Hot Time in the City

It's been a really wonderful summer so far, weather-wise. Hubby and I didn't really have any trip planned for the summer. Doesn't mean that I still can't enjoy it, just by being out and about in the city...

Hope you're having just as wonderful a summer!

It Doesn't Count, Does It?

Is it just me who thinks that buying essentials such as underwear and workout wear doesn't really count as shopping? Does it? If so, why? To me, it'll be almost like considering buying food as shopping. Ok, we say grocery shopping, but it's not like "shopping" shopping now, is it?

I had to go to a meet-and-greet early afternoon, and since it finished early, thought I'd walk around. I passed by Joe Fresh and there was this big sign, "Up to 70% off"! Curiously, I walked in (yes, curiously *eyes rolling*).

Being a stand-alone retail obviously gives it a different feel, as oppossed to it being inside the Superstore. When I first stumbled upon this brand, I seriously thought, "Wha'?!? Clothes, Superstore?!?". What did surprise me, though, was how current the styles are; and even better part, the price, of course!:)

Now would you really consider this shopping?

Workout tank, $4.99!!!

Ok, I did end up getting something else, but seriously, for the price I paid for it, it barely counts as shopping, no?



Striped boatneck tee, $2.94!!!!!!

I say it shouldn't! LOL

By the time I was done with my "not-shopping" shopping, I was kinda' hungry, surprise surprise:p Seeing it was mid afternoon already and with just coffee for breakfast, I wanted something light. I considered a street dog for a sec, but only for a sec, since I saw a food truck I haven't tried before.

You can imagine by their name what their angle is.

... and while waiting for my food... (what a beautiful day!)

I went for one of their sandwiches...

Wild BC Salmon fillet on "torpedo" bun...

It was smaller than I thought. The slice of fish wasn't that thick either. The bread, though, I liked, surprisingly, considering I'm not a bread person.

... with aioli, relish, dill and arugula

And the resulting flavor mixed with all the fixings worked for me, I thought. Either that, or I was hungrier than I thought.

Funny enough, the cost of that sandwich was the same as that of my "not-shopping" shopping purchase earlier. How about that?

Extended Break

It seems like mother nature decided to give us here on the West Coast some break. As the summer wasn't much really, we're now getting summer temperatures, in September! Woohoo!

This week has been a really short work week. 3 days, to be exact.:)

Regardless, let's just say TGIF!

Partyin', partyin', yeah!... No, not really, teehee... Just gonna' chillax, that's it.

It was another beautful walk home.

Notice the little red circle near bottom left? That's me, and my shadow:)

Then, to extend summer to the table...

Watermelon salad with feta, red onion and mint

Corn salad with tomatoes and red onion

Aah, summer!

And I thought I'd share a pic I found on my phone. No clue where I was nor what it is. I can't help but keep staring...

Looking forward to tomorrow as I hope to embark on a new road to good deeds...

Happy Weekend!!!

Reset: Day 0?!? Achhh, noooo!!!

Almost ironic to do this post, especially after yesterday's post. Not even sure if that word is applicable for the moment? Pathetic, perhaps.

Am I just deluding myself to think that today's purchase *GASP* does not necessarily count? So should I just have several milestones going on, to make myself feel better? huuhuuhuu...

In retrospect, it's been so long since I last bought...
wait for it...
ready?...
accessories, *sheepish smile* that I seriously do not remember what my last purchase was, and how long ago. That should count for something, no?

Apparently, what ever distractions I thought I had last night were not sufficient to make me stop thinking about the pieces I saw last night at Sears. Again, Sears, of all places (no offense, Sears)! This morning, I could tell you that I just really wanted to check out the Taiwanese festival happening this weekend around downtown. But, alas, no. I got dressed with the sole purpose of coming back for those items, then, possibly check out the event. Yikes!!!

Nygard necklace

I know, I know, at first glance, it's not necessarily a piece that's worth obsessing over. But it was to me, ok?!? When I first saw this, the first thought that came to mind was this article I read in fleeting, about big bold neckwear for fall. I know it's not necessarily big nor bold. But it jumped at me, the first time I saw it. *sigh*

Nygard cuff

Yes, I realize it matches the necklace. I believe there were matching earrings too. No, I didn't get the earrings. And no, I have no plans of wearing them the same time.

Although it was the necklace I saw first, I almost came to the point of buying just the cuff. Towards the end, the justification for the cuff got even bigger than that of the necklace. Why? Because my fave Kenneth Cole cuff,

is losing its elasticity:( I looove this piece, and it never fails to be such a conversation piece. But for now, I have to let it rest, until I figure out something. Hmmm... Hence, new cuff it is!:p

With purchase in hand, thought now I'd check out the festival. And where do I end up?

Why, the food area, of course!

While in the lineup, a girl came up to another girl behind me. She was munching on some grilled squid. It looked so yumm! But when I got to the front of the line and had a chance to look at the food, none of them were selling the squid. Hmmm...

I ended up getting these.

Sticky rice with dried mushrooms and pork

Hakka pork with citrus (kumquat) sauce

I've had Taiwanese before, but nothing seemed familiar. Yet so familiar, at the same time. They had what looked like Lap Cheong (Chinese sausage) but served differently. They had sticky rice, but again, looked diffrently. Even the sauce for the pork belly almost reminds me of the sauce for a fresh lumpia (type of Filipino springroll).

courtesy of  katharses.org (Google images)

Yet, it doesn't. I suppose with the confluence of cultures that is the Philippines, the multicultural society that is Canada, and now with all the food fusion, this is bound to happen. Really, with food alone, if people care to stop and think about it, one learns that we are not really that different from each other.

Once I finished my lunch, I decided to walk some more and check out the rest of the festival. As I crossed the street, I realized, lo and behold, that there were more food stalls on the other side! *eeeeek*

Then, I found it! The grilled squid!

I was kinda' full at this point, but grilled squid! I had to!

Yes, now my food day is complete! LOL

Gotta' love downtown. There's always something happening somewhere. Best part, no travelling required.

September Morn

Well, August is finished. No kidding! I know it's not quite fall yet, but the moment September 1st comes around, a lot of things start popping in my head... Summer's coming to an end... fall's just around the corner, which means cooler air... then next thing you know, it's Christmas... our wedding anniversary in just about a month... and... I will turn another year younger.

I suppose until then, I can just stay in the moment, and savor what's in front of me...

from someone's backyard

...literally...


watermelon salad

Mmmm... mmmm... mmmm...

Food Club

Went for brunch today with some friends here, a buffet brunch at that! I'm telling you, not too many things can get me up early on a weekend morning, but I suppose food is one of them. Surprise, surprise.

As there's always a line-up for the buffet brunch, we actually got there 1/2 an hour before they open, so yes, we were the first in line. Yipee!

Because this is buffet after all, we knew we had to have room. As soon as we got a table, I tell ya, charge we did at the buffet line.

Now, how can one not enjoy a meal when one's view is like this...

... as one is eating this-

Food-lovers that we are, what do we talk about while we're eating? Why, creating a food club! Other people have book clubs or knitting clubs, so we figure, why can't we have a food club? Mind you, not that we're not doing this already. I suppose, we just needed to make it "official". So as we fill our bellies, we started formulating how "this food club" will operate. Lotsa' things to consider as we're slowly realizing, not clearly sure why tho' since what have we been doing all this time?

As usual, our eyes was bigger than our bellies. So after we were fully sated, we decided to go for a walk somewhere near the area. Figure, the least we can do is (somewhat) burn-off whatever we ate. Wishful thinking, perhaps...

This time, it's the Colony Farm. Quite an interesting area, really. Not just the park itself, but the area in general, it's history and all.

And boy, did the sun beat hard or what! As we walked on our chosen trail, you can see and smell summer all around. Loved it!

Reminds me of my childhood summers spent at my grandparents' farm... the feeling of the sun on my shoulders... the way the sun shone brightly then a breeze, once in a while, to cool the skin down... tall shrubs on both sides of the trail... the way the overgrown grass brushed my legs every now and then...

For a self-proclaimed city girl, I was reminded through out our walk that I was definitely out of my element, but what the hey. I quite enjoyed it.

Notice the bat sign? In case, the bats get confused and think it may not be for them?
heehee

After an hour and a half of this, I think we all felt we've had our fill for the day. Plus, we got really thirsty:p

So we headed back to more familiar grounds to quench our thirst...

LOL... while I'm not really a beer kinda' gal, that pint went down really smoothly. Down to the last drop...

And with our thirst getting quenched, our talk went back to our "food club". Members, check. Frequency, check. Choices, check. Limits, check. Minutes, done. Email, sent!

So let it be known then, that on this day, a food club is born! LOL

(Tell me, do we have way too much time on our hands? I wonder...)

Good times

Today was a mini reunion of some sort, of people who still works in our office and who used to work in our office. Some have moved one to other offices, some have retired, some have just moved on. People who, for (brief) periods in time, has provided me wisdom, with or without their knowledge.

The table was a hodgepodge of personalities, but that's what it made it worked. Otherwise, it'd have been too boring, no?

Fun company, decent food, good wine, what more can one ask for?



Fusion Asian taco dish


It was a nice relaxing evening of catching up, some shop talk, and just a lot of laughter all around.

Good times, indeed!

And as I wind down for the evening, my new favorite (summer) dessert to cap the night.

(Liberte) lemon yogurt with berries

Aaaaaahhhhh...