Met up with A, who was back from the far away lands of northern (middle?) BC, at Le Marche St. George. The soup was a bit too sour, but tasted really organic and super healthy. It was balanced quite well with the crispy, cheese croissant toast. Coffee very strong. Forgot to ask A how her London Fog tasted, but it looked really pretty with the latte art on top. This little corner shop cafe is just bumpin’. I’m sure I’ll be back with other friends too.



We talked about life – work, family, house, boys, cats, food… A’s sister apparently thinks I’m always in a sunny place, from following my Instagram. That made me laugh a little. Thanks, young A!

Trying to clear out some junk in my life to make space for new projects…

Wow, what a different city Vancouver becomes when the snow hits. Before the shit show of traffic jams, gridlock, and car accidents, R, C, and I got a chance to visit the newly opened Aer Cafe along Hastings:

Grilled cheese and latte, and a snippet of the cortado. C and I spent a full minute asking what this is… C – “what’s a coratdo?” me – “i don’t know, what IS a cortado?” C – “Not sure, it’s on the menu. What is it?” // It’s good. Just drink it.

R’s order - Avocado on toast with poach eggs and salsa.

So the grilled cheese was spectacular, with lots of stringy cheese bits and perfectly done onions and mushrooms. Very crispy. C found a small square of aluminum still stuck to her bread. R’s eggs were too raw for her liking, so they just stuck it in the microwave for her. I found the coffee a bit weak, which may be due to my insane addiction to coffee and tolerance to the little molecules. Overall, a cute little joint that I’d come back to for a quick bite. Especially as Platform 7, just one street East, does not really serve grilled cheese.

Cute little nooks everywhere for studying and reading, between 7AM to 7PM:

It was such an awesome weekend, Monday just came as a shock.

The people I live with have a huge influence on my mood, and after an argument, I can be uncommunicative for days, weeks, months… Not just with the root cause, but with EVERYBODY. It’s like the world is against me, when my home is not calm. I’m not sure how other people do it. Move out, I guess?

Started reading this new gem at The Federal Store:

The café is a new one that was opened very recently (maybe 2 or 3 weeks ago). The owners apparently fixed up the place all on their lonesome, and it looks great. Super clean lighting with a nice selection of munchies that you’d find at a general store. Great coffee (beans from Bows & Arrows) that I would come back for, especially as it’s along a very popular bike route at 10th and Quebec.

This Changes Everything. It’s been a minute since I’ve read a book that has this type of information, so progress is slow and not very steady. I should really prioritize reading (ugly people need to read more, or so I’ve heard). A very friendly patron at the shop mentioned that Naomi Klein has another book about branding and logos… I’ll have to check it out after this.

Visited Boiling Point with P. Rice is just normal rice, soup is not too much MSG as I have not had water for 5 hours since eating this, and still do not feel thirsty. I had the House Special, choice #1, full of smelly tofu and pig intestine. DELICIOUS. Will go back to try the other flavours.

Not much time to write… Hitting the road tomorrow morning to see what it’s like in the US of A, and will be back on Tuesday!

Last day of the market went smoothly. Yolk’s was on site, so I had one last eggs bennie with the portobello mushrooms and roast garlic potatos. Spicy ketchup, goat cheese. YUM. (GO HERE FOR PREVIOUS POST ABOUT YOLK’S AT THE MARKET).

These guys were here too, and I hear they’re really yummy, but I never get a chance to go because the line is depressing:

Then, I found this:

Apparently they’re popping up everywhere in the Lower Mainland, and they’re beyond deadly. Don’t go picking them up from the side of the street and stuffing your face.

What am I going to do with my spare time?

1. Eating too much. For example, last Saturday from the Yolk’s food truck, I had the following pile of poached eggs, goat cheese, garlic potatoes, and portabello mushrooms with spicy ketchup:

But also eating too little.

2. Not being able to hike anymore/not having people to hike with. P&M were kind enough to take me, so I 3rd wheeled to Dog Mountain:

Cute Couple Award – P&M

Easy hike except for the mud. I'd go again because it's close by and quick. 

3. Being left behind in general… Huge FOMO, like when one of my high school friends get married and I'm not invited... Guess I wasn't a good enough friend... WHAT COULD I HAVE DONE?! Should I have said that or not said this? 

4. Security. My car got broken into today and nothing was taken (I think…), except my sense of safety in my neighborhood. I’ve never believed this neighborhood to be very safe, but it’s really disappointing that this happened. At least nothing was damaged.

5. Money. I can always use more…

This post is inspired by: http://elitedaily.com/wellness/signs-under-more-stress-realize
I don't want to go out, I'm constantly drowsy because sleep eludes me, my jaw was hurting from grinding at night for a while, and I am losing interest in general activities... Or maybe I'm just overanalyzing. WHO KNOWS. Just suck it up and move along... There are worse things that could happen than not being invited or missing a hike or gaining/losing a bit of weight or not closing that deal.

Also had a strong coffee today that left me jittery, so I won't be sleeping for a while tonight! Woo!

Again… Who knew vegetarian food could be so delicious?

Winter Melon Soup.

Our dishes.

The best rice on earth. Baked Portuguese brown rice.

Sweet and sour fried bean curd.

Vegetarian spicy wonton.

Fried spicy mushroom.

It’s one of those places where you could eat forever, and not realize you’re stuffed until you get up to go. I had to hold myself back to make sure I fit in the bridesmaid’s dress the next day. H’s family knows the owner and go there pretty regularly now, so I’m really looking forward to more visits to this little Chinese restaurant.

You might not realize how much you love someone until:

-you’re doing something that causes anxiety, because you want to help them out. B asked me to be her bridesmaid a year ago, and I was very against these idea. I don’t have the type of energy to do these things! I think it’s one of the reasons I’ve been so drained… Just the thought of being a bridesmaid stresses me out.

-you’re waking up every hour to make sure your alarm hadn’t gone off yet. Makeup and hair at 4AM. Sharp.

-the tears start welling up in your eyes. B walked down the aisle, and was already tearing up. D was 2 minutes into her speech, and I started tearing up.

-you’re pacing around the room to stay awake. I tried tea, sugar, walking around in circles. Would I would do this for H? I wouldn’t be able to sleep anyways.

-somebody else points it out. T said to H: She really loves you, you know?


It couldn’t have turned out better. Weather, timing, food:

We were at Kirin at Starlight Casino, and it was just about the best Chinese food I’ve ever had (maybe it was the wine too). Above is the abalone we sampled that night, and it tasted as good as it looked. Just the right amount of savouriness, perfect chewy texture. I don’t know about other Kirin’s, but this one was impressive.



Now I know abalone is not the most ethical food to have… But it’s not like we have it everyday and it is a Chinese tradition. It’s not fair to ask us to give us our cultural traditions if others can keep theirs despite endangering the lives of animals or even the environment.

Let’s do this.

Strawberry.

Duffin's Donuts, a local favourite. My favourite donut place right now, conveniently a small 5 minute detour from the regular work route.

This must be the best and freshest donut, for the price. Can my mind be changed?

Find out in the next month...

I think September will be spectacular.

How do I make tofu look exciting?

Pretty delicious. H is on a no carb diet (it’s working), so for dinner, we opted for some low carb options at Sushiholic. Actual sushi was out of the question for him, so we ordered some tofu and salmon sashimi. Raw fish craving satisfied. Their food was fresh and delicious, and the restaurant is always packed during dinner time.

Started YYoga. Impossible to go everyday this week though… So much going on at work and in real life. I went to the 6AM class on Tuesday, and it was amazing – so energized for the whole day and it even lasted through to today. $40 for 1st timers at Yyoga.

Will go back again to both places.

We walked past Alder Flats a bit to get a nicer view for lunch:

This was a very clearly marked trail with challenging spurts of elevation that were short. Good for the beginning hiker! Not too crowded yet, which I really appreciate for the peace and quiet. There were quite 2 rewarding view points (see above and below). It’s amazing what hiking with friends and a good meal can do for you.

I’m a bit giddy off 3 glasses of red wine tonight.

I’m going to start yoga again tomorrow, for 7 days consecutively.

Gold Creek viewpoint:


Halfway:

Follow the Vancouver Trails instructions to get to the head of the West Canyon trail: https://www.vancouvertrails.com/trails/golden-ears/

…with this lipstick from Two Faced. Loved the Lady Balls shade (bright red), but it’s not really something for everyday wear, so went and got the Sell Out shade too (nude). Which one would you wear?

Sell Out:

Lady Balls:

Long lasting wear, didn’t have to reapply after the coffee, didn’t reapply after brunch with the old high school gang. Also got other things from Sephora, but will share more about it in a future post, because I must go out for Pokemon and coffee.

Things to look forward to:

-One more week until back up arrives for work

-Paying my downpayment in August

-Scandinave spa in September

-Hike tomorrow and next Sunday

It’s so nice to catch up with friends and share new ideas, like this whole culture of being non-binary/gender neutral.  We caught up over dinner and drinks at Sai Woo, a Chinese fusion restaurant downtown, with petrified trees “growing” and decorating the place. I knew the portions would be quite small and expensive, so I went and had pizza before this adorable pulled pork slider:

This was about $5. I had a couple of average drinks there with funky names, but they didn’t stick out (Chill Winston has the best funky cocktails so far). Nice atmosphere, and great place to have long conversations, as it wasn’t too loud inside the restaurant. Awesome service too!



Are you familiar with this new phenomenon of using the pronoun “they” or "ze" (pronounced like he or she, but replace the "h" or the "sh" with "z") for those who do not identify with either the female or male gender? I only recently heard these different terms while working at the VFM, about 2-3 weeks ago, and it came up again recently at dinner for C's birthday. Apparently, it’s progressive to ask people what gender they identify with, and I’m cool like that because I did it.

Which do you think would win in a physical fight?

Croissant from A Bread Affair, picked up at the Trout Lake Farmers Market on Saturday.

Coffee from my Nespresso. Black, just the way I like it. 


I stocked up on Nespresso capsules the other day. They have a new one called the Envivo Lungo that is just amazing. Level 9 intensity, and gives that extra KICK to start the day. I had one yesterday and today, before hitting up the VFM.

Back to back shifts this weekend… Add that to all the Pokemon hunting and biking, and I think I can honestly say that I deserve this buttery croissant. It goes quite well with the coffee. The almond chocolate croissants are amazing too, just the perfect balance of sweet almond and salty butter, but they ran out, so I took this guy home instead.




PS: Somebody said my Instagram feed was “aesthetic as fuck”. Have you followed me yet?

It's Thursday, and nothing will get done tomorrow because all we'll do is talk about our plans for the weekend. Sometimes, I get upset when things aren’t done properly and I really need to learn to just relax. TBH, I think I’m better at not being so anal these days because I’ve learned to do things that help me relax. Eating and drinking, to be more exact.

H & I came to Boston Pizza on a Wednesday night. It wasn’t Pasta Tuesday. We didn’t come here to watch sports on TV. Why did we decide to eat at such a boring chain restaurant? Convenience, I suppose. Double Long Islands were on special, and they have a $9.99 deal for 3 mini pizzas that could be chosen from a list of different flavors/toppings. Not bad. I got a great buzz from the Long Island, so I’m giving this place a 4/5, and I’d go again for the mini pizzas!

From closest to farthest: Deluxe, Perogi, Mediterranean.

Sometimes, it’s more about who you go with though.