five good things on a friday

01. great food shared with great people

I spent the weekend indulging in amazing food while visiting one of my best friends in Oakville - Saturday's meal consisted of an incredibly filling and delectable turkey burger from a place called The Works; the toppings were goat cheese (can not stress how YUMMY it is), spinach, roasted red peppers and added sundried tomatoes with a side of sweet potato fries. Sunday's homemade brunch included leftover sweet potato fries, baked salmon, and quinoa - a word that I always pronounce wrong - mixed with salsa, peas, garlic powder, and pepper.

The meals were a perfect accompaniment to catching up, wondering about our lives, and strolling about town. Oh, and watching V/H/S, which I can only describe as ... horrifically strange. 

Oh and I also made chocolate almond macaroon (cookies) that were found from Kym's blog and made from this recipe. 

02. taking in your favourite scenery 

Excuse the crazy close-up, but it just shows how happy the beach makes me. Or just being by the water in general. Especially when there's Haribo involved. 

03. dancing (horribly) to zumba followed by yoga

No picture of this one since my dancing should not be photographed ;) But I had an awesome Monday run at the gym; Zumba has quickly become my favourite mode of cardio, since the instructor at my gym is so enthusiastic and doesn't mind making a fool of himself (and he has insane hips), making the whole workout a blast. And yoga was the perfect way to wind down and really see just how inflexible I am (must do more yoga). 

04. mixed (online) tapes

When I was younger, I distinctly remember all the mixed tapes I would make from recording things on the radio and, when I became a little older, all the mixed CDs my sister and I would make, complete with customized Photoshopped covers of whichever artist was on the CD (mostly Britney Spears and Spice Girls, in my case). Just this past week I became acquainted with this site called 8tracks, where people make mixes of 8 tracks or more. I made my first one (here it is) for when I'm more in a mellow mood, and can't wait to make more. If you make mixes on here, please let me know :D 

05. playgrounds 

Although I don't go to playgrounds as often as I used to (remember that spinning wheel of death where everyone tried to hold on? where did that go?), my park recently did renovations and my boyfriend got stuck: 

Good times. This weekend I'm planning on being a bit of a homebody by making plum cake and getting The Hunger Games when it comes out tomorrow, but hopefully do some more exploring outdoors, too.

what's a good thing (or five) from your week?

what are your plans for the weekend?

hope it's a great one! (:

the weather outside is weather

Lately, I've found myself indulging in fifteen minute walks. I used to take these walks all the time when we had Shadow, but they got left by the wayside when we had to put him to sleep. It felt weird taking walks solo, and I honestly become intimidated by all those runners around my neighbourhood who would jog in freezing weather in workout gear while I trudge through the snow in ten layers of clothing. 

In the past two weeks, though, I've kind of ignored the runners and just focused on one step in front of the other, clearing my head, and enjoying being outside even if the weather outside is weather (oh Paul Rudd, how I love thee in Forgetting Sarah Marshall ... and now that I'm starting How I Met Your Mother I'm rediscovering Jason Segel, too). 

These little walks make me feel kiddish again and bring me back to those years where I would crave being outside; even before I had neighbourhood friends, I would pretend to be an athlete named "Aimee" (which was my favourite name in the world) on my rollerblades or Tony Hawk's protege on a skateboard, whizzing around the block. Those were the days where you would skin your knee and cry, but then admire the battle wound. 

As the years go by, it's almost as if those moments get lost in disarray and replaced by everything needing to have a purpose; that voice in my head would keep saying, "What's the point of going outside for a walk when there's so many other things to do on your to-do list?" In defense, I respond, "Why can't you just enjoy something simply because you enjoy it?" 

When I see bloggers like Krissy become suddenly inspired to write a novel, seeing Kat's determination to tackle her 2012 goals, Kym's awesomeness in creating a clothing line and having it soar, seeing Tiara's art on a pendant, seeing my sister Margarita (who just had her birthday - Happy Birthday!) looking absolutely fab as a soon-to-be mom of two children, and looking at Katy's set of rules inspires me to indulge in those things that make me happy, follow my dreams, and constantly better myself. 

And fortunately, I have a few supporters.

Even though I loved sitting in the theatre watching Sherlock Holmes 2 and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (both phenomenal films, by the way), two of my favourite memories from these past two weeks were walking around the bayfront with a friend when the skating rink was a bit too watery followed by checking out a local coffee shop and, just yesterday, going on a random walk with The Boy. We had planned on an all-out road trip but instead hit up a local hiking area with a waterfall across the street and enjoyed looking at bunny tracks and amusing ourselves by seeing which parts of a lake were frozen or not.

Walking in a winter wonderland ...

Being a pair of "hoodlums" (and calling him Pippi Longstocking because of the strings).

Moments like taking a little stroll really bring about those simple smiles for me; and I really want to make this year one of indulging in those simple smiles. 

What are those simple things that make you happy?

What's one thing you've lost sight of but want to rediscover?

Hope you had a great weekend & have a happy start to your week :) 

a few of my favourite things

Suddenly it's the second last month of the year and the days feel shorter and darker. My cough has become one of those guests that overstay their welcome and just when you think it's gone, it pops up again in the form of a nasty 3-minute coughing session (but thank you, thank you, thank you for the get well soon wishes, they made me feel warm and cozy!). But on the bright side there's plenty of things keeping me happy and healthy-ish, so here's a few of my favourite things:

In the blurry background you can see the amount of leftover Halloween candy
(we had zero children come to our door).

Holidays Cups: OK, I'll admit I was going to write "coffee" but thought that would be obvious. Starbucks has come out with their holiday cups and I had my first one today (peppermint mocha, yippee)! Yet, I'll admit, I'm a bit "why now?" when I walked into Zellers (the Canadian version of Target) and heard cheesy Christmas tunes blaring and when I headed downtown and saw three people walking around with Santa hats on. I'm all for Christmas cheer and all that, just wasn't expecting it so early!

Shellac 'em!: After my eye exam yesterday, my mama and I had a bit of a "girls day out" and decided to get a manicure with Shellac! I'm prone to biting/picking at my nails (the grossest habit ever) so knowing this'll last fourteen days makes me happy. The cute lady who did my nails said, "Next time you bring hand to mouth just slap away with your other hand and say, 'NO!'" Considering I pretty much have no nails this is only the second manicure I've ever had and I kinda like 'em :)

Warm Hugs Scarf Swap: The lovely Leesh and Elisse (who just celebrated two years of blogging) held an amazing scarf swap that included a packet of a warm beverage to enjoy. I was partnered up with Lori and received my package earlier this week and love the infinity scarf she sent me (seen in the pic above)! Thank you so much, and thanks to Leesh and Elisse for hosting this!

Cozies: This is a bit of a shameless plug, but I'm absolutely adoring the cup cozies that we're whipping up for mine, my mom's, and my sister's design shop! While our etsy shop is still empty, stay tuned; and thanks to everyone who responded to my little 'survey': honeybean designs is coming soon :)

This might just be the weirdest combination of photos I've ever put together.

Henry Cavill is very angry with the leaves.

Crunching leaves: Seeing as one of the most popular Facebook groups is called "I Will Go Slightly Out of My Way To Step On That Crunchy-looking Leaf", I know I'm not alone in getting excited over seeing a sidewalk absolutely littered with bright-coloured leaves ... and then jumping all over them to find the crunchiest-sounding one.

Immortals: Even though seeing this film on opening night made me and The Boy promise to never again see a film on opening night because of how chattery/giggly the crowd seemed to be (and it's a promise I might keep since there's no more midnight releases of Harry Potter), I really enjoyed this film. It's not the typical Greek mythology film because it really concentrates on gorgeous visuals and slow-mo gore (OK, maybe that last part is typical); it makes me wonder how it would look like in 3D since we opted for the 2D version. Since Henry Cavill stars in it, it was pretty much a given I was going to like this film. And then the second I saw Klaus from The Vampire Diaries pop onto the screen, The Boy and I both looked at each other and went, "Yup, I like this movie." Don't expect a masterpiece, but expect a good story and pretty things to stare at (including, but not limited to, half-naked men).

Aside from all that, it's going to be a hopefully relaxing rest of the weekend ... I start officially teaching in my gr8 classroom this Tuesday so I need to start planning (and wishing and hoping and dreaming and praying that I do okay my first few days) and maybe watch a movie or two.

What are a few of your fave things right now?

What are you up to this weekend? :)

Hope it's a great one!

feet in the sand

There's nothing quite like burying your toes in the sand on a nice day at the beach (and every time I do, I'm reminded of Amanda Bynes in What A Girl Wants when she says, "Don't you just love squiggling your toes in the sand? Did you know it's a natural exfoliant? Mom says if you can walk on a beach and you have a steady hand with nail polish there's no reason to ever pay for a pedicure." Wise words.)

 Catching some air at the beach!

Of course, once I'm all hyped up on chips and sugar, all I do at the beach is attempt to take jumping photos (since the water was way too cold for swimming). This weekend was a pretty crazy one, but one of those weekends where you take a lot of photos and then realize that none of them are suitable for the 'net (i.e., belated birthday barbeque extravaganza at The Boy's house complete with too many drinks and good friends). The only one I'd dare to show is:

I ♥ BBQs.

While recovering from the weekend, I've caught up on The Voice (who here is rooting for Team Adam? Though I also love Dia), and done a wee bit of shopping, though it's mostly walking away empty-handed when I see something on sale online, go to the store, and then it's gone (I snooze I lose, I guess!). I did come home with this pretty item, though:

I used to wear bracelets all the time, and decided to add one from Guess?  :)

I'm starting to turn into one of those people who doesn't know what day it is haha. I could have sworn today was the start of the weekend, which means celebrating one of my best friend's birthdays and hitting up Canada's Wonderland, but realized it's hump day. Either it's old age or I need to get myself a steady schedule. And too many days have gone by without doing this, but I received an amazing award from Tasha from a work in progress - thank youuuu!

Not sure if I fit into the 'stylish' category (but I tried to by showing off my bracelet haha). Now, these awards come with rules: you have to list 7 random things about yourself and then tag 7 other lovely people. So here goes! :)

1. I've played the guitar for about five years on-and-off; I'm rusty, but I love it.
2. I have a slight addiction to nail polish, and I have to wear it otherwise I nibble my nails down to the knuckle. Lately I'm hooked on the 'shatter' ones from OPI.
3. I got a navel piercing done last August in Vancouver as a bit of a 'dare', and my Dad doesn't even know about it yet (shhhh).
4. I could be on Don't Forget the Lyrics and win since I memorize lyrics way too easily.
5. When I was younger, I pretended I was in an all-girl group called (wait for it) The Sunflower Girls. Aww yeah. Our hits included "Love You Once More" and "If You Were My Boy" (which I wrote).
6. If I had the time and energy I'd love to become a daily vlogger like CTFxC and the Shaytards. Until I realize I'm not as cool/don't do too much hehe.
7. Every week I realize more and more that I have a horrible phobia of insects (except for butterflies and dragonflies, we cool).

Thanks again for the award! And I'd love to give this to: Krissy from i am krissy, Tiara from little tiara, Margarita from Fab Brunette, Reni from inHERshoes, Jaime from La Vie J'aime, Abby from Robots in Trouble, and Kathy from Life in Progress - and I'm adding Mel from ChinkyGirlMel because I love her outfits!

Hope you're all having a great mid-week!

What are you looking forward to this weekend? :)

P.S. A -major major- thank you to all the recent bloggers following me! 

I'm on the look out for the perfect giveaway gift, stay tuned :)

days to remember

I'm one of those people who likes to take pictures of everything they're about to eat, or pictures of random things that I see, or grab business cards from small shops for the future. It's like memory hoarding - I hoard pictures and little souvenirs to remember. The past five days (though especially the last two) provided so many moments like that ... and they were days to remember :)

Last Wednesday was The Boy's birthday - and it was lowkey but awesome :) His gift? A portable BBQ that he's already used a handful of times. The destination? Exploring lakes within a one-hour drive of our city and attempting to fish even though the winds were gusting like crazy. The food? Yummy burgers and sausages followed by my 'birthday cake' (banana chocolate chip loaf) to him and then ice cream (nom nom nom~). 

 Gorgeous lake on the left (that had 'keep out' signs all around it, meep) and our BBQ spot.

Rainbow sherbet and peach ice cream and a surprise bouquet(!!) from The Boy the next day :D

And then came the Unionville Festival!! I haven't seen my friend Isabelle in forevvaaaaaa and adding a festival on top of that makes for a weekend of epically awesome proportions. The bus rides there involved a crazy thunderstorm but it cleared up for a nice afternoon, an amazing night of fireworks, being introduced to Katamari which is so much fun and I'm disappointed there's no demo available on PS3 to play it, and trying out delicious new foods (including going to a Chinese dim sum restaurant where I was the only non-Asian hahah).

YUMMY YUMMY corn from an inflatable corn tent (that I want, with corn included plz).

Posed next to random things like a Wizard of Oz display (and close by you could hear little kids butchering Journey in karaoke hehe) and a HUGE Jack Daniel's bottle ... unfortunately it was only inflatable.

A scruuumptious steak salad with goat cheese, and then we also had amazing ravioli.

FIREWORKS! So pretty. And we sang along to QUEEN's Bohemian Rhapsody at the beginning :D

We also saw cool kilt-wearing men in a band called Seasick Sailors, they were so good!

Add me finding the sea salt spray I unfortunately had confiscated at the Vancouver airport, talking until our throats were itchy and our voices were hoarse, and finding amazing hand-made things like soy pineapple candles, yummy-smelling soaps, and other knick-knacks like gnome keychains ... it was such a great weekend and I'm so thankful she invited me over! I'm hoping the rest of June brings along more great memories :)

What were you up to this weekend?

And what's one meal you could really go for right now?

(I want to cook more and I'd love some ideas!)

COMING UP THIS WEEK: an indepth look at my sister's wedding day :)

leaving on a (west)jet plane

All my bags are (half) packed, not yet ready to go ... but I'm really excited that in less than 24 hours I'll be seeing my amazing sister and niece for the first time in nine months! British Columbia, here I (+ parentals) come! While being on a plane - and in this case two since we have a layover - makes me feel a bit antsy, I have my mp3 player, the Water for Elephants novel, and my camera to keep me company and help me admire the clouds below instead of fearing what might happen. Plus, having The Boy drive me and my parents to the airport in the wee hours of the morning will warm my heart enough to last the whole airplane trip!

{image source}

While I'll try to catch up on your awesome blogs, I know I'll be preoccupied by the mountains of Whistler, the hustle and bustle of the main city, spending time with my family, and hopefully both meeting someone new and meeting someone again (hello Patty!). Weird that my kitchen board countdown now reads "1 day!" to Vancouver; here's what I've been up to in the days leading up to it:

Enjoying delicious vegetarian fare with a friend I haven't seen in a year!

Relaxing near the lake on a cool day and cuddling as often as we can :)

Having Starbucks with a close friend (something I'll have a lot in Vancouver!) and my haircut!

Now I'm going to keep packing while I recover from last night's finale of The Vampire Diaries (who saw it and OMG'ed a hundred times like I did?). I hope you all have a great next week and I'll try to update when I can! I bid you all adieu for now!

Annnnd I'm a wee bit curious (and bitten by the travel bug):

If circumstances allowed you to hop on a plane and go wherever, where would you go?

my to-do list

Well, a remedy of lots of tea, Cold FX, and funny videos means the sniffles are down to a minimum! Thanks for the get well soon wishes and recommendations. If you all haven't checked out the video/movie suggestions in the last comments, I suggest you do. It means I've put the first season of How I Met Your Mother on hold at the library and watched adorable sea otters hold hands. Definitely takes my mind off my dad giving me "are you sure you'll be good in a teaching career" lectures. 

Another thing that takes my mind off lectures? Baking. Yesterday me and my mom teamed up to make a cranberry loaf (recipe from here) and chocolate-banana bread (recipe from Sweet Treats cookbook). The Boy commented that I'm turning into "a little chef" though I first heard "a little sh-t" and then heard "a little ship" -- clearly need to get my hearing checked.

On the left, cranberry orange loaf with walnuts. On the right, chocolate-banana bread.

Other lovely distractions from lectures come in the form of tags! A few weeks ago, Tasha (who recently returned to blogging, yay!) tagged me to see what my pen(wo)manship looks like. You can see the details of this tag right here. Apologies in advance for my miniscule handwriting - years of writing in notebooks during class and not wanting to waste another sheet of paper means my writing has gotten tinier.

1. What's your name/Blogger name? 2. What's your blog's name/URL?
3. Write "the quick fox jumps over the lazy dog"
4. Favourite quote? 5. Favourite song? 6. Favourite band/singers?
7. Anything else you want to say? 8. Tag 3-5 people

 I tell great jokes. Yes.

And finally comes something originally from the talented Abby and that I first spotted on the also talented Kym's blog - doing 7 Things in 7 Days! The rules: make a list of 7 things you want to do in 7 days and actually do it. I usually make itty-bitty to-do lists on my hoops & yoyo post-it notes and thought, why not plan for a week in advance? So here goes:

Hopefully I'll share my progress once each one is completed! Feel free to join in!
But for now, I'm going to challenge you (not to a duel, don't worry). My question:
What's one thing YOU want to accomplish
within the next 7 days?

simple smiles #38

That number is just a guestimate (hehe, I love that 'word'), since I haven't tagged a post with simple smiles since last June. Holy cannoli, I've had some simple smiles since then for sure! So I'm bringing it back, and hopefully making it last :) Here are some things over the past few days that have made me smile simply, and one kind-of-complicated smile.

CHEESECAKE BROWNIES. They're pretty easy to prepare/bake, and taste so delicious. I made a batch this weekend for a youth group I was leading, and had some leftovers to share with others. Adding just a hint of Skor bits makes for yummy bites of caramel-like flavour.

TAKING AN UNINTENTIONAL PHOTO. I meant to take a photo of the snowfall, but my camera decided to focus in on the snowflakes stuck to my window instead. I like when cameras 'mess' up but still give you something beautiful.

RANDOM OPPORTUNITIES. For the past couple of weeks, I've been volunteering as an editor for this project at my university (yes, I've graduated, have no more classes, and am still going there twice a week - such is the sadnessity of my life). We went to look at locations for our next shoot and came across the most hyper and positive woman in my life, who owns an esthetician/cosmetic spa location. We're filming there on Wednesday, and through conversation, I landed myself a job redesigning her website. Love random opportunities like that!

HAVE TIME TO JUST "BE" ... IN THE FORM OF THE VAMPIRE DIARIES. I've heard about this show for so long (mainly from Andhari) and decided to give it a go -- I finished the first season in five days(!) and am starting the second season now. 'Tis a good show - it's gone from guilty pleasure to just pleasure. [Image from Google search.]

And finally, THE SOMEWHAT COMPLICATED SMILE comes from The Boy spraining his ankle on Friday night, which means he's been hopping around in pain. But it was so nice visiting him over the weekend, running out to get us food in the form of Harvey's while he relaxed on the couch, and cuddling together while watching "RED" - I treasure simple moments like that, though it's a bit complicated by his injury.

Now, I've got to ask:

What's given you a simple smile lately?

oh, the insanity!

Happy 1/11/11! Or is it 11/1/11? I've never been able to figure it out - on the one hand it reads January 11th, but the other reads the 11th of January, which one is more common? I'm never sure what order to put it in. Hmm, the things that are on my mind on a daily basis could fill a book ... or a blog (bwahahaha).

Also today? My sister's birthday (and my niece's birthday is this week, too)! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Make sure to wish her a happy birthday! right over here. Love you and miss you! Annnnd also today? A winds-so-strong-you-feel-like-you-can't-breathe snowstorm in southern Ontario. I exclaimed to my mama, "I hope there's a snow day tomorrow!" and she went, "But you don't even have classes to go to!" Ah yes, the sad reality of life.

 The snow coming down outside my window earlier this afternoon (looks a bit creepy, doesn't it), and two birthday celebrants this week: my sister & my niece.

So to fill up time, I've watched Tangled with my amazing friends (such an adorable movie, I want to own Maximus), cuddled with The Boy, celebrated another friend's birthday (my life is full of January babies) as well downloading this thing called the Insanity workout. And while it might not literally drive you insane, the level of intensity is insane. I tried doing the fit test and by the time the fourth move came around, I was crouching down, feeling like my chest was about to collapse, my ears were all plugged, and no amount of water could satisfy. At least I wasn't doing this workout in public. I definitely need to build myself up, yesiree bob. Wish me luck?

 I'd love if the picture on the left was part of my kitchen or something, but alas it's a restaurant I went to - and had a scrumptious salami provolone sandwich.

Other things this week - the lovely BonBonRose Girls are celebrating two years of blogging, KS from While We're Waiting... is officially becoming a lawyer(!), and I'm ... still on the lookout for a job. Wish me luck on that too, por favore. 

How's your week been so far?

If it hasn't been so chipper (and you like caffeine), then: 

 I've had the blessing of enjoying lots of coffee this weekend over amazing conversation, and hope you get to do the same this week (over your beverage of choice, o'course). 
'Til next time :)

dear november

Dear November,

People always sing depressing songs about December ... anyone from Linkin Park to Kelly Clarkson to even Miley Cyrus (and that last one just sucks). But I don't think November gets enough credit. The second that clock gets turned back an hour - BAM! - my emotions feel all messed up, my energy levels go haywire, and I feel more and more depressed when I look outside at 5:07 PM and it's complete and utter darkness.

And that movie, Sweet November? Total LIES, that is. Nothing sweet about it. So I propose we acknowledge the crummy parts of November - darkness coming sooner, the papers/assignments/exams that all seem to be due within a couple of days, the fact that all the Christmas decorations/music is making me feel sad because of all the things I have to do until then, the fact that it seems impossible to see anyone and make plans for anything, my lips getting hella chapped no matter how much chapstick I put on - and then move on to make the month better.

There are definitely parts of you to enjoy - those days that come every once in a while where the sky is blue and you can just walk around and admire the leaves changing colour and swirling all around you. Or getting all antsy to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at 12:02 AM the day it opens. Or getting ready to make those plans to catch up with people during the holidays when you have time off, and where you start browsing around for the cutest cards to send around to friends & family. Or getting all excited to get your hands on as many pumpkin spice lattes as you can before getting even more giddy about the red cups returning to Starbucks.

I think I just need to be reminded of those good things more often. And right now, my stomach cramps aren't helping me any, though this delicious half-coffee half-hot-chocolate is. Mmmm.

I've only gotten to really enjoy one day of you outside, November, so I'm gonna show it off a little and ... please, feel free to send more days like this my way, either with The Boy again or with my closest friends :)

Keeping a tree trunk up with my pinky, awww yeah.

A view of the lower part of my city from the middle of the escarpment stairs.

Love, Me

How's your November been so far?

Any plans to make it happier for the rest of it?

My plan is to be in the blog-sphere more often, hehe /guilty

on an irish coffee trip

Irish Coffee, meet this lovely reader. Lovely reader, meet Irish Coffee. Now, Irish Coffee, do you know what you did on Friday night? 

- Besides being absolutely delicious? 

- Yes, besides that.

- Besides being a part of a scrumptious dinner date you had with The Boy at an Austrian restaurant? 

- Yes yes, besides that too. 

- Besides being part-whiskey and part-coffee, which you love so much, topped with --

 - Okay, you made me stay up until 3am and I felt like bouncing off the walls instead of sleeping thanks to you. 

- Now you know never to have coffee at 8:30pm. 

 - Yes, I guess I do. But you were delicious. 

- Thank you.

 - And how are you even talking if I've already consumed you? 

- Errrr ...

Anyways! It's been a pretty good weekend, though it's ending on the low note of having to actually do homework (never fun). But Friday night was spent with The Boy going to a great restaurant with huge portions:

Scrumptious breaded mushrooms (recipe of the week!).

Yummy "hunter style" schnitzel with mushrooms and bacon, mmm.

:D

And Saturday was spent catching up with one of my best friends at her house, eating yummy fried wonton with cream cheese and watching the K-drama Boys Over Flowers (or Boys Before Flowers). And today I ate pizza and strawberries and watched How To Train Your Dragon and then X-Factor - I like to watch things not available in North America, apparently.

So, after all this eating and watching I think it's safe to say I put the pro in procrastinator -- after catching up on some blogs I'm locking myself into severe homework mode, followed by working out mode. Wish me luck!

P.S. I need your help! I have two opinions so far (that are going for the right); I'm going to dye my hair sometime soon (as long as I can stand these roots coming in!) but need help choosing which colour to go with. Thoughts? Please and thank you :D

Now I have to ask:

What was your favourite part of the weekend?

And how do you fall asleep when you feel wide awake?

i'm a palindrome (22)!

After ten years of waiting in anticipation (okay, not really) I have reached the age where I am a palindrome again - I'm 22 today! The eve of my birthday was spent reminiscing about the amazing day with my friends on Sunday (more details in a future post), cooking myself pasta and making home-made bruschetta while watching the last episode of K-drama Coffee House (tear), blasting the Mumford & Sons CD and then ...

... looking through old photo albums. One of my biggest fears is to lose my memory which is why I seem to take a gazillion photos of just about everything - so that when I glance at these photos decades from now, memories will come flooding back to me. While I remember birthday celebrations from the last ten or so years, my birthdays from the toddler/early childhood era are somewhat of a misty haze in my mind. This is why I love cameras:

 Go shawty, it's your birthday! I got swagger on my 7th birthday, haha =P

Cuddling my teddy bear on my fifth birthday - look at that awesome casette player!

SURPRISE! Okay, not really birthday-related, but I've always loved this photo.

(especially the flashing-her-butt doll in the background, lolz)

Today's a bit of a mystery/surprise as I'm spending most of the day with The Boy, who has kept his lips tightly shut regarding any details of what we're actually doing. But either way, I can't wait to celebrate with him :)

But before I bury myself under the covers and have my first set of dreams as a twenty-two year old, here is a picture which shows how far I've come fashion-wise and the beginnings of my crazy facial expressions:

C'mon Barbie, let's go partay!

Hope you've been having a good week so far - 

it can only get better from here :)

my first & second meeting with cats

It's been an amazing week-and-a-half so far with my fave blogger/sister, exploring different islands and areas of Vancouver ... and then, last Friday and just yesterday on Thursday I had the pleasure of meeting another amazing blogger/designer - Kym! It was my first ever blogger meet-up and it was comforting to know we both had pre-meeting jitters, but we had such a good time last week that we decided to meet up again! Here's a little recap of our meetings (Kym has all the video footage since I need to make room on my memory card).

Last week was hugs in front of the Vancouver Public Library, heading off for my first eating at Japadog which has amazing hot dogs, exchanging presents with Kym (I now have my first official herro hachi item of clothing and an adorable "I <3 Coffee" pencil case, thank you!), getting harrassed by a spa guy who called us "hot chicks", talking about how teenagers nowadays frighten us, and then heading off to Cafe Crepe for delicious Nutella crepes ... because Nutella is the stuff. And then we filmed our first shout-out video which featured my infamous beat-boxing skills - basically it's boots and cats really fast (I am now Boots and Kym is Cats). 

Backwards recap in pictures:

 Last photo from our first meeting - we asked so many random strangers to take photos of us :)

Nutella and strawberries with a hint of cognac crepe = yummy in my tummy.

Nom nom nom-ing on some Japadaog ... I love the stretching lady in the background, too!

The whole Japadogs seconds before we attempted to devour them but then got sidetracked by a guy asking us to purchase a spa package from him (oo-er).

My gift for her - a scarf from my/my mother's future scarf company!

Then came part two yesterday - meeting up in the Aberdeen Centre to go to Daiso, the BEST $2 store I have ever stepped foot in, complete with Engrish notebooks.  She then treated me to my first ever milk tea  before we headed out. As we got into her punch buggy Kym warned me, "I hope you don't get freaked out but I'm taking you to an empty parking lot." Immediately I fearetd being mobbed by some gang but fortunately she was just taking me out for food! (Food carts in random parking lots? A-okay by me!) We had Japanese fritters at Bakudanyaki and I had a chopstick fail (I'm Asian at heart, but not Asian with my skillz) but the food was scrumptious.

We then drove to Steveston (a quiant little fishing village) for a series of jump shots, walking on docks, holding our mouths closed to avoid swallowing flies, sitting on "make-out hill" and then transforming it to "scar-sharing hill" as we told each other about our various battle scars, and then indulged in some gelato before we *sniff* said our goodbyes. But not before we did some gangsta raps, did some air guitar/drums to "Summer of '69" and secretly yelled at people to get off our dock ... we are sane bloggers, indeed.

Wish you all could have been here!

Sketchy empty parking lots - thankfully not too sketchy in this meeting! And we're both repping the herro!

Delicious fritter - a surprise in every bite, literally :)

"Look ma, no hands!" teehee, just kidding ... she is an excellent driver :D

Jumping shots in Steveston! My camera had a timer fail so Kym has all the good ones - and looks like Buzz Lightyear in this photo haha.

Hanging out on a dock - we wanted to shoot a music video but it was too crowded (maybe in our part 3 meeting in the next few years?)

Couple photos by the water ... awwwww.

Would you like to be in our next photo? :D

All in all it was an amazing time meeting her and just added to the amazingness of this trip so far :) I'm heading to Cirque du Soleil tomorrow with my sister and then off to Whistler ... weird to think that by Tuesday my adventures in Vancouver will be coming to a close ... I've definitely fallen in love with the city and with the idea of seeing my niece and sister all the time. 

What have you been up to lately?

Sorry for the absence in commenting, I'll be back at it soon!