Ralphie

Yesterday I spend time at Mama Gen's place with Ralphie...he is soo cute & fluffy (^_^) we had lasagna & take out chow mien & spare rips for dinner. 

Java Hut Cafe

Yesterday my boss treated us to sandwiches at the Java Hut Cafe for Administration Appreciation Day. I ordered a turkey, bacon sandwich but I didn't eat my sandwich until dinner since I already brought a lunch. The sandwich was good but not worth the price. The service is good, the ladies are friendly. Ambiance was nothing special. They only accept cash here. Overall I don't know if I would ever go back here again since the price doesn't really appeal to me.

       Food: 4/5             Service: 4/5            Ambiance: 3/5             Price: 3/5

Bling & Cupcakes

I got my 720 pink white Rhinestone Crystal Stickers that I ordered from eBay. I was disappointed 720 wasn't enought to cover my mini-mirror. For $5.99 so not worth it.

My Addiction right now is cupcakes. I had a craving for cupcakes after watching the show the ”Cupcake Girls” during my lunch break (TV in lunchroom). It is a reality shows that follows the life of 2 women who own “Cupcakes by Heather & Lori” in BC. Personally I don’t like there cupcakes, I think they are overly priced & nothing really special. I like the cupcakes at the supermarket better. So that is where I got mines, next time I wouldn’t get it at Extra Foods though. I got the Berry Blast mini cupcakes they were very sour. Since I was there I picked up another pumpkin pie (finish the last one I bought over the weekend) it was on sale for $5 & a box of cookies Chip Ahoy! MiddleS which is a chocolate chocolate chip cookie with a chocolate middle, it was on sale for $2. I didn’t like it that much there was too much chocolate, I wanted the regular chocolate chip cookies but they were sold out. Next time I have to try the cupcakes at Safeway or Price Smart, I heard they are good. Soo much sugar right now, hopefully I wouldn't break out like crazy because of this (>_<)

Healthy Meals

I have been trying to eat better, in the morning I eat 2 eggs either by themselves or mixed with some vegetable. And also try to eat a lot of fruits & vegetables throughout the day. Many fruits & vegetables are not only good for your health but also for your skin. "20 Good Foods That Are Great For Your Skin" list the foods & how they are beneficial to your skin ^_^

Busy Friday

Friday was a busy day with picking up my brother...the right date this time (^_^) & eating out the whole day. I ate lunch out that day because I didn't want to carry to much stuff with me. I went with one of my co-workers to Cheers Restaurant & Catering which I read some good reviews on for it's cheap good food. I ordered the lamb Slovakia which came with potatoes, rice, bread & a salad for $7.99. The lamb & the bread were good, everything else didn't taste good not Greek at all but for the cheap price you can't really expect that much. My co-worker ordered the cheeseburger which came with fries, onion rings & bottomless coffee or pop for only $6.99. She said the cheeseburger was only OK. The service was only OK, a bit slow but then again that could be because we were in a rush to get back to work and we didn't tell them to put a rush on our food. The interior was nothing special, kind of disorganized & mix-matched. If I ever go back I would like to try there breakfast next time. They have some breakfast deal for $5.

         Food: 3/5           Service: 4/5           Ambiance: 3/5          Price: 5/5

Vancouver International airport or YVR has been ranked best airport in North America for the third time this year (^_^)

For dinner I went with my brother, his GF & our cousins to sushiholic for sushi. My brothers GF wanted sushi, so I tried to find a place close by. We ordered a Rainbow roll $9.95, 12 pcs of assorted tempura $10.95 & sushiholic tray which is 54 pcs of sushi for only $23.95. The food was OK, I thought the batter used on the tempura was really good but the sushi was nothing really special. The price was really good for the tray but the other stuff were just standard price. The service was good but very busy so most of the time you will need to call them over to refill tea. The interior was nice. I would go back to this sushi place if I am in the area.

          Food: 4/5           Service: 4/5          Ambiance: 5/5          Price: 4/5

After sushi we decided to go for dessert downtown to Thierry again. This time the desserts weren't that great. We ordered fruit tart which was OK but nothing really special about it. This time they had the passion fruit mousse that I wanted to try, it was OK but really sour. And the chocolate tart was way too rich in flavor. So Thierry is very hit or miss.

My brother & his GF got me some gifts (^_^) from there trip. Some beautiful scarves, a nice hair brush, bling doggie, hanging sky lantern from Taiwan & dried guava which didn't taste good (>_<)

It was nice seeing my brother & his GF again, there are many times when I do miss having my family around. I hope they can come back to visit longer next time.

Recent Purchase: GAP & AE

This weekend I did some shopping, I haven't bought any new clothes in a long time. I got myself a nice salmon navy blue striped 3/4 length sleeve v-neck sweater on sale at the GAP for $24.35. Also at American Eagle I purchased a wind breaker for around $16 but I will return it, since I probably woudn't wear it that much so a waste of $$$

Rain Boots

I purchased my 2^nd pair of rain boots since my first pair broke (>_<) I got another pair of Tretorn except this time I got a pair in solid black, my last pair were pink with patterns. Living in BC I think it is essential to have a pair of rain boots since it rains so much here.  I got the boots on sale at Little Burgundy for under $70, happy to have dry feet again and to be able to splash around in puddles.

Cooking - Rice Noodle Soup 2

So I called my mom & she told me how she makes Rice Noodle with Beef. I tried it, it was ok but it still doesn’t taste the same (>_<) don’t know what I am doing wrong. I think I will have to wait to see my mom make it in front of me to get what I am doing wrong but that wouldn’t be for awhile (>_<) Will have to settle for this for now.

What you will need:

-Rice Noodles

-Beef (thinly sliced works best but I don’t know how to slice Beef thin >_<)

-green onion

-cilantro

-water

-chicken bouillon powder

-white pepper

-sugar

-salt

-light & dark soya sauce

1. Soak the rice noodles over night in cold water.

2. boil water add noodles and cook until tender then drain in strainer and place under cold water and set aside

3. on high heat in a saucepan  bring to a boil water, chicken bouillon powder, white pepper, sugar, salt, light & dark soya sauce to taste.

4. when soup is to your taste add in the beef, cook until done

5. add green onion cook for a bit then turn off stove and add in the cilantro and stir it in

6. place the amount of noodles you want in a bowl then pour soup on top

Recent Purchase & My Addiction

Had a craving for Reeses peanut better cups so I purchased some Reese Mini ‘s. Also think I am getting a little bit sick again so got some NeoCitran just in case.

Thinking about my childhood and one type of food popped into my head Fried Dace with salted black beans. I found it at T&T but expensive now, it cost under $1 before but now it is over $3. I purchased one, still taste the same as before (^_^) good good. It taste good with rice but I ate some of it just as is…was too lazy to make rice.

I purchased NYX NP 32 South Sea nail polish on sale for $1.99 at Price Smart Foods. The color is very opaque so you will need a few coats. I have not used it on its own yet, I have used it on top of another color to add some shine to it and it looks nice.

After going to The Golden Boot the first time I have been wanting to go back, so last Friday I went back with my BFF. My BFF ordered the Pizza Imola - mozzarella, chicken, brie & onion which I had for lunch the next day, it was ok but I prefer the one I ordered last time. I ordered the Lasagna alla Bolognese which was good but I should have just eaten half of it instead of the whole thing because it was way too much eating the whole thing. And we couldn’t leave without having the Tiramisu..yummy. I LOVE this place (^_^)

Mama Gen Cooking

A few Sundays ago mama Gen’s made us dinner after watching the Hunger Games...it was an OK movie but not something I want to watch again or interested in following since I believe there will be more parts to it. Mama Gen made use 2 different types of pasta one with bacon & another with sausages tomato sauce both soo good. My Mama Gen knows how to cook (^_^)

some random stuff at mama Gen's place, some fishies, lucky 3 legged piggies. I got to see the best Slurpee machine & more of mama Gen's cooking (^_^)

Baking: Cookies

Purchased baking set for around $23 on sale at Extra Foods. Baked a few batch's of cookie with the sheets and loving it, non-stick and cleans easily. My 2nd attempt at making cookies I used the Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies II recipe. The cookies turned out really bad, this batch ended up in the garbage (>_<)

My 3rd attempt I used the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe. This one was a lot better but still not there yet.

My last attempt for now (all baked out for now) I used the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe again but this time instead of just adding chocolate chips I also added the baker's chocolate squares, did taste a bit better. Thanks to my BFF for the suggestion. But still haven't found a recipe that I love just yet but wouldn't be baking any more cookies for awhile.

The Vancouver Sun Run & Save-On-Meat

The Vancouver Sun Run is an annual 10K race. One of my friends was in it. I followed the race for a bit then took skytrain to the finish line to snap some shots of my friend when she past the first line (^_^)

After the race we went for lunch at Save-On-Meat in Gastown. It is a nice little place in a not so great neighborhood but it is a busy place. The food is good, I ordered the Club Sandwich & also got the Signature Chocolate Bacon Cookie which wasn't bad it taste like a regular cookie with a hint of bacon taste. The service was good & interesting diner interior. The price is good, so if you want to get good food for cheap this is the place. I would like to go back to try there All Day Breakfast & there interesting milkshakes.

       Food: 4/5             Service: 5/5            Ambiance: 5/5             Price: 5/5

Sweet Art Bakery & Cafe, Buddha-Full Juice & Smoothies & Taco Del Mar

Since I got the date wrong yesterday I didn’t bring a lunch to work because I didn’t want to carry too much stuff when I went to pick up my brother. So I had to eat out, I picked Sweet Art Bakery & Cafe which was close by & I read some good reviews on. A BIG disappointment, I ordered the Thai Chicken wrap which was OK on the first few bites but got a bit over powering after more bites. I also ordered a Cherry Danish since they are a bakery after all. BIG mistake…the worst Danish that I have ever had. There was barely any cherry filling and it didn’t even taste like cherries & the pastry looked & felt flaky & good but didn’t taste like anything. I have had better Danishes from my local supermarket. In the end I couldn’t finish it (>_<)  It is a nice looking place but food wise I would not go back again.

       Food: 2/5             Service: 4/5            Ambiance: 5/5             Price: 3/5

After my big disappointment at the Bakery & Café I decided to try out another place close by Buddha-Full Juice & Smoothies I ordered the Common Ground which is strawberries, banana & orange juice. It was ok but nothing that I think I would go back for. The price for the smoothies isn’t cheap but you are expected to pay more when it is made with real fruits. The interior was nice, had a hippie feel to it. Personal I wouldn’t be going back since drinks are pricey and only ok.

       Food: 3/5             Service: 4/5            Ambiance: 5/5             Price: 3/5

Last weekend we went out to eat Mexican at Taco Del Mar. I haven’t really tried much Mexican food, so I was totally lost on what to order. Mama Gen helped me out, I got 2 ground beef burritos. The food was ok but it is something I could probably make at home. The service was really friendly and the interior is nice for a fast food place. Overall I don’t think I would go back because the food doesn't really entice me.

       Food: 3/5             Service: 5/5            Ambiance: 5/5             Price: 4/5

Big Mistake

Today I thought my brother & his GF were coming back from their trip, that is what I told everybody but as I was checking the flight number today I saw that it read 20th not the 13...Oops (>_<) had to call everybody to let them know they aren’t coming in today…so embarrassing (>_<) oh well at least I was lucky enough to find out before I left work early to go to the airport.

Beautiful BC - Como Lake Park & The Surrounding Area

Monday was a sunny nice day, the sun was out & just a light breeze. A day where you can wear a short sleeve t-shirt and not feel cold, which is what I did. I walked to Como Lake Park & then to my friends house which took me about 2 hours. Such a long trip because I stopped so many times to take pictures and went all around Como Lake. It was a good walk & I didn’t feel tired at all & I got some good picture. Need to do get back to doing my long walks again but the weather needs to cooperate too (^_^)

A dead bee on the road all intacted

More Cherry Blossoms...can't get enough