard AYCE dimsum, I had assumed it was the traditional 'pick up whatever you want' from a communal area with steamed dishes. That was NOT it, at all.

So what did happen was. .. we filled out round 1 on the sheet. The staff lady would take the sheet into the kitchen & prep the stuff (& bring out the items as they're prepared). Once the order is complete, they will bring back an empty order sheet.

Of note, there were some minor ordering details. ..

I'm sure you see the wastage fee in the upper right corner. Keep that in mind.

& also, the lady told us that during busy times, tables of diners can only max 5 items per person per round of ordering. For instance, if you have a party of 2, during busy hrs, the 2 of you can order max 10 unique items (doesn't matter the quantity of each one; they only care about unique items). The reason for this was to ensure every table gets something, & the kitchen isn't just prepping your order.

Waiting for our round 1~ It's really unlike a dimsum restaurant haha

Took some time to see the back. The interior is same as before when it was the Korean/Japanese place. (I've been here once)

I don't know much about their hot pot but it's by weight & only available during dinner service. The AYCE dimsum service, at the time of my visit, is available all day (till they close). Of course, you can't order both kinds of service at your table. Everyone has to only do dimsum OR hotpot.

The standard: shrimp dumplings & the siu mai.

The siu mai was good; decent size, flavour was good. Freshly steamed. The shrimp dumplings - not so good even though also freshly steamed.. The dough/wrap portion was kind of stiff. The filling was alright though.

Ribs: good. Looks sad but you can always order more. I didn't eat chicken feet.

Xiao long bao was mediocre. I think you gotta be reasonable for certain things. For AYCE where I expected to just grab from a table, these were freshly steamed when the order sheet comes in so I felt it was decent. Also, the lady said they order from a supplier for most things so . .. I mean, it's not really the restaurant, it's the supplier. I think the xiao long bao is better than the store-bought frozen ones but lacking compared to other places. The beef ball, I didn't have bcos it contains the dried mandarin peel stuff, which I dislike in meat balls.

Pan-fried rice rolls. Okay, this was good as is but misleading in terms of what the name suggested. Pan-fried rice rolls should have a bit of the umm. .. well, evidence of pan-fried-ness lol these were pan-fried but VERY slightly. They lacked the crispy edges. But, like I said, flavour was good (just simple soy sauce) & the rice rolls were soft, so I don't particularly have anything to complain about. Just. .. didn't match what I expected.

Now this one is the steamed plain rice roll. This was legit like the Cantonese stuff that I've had in the motherland, which was pleasantly surprising. This kind of plain rice roll is essentially a large sheet & it steamed/scrunched up like this. Unlike the typical steamed rice rolls you see in dimsum restaurants in Edm (the ones that contain some sort of filling, whether it's BBQ pork or beef or shrimp). I REALLY liked this! It had no flavour on its own but it comes with peanut sauce. Each table also has chili sauce & soy sauce so you can customerize your 'flavour'. I chose the ribs juice from above & soy sauce.

Deep fried shrimp wontons: 10/10!

The curry squid. .. okay, they brought out a 'cold' one in error. They were really nice about it when I told them that it was cold.

The hot "ready" one; I give .. 8.5/10. Honestly, I think it was actually good to realize they do steam things fresh. Like that 1st dish of curry squid was literally... not ready.

Round 2!

Pan-fried shrimp cake & chiu chow dumpling. I don't like this kind of dumpling so I didn't commit to any lol the shrimp cake was not bad. It had a lot of shrimp but also a lot of vegetables. I've never had shrimp cake like this before.

Pork + century egg congee. This was delicious!!

Wonton in chili oil. We ordered 2 just for trying purposes but got 5. We would've kept it if we liked it but ended up sending 3 back into the kitchen (didn't want to pay wastage fee when we didn't even order that many). The wonton was good but the sauce was not. I had imagined it was like. .. a diff chili oil. This was chili oil mixed with red vinegar - it's a northen Chinese thing, I later found it. Had that Szechuan numbing spice in there. I just wasn't a fan but. .. maybe you will be!

Wings were kinda dry but pretty good; flavour was 'original' haha ie: salt. Spring rolls = no good. They were the grocery store frozen kinds & contained mushy vegetable inside.

Soy sauce chow mein. GOOD! Freshly made & you can smell the wok-smokiness.

Eggtarts . .. 8/10. Others have high standards for egg tarts but for me, my biggest thing is the filling. Not the amount, not the ratio with the crust . . just the flavour & texture itself. I dislike egg-y ones & ones that are too sweet. This was not bad but the texture was not as smooth as I would have liked it to be. May have been over-baked. But otherwise, the crust was okay. I also dislike flaky crust lol & this one wasn't very flaky.

Coconut jelly. It was alright. Refreshing, that's for sure.

Osmanthus jelly & mango pudding. The jelly was really not my thing. The texture was weird! & I generally don't like floral-y things. The mango pudding though. .. 10/10!

Alright, so what my coworkers experienced. .. they also went on a weekday for lunch, when it wasn't busy but they were given a strict 90mins. It was enough for them so they didn't mind. Plus, they didn't like the food so they were looking forward to leaving :( they had a smaller menu (like maybe 33% smaller than mine) that was presented on an iPad with some items being unavailable, which made the list even shorter! They also said they paid more than $23.88/person. Altogether, more expensive with fewer food options & strict time limit . .. & 'bad' food. Now I feel terrible for recommending. But hey! When I went, it wasn't like that =(

[ano-po]

My dream is to have enough friends (that can sing!) to harmonize the beginning of this song on the spot.

[2-lines-and-a-circle]

Dancing not so gracefully~ Rook Ver.

Notes: Rook, fluff, friends, I don’t think there’s dancing, long read

Part 1

Today was a night full of colors, dreams, and celebrations. A surge of happiness flowed through your body as you walked through the streets. The smell of bread coming under your nose was enough to get your stomach growling. Rook noticed this detail and moved fast to pick up two croissants for you. This was no ordinary croissant, for the inside was filled with a sweet cream cheese and topped with strawberries. The blend of the buttery bread and sweetness of the two mixed in perfect harmony. It was truly too good to be true. Apart from the disturbing looks of the town goat you had a fun time through your tour of town.

Looking over your shoulder you noticed a little boy and girl. Seems like he was having troubles in the romance department. Pulling Rook's hand, you whispered to him about your idea for the two.

You: I think he’s going to ask her to the ball, am I correct? Rook: Oui! Have you picked up on the language? You: No, but I want to do something to help him. Do you have any ideas? Rook: *looks at mischievously* Follow me~

After informing the parents you headed out on your mission. The plan was that you were going to set up a nice setting for the two to be alone so that the little boy could ask the little girl. All Rook had to do was prepare the little boy, while Silver and Idia brought the little girl to them. Being a master of romantic settings you used magic to cover the ground with red rose petals. However, the plan wasn’t going all too well…

Little boy: Are you sure this isn’t too much? I think she might reject me after seeing this… Rook: Fear not! When your mademoiselle sees what you’ve done for her, it’ll sweep her off her feet! Little boy: R-really!

Part 2

Excited, the little boy continued to practice his proposal with Rook. Checking in with Idia to see how things were going he soon replied to your text with a photo rather than a text. The photo showed the little girl fawning over Silver. Not what you had in mind, but you still had to show Rook and the little boy what the situation had become.

Rook: See when you offer her this apple it will make he- You: Rook! You need to see this *show Rook your phone* Rook: Oh my… what an unexpected turn of events Little boy: What are you two looking at! *curious the little boy jumped up in hopes to see* You: No! *pulls up the phone*

The damage had already been done though, the little boy was heartbroken. You understood how it felt to get your feelings rejected so you opened your arms to the little boy. Coming into your arms he started off with a soft sniffle then it transformed into a loud wail, until the sniffles came once more. Under the little boy’s breath you heard him say words of what sounded lost hope. Patting the boy on the back and trying your best to reassure him despite the language barrier. When you looked over at Rook, you noticed he seemed to be in deep thought.

Rook: *bending down to the boy* Little boy, know that none of this is your fault. Your heart may feel heartbroken right now and you may feel all love is gone now, but know that isn’t the truth. Beside you are two people who have taken the time to help you and that in itself is love, though it may not be the same manner of love as you did for her, you are surrounded by love. Little boy you are loved.

Leaping into Rook’s arms the little boy started to cry once more, this time the wails were much stronger than the first time. You weren’t sure as to what Rook said to him, yet you knew it wasn’t anything bad. Rather, you trusted Rook said something to help the little boy. Texting Idia to inform him the news, the three of you walked back. Or so that was supposed to happen…

???: Child of man, what is all of this? Are you… CHEATING ON ME! You: *whipping around* Malleus What are you doing here! I thought this was a secret place only the locals and Rook knew about… Malleus: That child… don’t tell me he’s the product of the two of you *pouting* Sebek: Speak you foolish human! You: I can explain this. I have a perfectly good reason behind this, right Rook? Little boy: *holding onto your leg and looks up at you* um… please don’t yell at them, I really love that person! You: AWWW *bending down to hug him* Since when did you learn those words? Rook: It turns out this little boy is a master of languages! Jamil: Heh, I guess Malleus’ rivals have increased now~ Riddle: Where is that little boy’s parents?

I’m also doing matchups you can find that here: 2 Lines & A Circle : Flavor of Love, Find Your Match~ (tumblr.com)

[sadclowncentral]

my friends held an intervention for me to "stop asking intimidately specific questions". i tried to explain that i am just a good listener but there is apparently "a line between follow-up questions during small talk and interrogation tactics that gets crossed sometimes". turns out my curious nature is "scaring the hoes"

[kensatou]

those!!! are!!! his!!!! tits!!! be gentle 👉👈

[iscariotapologist]

today in church one of the priests referred to trans people as "those who are growing into the gender they were called to be" and i'm kind of enjoying the idea of like....divinely ordained top surgery

[starbuck]

i say i like tragedies and everyone’s all like ‘why do you like sad stories? are you depressed?’ and never ‘how was the catharsis? was the catharsis fun?’

[hinamie]

to moving forward

[symphonyofsilence]

Let the poor man rest.

[irlpretear]

100 trans/genderqueer musicians

Bands

Against Me! (rock, folk punk) (x)

The Oozes (punk) (x)

The Hirs Collective (metal, grindcore) (x)

GEL (hardcore punk) (x)

Urn (hardcore punk) (x)

The Black Dresses (noise pop, hardcore hyperpop) (x)

Party Ghost (rock) (x)

Lagrimas (hardcore punk, scream punk) (x)

Doll Skin (rock) (x)

Dazey and the Scouts (rock, indie) (x)

G.L.O.S.S. (hardcore punk) (x)

Dog Park Dissidents (punk rock) (x)

She/Her/hers (rock) (x)

Deli Girls (hardcore electronic) (x)

Dream Nails (punk rock) (x)

Sarah and the Safe Word (rock, dark cabaret) (x)

Pinkie Promise (punk rock) (x)

B. Fraser (emo) (x)

Newgrounds Death Rugby (emo) (x)

Scowl (hardcore punk) (x)

Feminazgul (black metal) (x)

Sports Bra (dream pop, light rock) (x)

Club Sofa (indie pop) (x)

The Cost ov Living (grindcore, harsh noise) (x)

Kuromy (punk) (x)

The Sonder Bombs (indie, pop) (x)

Lidocaine (rock) (x)

I'm letting unseen forces take the wheel (cybergrind) (x)

Gum Disease (punk) (x)

Cam Girl (rock, trash rock) (x)

Gully Boys (grunge pop) (x)

Arcadia Grey (sparkle punk) (x)

Schmekel (folk punk) (x)

Destructo Disk (punk rock) (x)

User Unauthorized (hardcore punk) (x)

The Spook School (indie pop) (x)

Pinkshift (emo) (x)

Glass Beach (emo) (x)

Butch Baby (light rock) (x)

VIAL (indie punk) (x)

Sister Wife Sex Strike (folk punk) (x)

homewrecker. (metal, hardcore punk) (x)

Mega Mango (indie rock) (x)

Keep For Cheap (prarie rock) (x)

Steam Powered Giraffe (cabaret, steampunk) (x)

Thotcrime (grindcore, cybergrind) (x)

Whirlybird (indie pop) (x)

Kampsport (hardcore punk) (x)

Um Jennifer? (alt-rock, punk) (x)

Scarlet Demore (alt-rock) (x)

HappyHappy (folk, folk-punk) (x)

Queen Zee (punk) (x)

Grumpy Plum (slop pop) (x)

Cheap Perfume (punk) (x)

Pollyanna (power-pop, rock) (x)

Ballista (metalcore) (x)

Faetooth (fairy doom, metal) (x)

Lacerated (death metal) (x)

Fortuna Malvada (hardcore punk) (x)

Peach Rings (bedroom power-pop) (x)

Solo Artists

Laura Jane Grace (rock, folk punk) (x)

Left at London (pop) (x)

ZAND (pop, ugly pop) (x)

Ada Rook (hardcore electronic) (x)

Ms. White (pop) (x)

Rett Madison (indie, folk) (x)

Murder Person for Hire (folk) (x)

Backxwash (rap, industrial hip hop) (x)

LustSickPuppy (electronic, rap) (x)

Babylungs (electronic, rap) (x)

Human Kitten (folk punk) (x)

Harley Poe (folk punk) (x)

Ewy (emo, folk punk) (x)

Averstaskta (instrumental) (x)

Andie Schoen (indie) (x)

Elliot Lee (dark pop, electronic rock) (x)

Urias (hip hop, ballroom) (x)

Twink Obliterator* (cybergrind) (x)

Rio Romeo (cabaret punk, indie) (x)

Knife Girl (art pop, indie) (x)

Alexander James Adams (folk) (x)

Starmaxx (pop) (x)

Sofya Wang (pop, alt-R&B) (x)

Boy Jr (indie/alt pop) (x)

Medusa (revenge pop, hip-hop) (x)

Mal Blum (singer-songwriter, folk) (x)

Gina Young (riot grrrl) (x)

Petra Fiyd (indie pop) (x)

awfultune (bedroom pop) (x)

Quinn Hills (alternative pop) (x)

Femtanyl (electronic) (x)

Vivivivivi (electronic, glitchcore) (x)

Lilac Boy (glitchcore) (x)

Rosie Tucker (indie rock) (x)

Ryan Cassata (singer-songwriter) (x)

Pain Chain (noise, synth) (x)

In Love With A Ghost (electronic, lo-fi) (x)

Alice Longyu Gao (hyperpop) (x)

Prophetic Nightmares (ambient synthwave) (x)

Saint Wellesley (indie folk) (x)

[collaredkittyboy]

[sunkissmarimo]

Across the width of the Grand Line and deep in the Dungeon, I can only feel honored to see such beauty.

⬆️artist linked on top

[000bun]

[fadeintoyou1993]

cannot stop thinking about this skit from the new i think you should leave season