Learning a new job has been exhausting. I've forgotten what it's like to navigate a completely new system and new team of faces. Need strong coffee in the morning: 

The first few days, H dropped me off at work, and we would visit Elysian on 7th and Ontario together. Pretty latte art aside, the coffee is decent and the service is friendly. What more can you ask for?

I do prefer JJ Bean though. 

It's also super weird to type and use a Windows system right now, now that I've been so ultra focused on learning to use a Macbook for the last few days. I feel so crippled and limited when I'm on the Macbook, because I can imagine doing all the things that I do on Windows, but I can't communicate it fast enough with the Macbook (or at all). 

This is probably what my parents feel like, except 100x worse because they didn't grow up with any type of computer at all. I wonder what baby S will use in the future that I will completely be useless at. 

We survived the hottest day in the history of Vancouver!

H and I took baby S to take refuge at BS's place, where they have centralized air conditioning at home. It's much more efficient than us going out to buy a new AC unit, which probably wouldn't even dent the heat in our house. I needed a break in the middle of the day to get a coffee, and originally planned to drop by JJ Bean for a nice cold shiver (it's like a Tim Hortons ice cap, but with real coffee, thus better). Instead, they suggested we visit The Mighty Oak: 

They were out of cold brew, and we ended up getting iced beverages instead. The total for our iced latte and iced americano came to just around $10. 

I liked it, but inside the shop, it was missing a bit of character, so I probably wouldn't go back to hang out. The inside seemed quite clean, with shiny countertops, but it felt like the materials were cheaply chosen and just was missing that hint of classy hipster coffee shop vibe. The coffee was good though, so I wouldn't mind going for a pick me up during the day, if I happen to be in the neighborhood. 

Baby S was so drained that she fell asleep in less than 5 minutes while we were out with her in the stroller. Now that the heat wave is over, I think I'll finally get a good night's rest. 

There have been more reports of hate crimes recently, particularly towards Asians, and I never thought I'd experience it in my own neighborhood. My interactions with the neighbors, although limited in quantity, have always felt fairly warm and inviting, but maybe the issue is not with the neighbors. The other day, I was walking home from the park with my baby in the Ergobaby carrier, crossing the street and trying to mind my own business, when a white minivan with Washington license plates tried to pull over near us. 

Were we in his way? Maybe to him we were, because through his rolled down window, I could hear him exclaim, "F***ing Asians."   

I was too shocked to react, and mainly focused on avoiding his vehicle to take down the license plate. A short distance away, I could see that he was finally able to park his car and he was letting his small dog out, probably to walk in the park. 

I recounted this story to a few different friends, and only called this man a "dude", but immediately, my friends knew this "dude" was a Caucasian man, and appeared older. I know it's not right to racial profile, but this man appeared to fit the stereotype of grumpy old white dude perfectly. 

I don't really feel safe around that park anymore, which is unfair, especially as it's my neighborhood park and quite a few families with children visit on a regular basis. Trying not to let this taint my interactions with other neighbors...

Also trying to destress from mom life with some alone time and a baked good from Creme de la Crumb: 

The cafe is at the entrance of one of the office buildings, and I assume it would be packed if not for COVID19, because it is really the only location for coffee in the area, not counting McDonald's. 

The oatmeal cranberry chocolate cookie was crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside, just the perfect amount of chocolate chips in each bite. 

 

Matcha latte would be a pass for next time - too sweet, maybe because I asked for oat milk. 

But really, I was running an errand, and it wasn't intentional alone time. It took about 10 minutes to walk over to the Still Creek location from Costco, where my winter tires were being swapped with all season tires. What are the chances that my husband would be OK with me leaving him at Costco for an hour with the baby while I do this again? 

As I'm writing this, others are also describing similar anti-Asian experiences around Vancouver. Check out Steven Ngo's story, which has been picked up by NEWS1130. 

We've been trying to save for all the home renovations required for an old house (almost 100 years old!), but sometimes, it's hard not to go out for a quick coffee. Rocanini is around the corner from my in-law's place, and it wasn't difficult for me to come up with an excuse to go: 

It's a decent oat milk latte, enough caffeine to get me through the afternoon, but not so much that I am rolling around in bed at night. 

I felt really tired this weekend, for whatever reason. The sun was out, I had coffee (see photo above of coffees sitting on bench with shadows created by real sunshine), I slept enough... What else was my body craving?

The to do list continues to grow everyday, and I truly realized the other day that it will never end, which is a draining thought. There isn't enough time or energy to get through all of the things I want to/should do. Also, I don't want my life to centered around vacuuming and mopping! 

Full basket of laundry? Well, good thing there's still space next to it on the floor. 

Mildew building up in the bathtub? WELL... I don't have a solution...

Clearly, I'm not made to be a housewife, although it does seem like the easy way out - to rely on my partner to forge his path outside, while I stay home and take care of baby S and baby H (H for House). 

I'm not for it though. I'll stay in the working mom's group. 

Almost missed posting this week! It's been hectic with baby S, moving, and taking just ONE course at BCIT. I guess I don't mind though, and I'll miss the rush of having to do all the things at once. To make it through the day, I have about 2 or 3 cups of coffee. Prototype Coffee is the roastery of choice this month: 

M gifted me a gift set for Christmas with about 5 samples of different coffee beans, and I've loved all of them so far. Each baggy contains about 3 scoops of coffee beans, using the scoop from Aeropress, and I guess I'm not enough of a coffee connoisseur because I don't know how much that is in grams. I'm also a horrible coffee blogger, because I never remember all the flavors profiles and notes of cranberries or pomegranate, blah. They're great. Just go try them. 

I hope to go visit them in person some day soon. Their cafe looks very unique, and they have a few other products (waffle donut?! bottled blue London fog?!) that I would like to get my hands on.

Speaking of hands, I've been wearing a thumb stabiliser for the past week. I'm pretty sure it was from playing Among Us on my phone and cramping over that little joystick button on the screen, and not because of carrying baby S, although she is getting chunkier.   

And it's the first Sunday of 2021! 

2020 was full of huge life changes for us:   

• Had a baby, and I still remember to brush my teeth every day  
• Visited Victoria and other parts of Vancouver Island 
• Lots of housing decisions (renovations, selling, buying, moving, etc.)
• Sold my car

It feels like we were stuck in limbo for a while, during the first 4 months with baby S, mainly from lack of sleep, but then she got the hang of sleeping (I have my husband to thank for sleep training her). Even with COVID-19 raging across the world and slowing things down, time seems to have flown, and I'm afraid to blink, in case I miss one of baby S's milestones. 

She's been making the motions of learning to crawl lately. Before she makes that leap, I'm trying to soak in these last few days of watching her roll around our apartment in the morning, as I make my first cup of coffee for the day. Today, I'd like to thank Tofino Coffee Roasting Company for fuelling my day. 

 

We picked this up from our weekend in Tofino last year (wow, feels so strange to type that...) and we finally got around to trying it. Old Growth, mediam roast blend, great with the Aeropress. I used 3 clicks on the Porlex mini to grind the beans. 

For me, there is usually a sense of resetting on January 1st, but this year, it's just a continuation of the same old from last year (again, so strange to type that...). There's always Lunar New Year to look forward to. 

Today's haul consists of:

 

Royal City brown butter toffee and pumpkin cream cheese donuts, a cup of medium roast coffee from Heights Coffee Co., and The Bench Bakehouse cheese and onion twist.

Glenburn frequently hosts Royal City on Sunday mornings, and has now added in a new local coffee roaster from the Burnaby area to their line up. I've had Royal City donuts before, and really enjoyed them. The pumpkin cream cheese has a hint of saltiness from the cream cheese, and is delicious with the powdered sugar dusted over the donut. They've figured out a way to inject just the perfect amount of filling into their donuts, so that they don't explode and make a mess everywhere, but every bite has some filling. 

Good luck to the new coffee roaster. There's so much competition in town now, they'll really have to work hard to stand out. 

After Glenburn, we visited the Vancouver Farmer's Market, as we figured with COVID, it'll be better to shop outdoors. Very glad we did not miss out on this onion cheese bread, which we had with EVOO, truffle oil and balsamic vinegar: 

 

We also got one of their apple pie double baked croissants -  no photos as it has been devoured before I remembered my camera. Very flakey, with many crispy bits on top, as a croissant should be. 

The aftermath: 

So far, being back in Vancouver has been a mix of anxieties about the pandemic and meeting up with our loved ones. The grandparents were able to come visit and helped us babysit once or twice before gatherings with individuals outside of our household were discouraged by our lovely Dr. Bonnie Henry. 

It had been a while since the grandparents were left alone with baby S, and what an experience it was this time around. The use of white noise to help infants fall asleep is quite common nowadays, but both sets of grandparents were very confused when we instructed them to ask our Google Nest to play this loud annoying sound when putting baby S down for a nap. 

One set of grandparents asked Google to play "white music", and instead of noise, somebody (presumably a person of Caucasian decent) started singing. 

Both sets of grandparents had a tough time enticing baby S to take the bottle, now that she could recognize mom as the source of food and comfort. H and I received many calls to "come back home NOW," but every time we would tell them we're on the way, when really, we were still finishing up whatever we were doing.  

Baby S eventually calmed down with them, and by the time we arrived home, she was an angel again. 

I can't wait for our curve to start flattening again, so that our babysitters can return.

Lately, baby S and I have been taking morning walks to Bean Around the World. First thing we do is get changed and cleaned up. By 8AM, I'll throw on the ErgoBaby, and head off to Chinatown. 

After trying a few different coffee shops around Victoria, I hate to admit that it's the one from Vancouver that offers the oat milk and espresso combo that I prefer. It's got a full texture to it, and enough caffeine kick. Not too much though, to cause the jitters!

They have lots of outdoor seating right now, but also offer a few tables inside with the appropriate social distancing. Gets pretty busy here, so we've never sat down and usually wait outside. 

Thank goodness the sun has still been shining, so we can still go on these walks, because I'm not sure how else I would burn off some of baby S's energy in the mornings. It seems she's made another developmental leap overnight, and can flip over from her back onto her tummy. She's also changed her mind about sleeping yet again, and will not take any afternoon naps. Great. 

In addition to this latest baby development, it feels like so many other things have happened suddenly in one weekend, after all of these weekends just meandering around Vancouver Island.  Just as we've been celebrating the most recent progress on the homefront this week, my grandma passes away. She was our family treasure, and it took a while for me to figure out what I was feeling, because I was confused by the relief I felt for her. She had been suffering a lot of old age problems with her health, and I'm hoping she's resting in peace now. 

Baby S has been going through a pretty bad sleep regression, and although I expected it around the four month mark, I still was not prepared for it. It is harder than usual to soothe her to bed. The only solution that allows both of us to sleep was for me to lie next to her while nursing her to sleep. However, sometimes, I wouldn't fall asleep that easily, and just as I'm dozing off, baby S is ready for another session of milk.  

Wouldn't it be amazing if there was something for adults where they could be soothed back to sleep by sucking on a pacifier? 

K suggested that I ask my husband to soothe me back to sleep, but I think I'll stick with coffee in the mornings. 

Good thing I am in close proximity to Hey Happy. On the days that baby S gets up bright and early despite waking up every two hours throughout the night, their delicious coconut milk iced latte keeps me alive: 

Sometimes, lumps will form from the coconut milk if I'm busy with the baby and leave it sitting for too long. When it's fresh though, it is the smoothest coffee beverage I have ever consumed. They add in just the right amount of cane sugar to mask any bitterness from the coffee (not that I mind the bitterness because I usually have black coffee; it's a nice change). Wish I could figure out their almond milk to coconut milk ratio too, so I can recreate it at home. 

They used to sell 500mL bottles of these, at $16 per bottle. It's pricey, but if I can buy a bottle of happiness for $16, WHY NOT? Sadly, they're listed as "out of stock" on the website now, so I emailed the Hey Happy team. Turns out that they're currently working on a way to make the packaging more sustainable. Well, good for them and the Earth. 

When I'm there, I will usually pick up one of their chocolate chip cookie too. It's got large chunks of chocolate, and they're topped with a sprinkle of salt, just the way I usually make my cookies. I'll save it for a snack in the afternoon, to go with my orange juice and iron pill. 

For the fall season and Canadian Thanksgiving, they also have a mini pumpkin pie as one of their pastries, which I decided to buy purely because I thought it'd look cute in a photo. Turns out that the pumpkin is perfect. The pumpkin filling is super creamy, and has a good blend of spices and sweetness. Wish I got two so that I didn't have to share with H, and will definitely return for more.  

As I finish up this post, I'm typing as fast as I can, because baby S could wake up from her nap anytime. According to the Wonder Weeks app, she has another 10 days remaining for this mental leap of Events. It's this leap that is contributing to her poor sleep. Guess that means 10 more trips to Hey Happy. 

I'm so sleep deprived right now, because baby S has decided she doesn't like to sleep at night. Maybe it's become a habit now to wake up every 2 hours for milk? Maybe it's part of her Events leap, which is estimated to end in 14 days? I was actually afraid to travel this past weekend with her during this long leap, because it would be so exhausting. For a 2 night trip, we would have to transport more of her things (change pad, bathtub, extra diapers) than the last time, when we did a day trip to Sooke. Everything was booked already, so we just had to grit our teeth and do it. 

Day 1 was spent entirely in the car, racing against the clock to arrive at Tofino before it got too dark. We checked into the hotel, and went to bed right away.

Our actual first day in Tofino started with a visit to Rhino Coffee House, for donuts and coffee (of course. you know me by now, donuts and coffee are the reason I get out of bed at all).

 

We had their maple bacon donut (above) and their bronut sandwich (below), which is an egg and ham/sausage/bacon sandwich. I chose the sausage option:  

It doesn't look that good, and it didn't taste that good. It was all just so-so. 

I also had an oat milk latte, which was again, so-so. 

The line up to order and the wait for the food was also quite long. All the staff wore masks, so I couldn't tell if the person taking my order was actually as unenthusiastic about working there as her eyes and tone of voice suggested. It seems there are line ups for food everywhere in Tofino. I'm not a fan.   

We visited the Caravan Beach Shop and loved their collection of books, stickers, clothes:  

We went for a short hike to Tonquin Beach: 

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Tried to take Starla for a walk on her stroller at Tonquin Beach but came across stairs. Good thing we had our @ergobaby! Made it to the beach and had burgers from @shedtofino for lunch. . . #walkswithstarla

A post shared by louisa (@luwesa) on Oct 3, 2020 at 3:34pm PDT

We visited Chesterman beach as well. Sand got into my shoes, and it was too cloudy to catch a nice sunset. 

Dinner was takeout from the Wildside Grill, because we had to try their gumbo. The food was great, the wait was not. We must've waited for at least 30 minutes, and baby S was throwing a fit by the time we returned to the hotel, because we were out way past her bedtime. H and I were tuckered out too.  

But surprise, surprise! I ended up sleeping better at the MAQ hotel than at home! Their bed and all their linens and towels are so soft, their peppermint hand soap smells so refreshing, and all the art placed around their lounge created a very interesting space to hang out.

I suppose being out all day, traipsing around the little town and beach hopping, contributed to filling up our tired tanks as well.  Baby S still woke up every couple of hours, but we both slept more soundly than usual.

Overall, it was an average trip with a grumpy baby, and parents who don't actually enjoy the beach life. I think H and I were so determined to get the most out of this trip and see as much as possible that we just forced ourselves to go. We just won't let small things like sleep deprivation and the gritty feeling of sand in our shoes get in the way, because we are the grit! 

Who goes to a beach vacation town in October anyways? 

We're still in Victoria, and after the first coffee adventure to Habit and too many days staying indoors watching television, I've ventured outside of my bubble to try to find more interesting coffee joints.  The coffee scene is actually flourishing here in Victoria!  

Discovery Coffee, one of the local coffee chains, appears to be more popular than Starbucks. The one close to our hotel has had line ups every single time that we walk past. Is this because they are that popular, or their service has slowed down due to extra COVID-19 precautions? 

I've had the oat milk latte three times now. The first time, I did not like the burnt taste of their espresso. I also felt that their oat milk was missing something (not enough oats? how is oat milk made anyways?)   

The second time, it still tasted burnt, and the oat milk was still not flavorful.

The third time... Well, they're consistent if nothing else. 

Why do I keep going back? It's just so convenient for a short walk, and the quality is not horrendous. It's just not the same as the more flavorful oat milks and coffees in Vancouver... 

I do like that they've partnered with Yonni's Donuts, offering fresh baked goods that are large, dense, and photogenic (straight up my alley!). Their selection changes fairly frequently, so we won't be bored on our frequent visits. Baby S loved the blueberry twist that they had a few weeks ago: 

Today's apricot donut could have used more apricot flavor, because it basically tasted like a regular donut with a thick coat of frosting on top: 

Expect more posts about my Vancouver Island coffee experiences in the future, because we'll be here for a couple more weeks. After 3 weeks of island life, and no progress on the home front, I'm starting to feel the monotony of the same daily routine.  H has been more patient than I have been with all of this, especially as he also has to put up with my postpartum moods. I do appreciate when he brings home the bacon, cooks the bacon, and then washes away the bacon grease from the pan afterwards. 

My daily routine in Victoria revolves around baby S's meal and nap times. I'll wake up to feed her at whatever time she deems appropriate (usually between 5:30AM and 8AM), and because she's most alert after this meal, we'll try to tire her out with some outside stimulation by heading out for a walk. Usually, I'll forget to feed myself, because I'm so excited to go out and explore the coffee scene in Victoria. 

There are actually quite a few within walking distance in this neighbourhood. The first one we came across was Habit in the Chinatown location. I was excited to see that they offer oat milk, and ordered their iced oat milk latte.

I prefer JJ Bean's oat milk, but this is acceptable for now. The pastry selection in their display case did not look too appealing, so next time, I will try to remember to grab a bite before returning.

If only social distancing isn't a thing right now, because I would have loved to enjoy this oat milk latte in a glass, and just hang out in the cafe for a while. The art and whimsical decoration in the cafe would be a nice change of scenery from the hotel room.

What am I doing with all the energy from the caffeine buzz? 

Absorbing all the home renovation and interior design lessons from HGTV, and thinking about which walls to knock down to create a more open floor plan... Title credits to Aben Eubanks during an episode of HGTV's Property Brothers (Striking the Right Chord). 

New moons remind me to try new things, and this week, I stepped outside of my comfort zone and took my teammates with me. Instead of going to a new coffee shop or watching a new TV series, movie, or reading a new book, I went to a gym called Maki and did my first 30 minute session. My body is still sore from the 3 pushups that I didn't do correctly on Thursday, and the 17 remaining in the set where I just couldn't even push off the ground.

Maybe because I was still so tired from those brutal 30 minutes, I didn't feel so adventurous this weekend, and revisited Their There. I've been here a few times in the past, but it's always been too busy to actually sit down and really enjoy the ambiance. It's a bit of a pink jungle in there, where if you're brave enough to wander through the young urban professionals, sipping their coffees amidst the indoor plants, you'll find the counter to order at, as well as a display case full of fresh donuts and cronuts. H and I visited after browsing around the Patagonia store (his favourite store), and as luck would have it...

We found a spot right by the window. There were still plenty of blackberry peach cronuts left. 

While they looked small, the portion size of their cronuts ended up being a perfect serving. They're topped with a light cream, which were a fun mess to devour. The fresh peach jam and the cream would have been too sweet, but the tart berries came in to save the day. This didn't last more than 3 minutes. 

Their coffee game is truly unbelievable too. A must go if you love plants and coffee and pink. 

One of my favourite ways to spend a Saturday in Vancouver is to visit the Trout Lake farmer's market, pick up some fresh sugar snap peas from a local farmer, run the rest of my errands, and find a chill place to get coffee and pastry. This weekend was one of those, where I had time to stroll down through the stalls at the market, and eventually ended up at Caffe La Tana. 

I thought it was more of a grab and go coffee shop, but clearly, I should have done better research on Italian style cafes, and planned ahead for their fresh pasta, made in house. Instead, all I had time to do was order a bombolini with Nutella cream and cappuccino to go. It was hard to leave behind the beautifully decorated cafe, and the bench out front was calling to me to sit and relax, but I had to go. I brought my treats home to enjoy, while I did the laundry. Adulting means sacrifices, and sometimes, that means sipping coffee in between loading the washer and folding the socks.

The coffee was apparently a special roast by JJ Bean (not sure if this is still true? Fact check me, please), and I liked how strong it was. Pow, woke me right up. The little bombolini was really too small. I'm used to American sized portions after all the traveling to the south! Each crumb was delicious, while it lasted.



I felt like I had to learn more about this place, and did a bit of research into its origins. Turns out they're part of the Savio Volpe group. As I check off one place from my list of places to go, another one gets added... There isn't enough time in a day to work full time, plan a wedding, and do all the other extracurricular activities!

Time to quit the full time to make way for doing things I love? Maybe not yet, because I'd rather just take a break instead of quit, and eventually, the problems will get fixed (not necessarily by me, but like Justin Trudeau said, "The books will balance themselves"). But just like the restaurants on my list, once a problem gets fixed, another one pops up. It never ends. Did they even use their brains to think about it first? It still amazes me when I meet these big picture thinkers and talkers, some who are running the show, because I feel like I have a lot to learn in terms of forgetting how to double check the finer details.

JK brought over a bag of Elysian coffee beans for our house warming, and I've finally had a chance to try them out. The first brew method I used was with the Aeropress, which was pretty good. I also tried the French press, which was not too bad either. 

This reminded me of all the times during my university years, when I would stop at the actual coffee shop on Broadway for their mochas and lattes, along the commute to school. These trips to the coffee shop were a real comfort back in the day, because the commute to UBC could be dreadfully long. I no longer have to commute to UBC, but Elysian is actually still sort of along the way to work. I finally remembered to take the long way around and visited them this morning. 

It cost $3 for a cup of brewed coffee!

I think I had the brewed coffee in a 12oz cup, and I had the Columbia, just like the bag of beans that JK gave me. It tasted slightly better than the coffee that I made at home, using the same type of beans, but I don't think the taste difference would justify $3 a cup. They've designed a cozy aesthetic inside the cafe, with a few good looking plants, so I guess take advantage of this, have your coffee in a mug, and hang out for a while. No wifi though. I wouldn't say their service was spectacular either (smile a little, hipster coffee shop baristas!). At 7AM though, I wouldn't want to talk to me either.



I also had a headache for the rest of the day...

Had a few minutes to catch up with an ex-coworker the other day, and it sounds like her new workplace is going through the same situation that she left behind. This week, we also had a new person join the team, and it's been refreshing to get his perspective of our gig. Apparently, he came from a worse environment. My point is that the grass is green enough right here. Can I stronger grass if it's watered with coffee?