falling in love with autumn

Finally---a fall picture! I seem to miss doing this every year since I moved here. Everytime we even get close to planning taking pictures, it's too late to capture all the colours of fall. And so off we go to an impromptu trip to Ottawa with our favorite travelling buddies. Thank God for Thanksgiving weekend!

We found this bench at Rideau Hall and look! Photo op!

I like this shot. It reminds me of the video we played at our wedding. I had imagined having our engagement pictures to be taken in the fall and so here it is, one year later...

This is a cool shot. And you can tell, we can't get enough of it. =)

So many things in my mind, and so many things to do! It's been four months now and we still haven't finished our Thank You cards and soon enough, it will be competing with Holiday cards we have to send. I'm also doing this course and though I'm not that excited about it, it's only a two month course and I can't wait to get it over with. Yet, I'm doing anything but start it =P There's been too much stress and negativity and true enough, little weekend getaways like this is what I need. The leaves changing colours, falling and flying ever so carelessly with the wind reminds me that with every beautiful end is an even brighter beginning....

"No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace,

as I have seen in one autumnal face."

--- John Donne

two more nights!

Yup. I have two more nights before my anticipated three-day Thanksgiving holiday from work. I just don't like doing night shifts; I never get sleep during the day, just like now. I can't wait until I'm on the good schedule again.

Anyway, I'm trying to get tickets to see this show and it seems they have good seats for the matinee slot on Thanksgiving Monday. I'm just waiting to see what A's schedule is like and hopefully see the show. It's been awhile since I've seen a musical in Toronto. I think the last one was The Lion King. Yup, it was a while back. The woman playing Maria was chosen through a reality type show in Toronto which I didn't get to watch but based on the video on their website, it seems it will be a good show. I'll let you know how it turns out.

It almost seem like I need a mini get-away every time I have consecutive days off. Work's just been so crazy and stressful at times that it's just necessary to take some time away from it all. How amazing would it be if we can actually afford taking a vacation every five days or so? Pretty amazing, I would say!

Anyway, I just heard they're opening a Jollibee in New York some time soon. Jollibee is a popular Filipino food chain famous for their fried chicken and classic Filipino style spaghetti. They were exclusively serving only in the Philippines and certain parts of US such as California and Las Vegas and so I am really excited that they're opening one closer to home. I think I will go back to NYC just for that. And maybe watch "The Little Mermaid" play that I didn't get to see the last time we were there. And take the double decker bus tour. And visit Grand Central. And walk along Fifth Avenue. And stay at this luxurious hotel.

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Beautiful, huh?

Haaayy...So much to do, so little cash. Ha ha.

nothing makes me smile more...

....than cupcakes!

I've been feeling quite depressed about something and just like I've always done in the past, I was hoping to divert all the negative energy and put it to good use. True enough, the old remedy worked like a charm. I started to feel good in no time. Look how cute!

I can't get enough of them!

They're red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. Yummy!

I miss Wheng every time I bake. This was something we used to do together a lot.

Here they are in the cake plate we never thought we'd ever use. It was a wedding gift.

The best part --- A loves them =)

post-bahamas blues

I'm feeling a little blue but this picture always make me smile. Taken during our cruise to Bahamas. The Javiers singing "Happy Birthday" to birthday girl, sis Jilen.

Yes, the water really is that clear. I miss Bahamas!

cake trippin'

Back from our Bahamas trip, A and I were badly craving for cruise-ship-like desserts and so here it goes:

I know! How beautiful is this cake? I can't remember what it's called but it has shaves of white chocolate with chocolate drizzles and layers of white vanilla cake with strawberry and white chocolate icing. Delicious! It's just like one of the layers of our wedding cake. Yes, the one we didn't really get to taste except for that one time we cut through it for pictures. Anyway, apparently one wasn't enough for us so we bought another one!

This one is a chocolate truffle cake and it tastes just as delicious as it sounds. I almost forgot how much I love cake! More yummy pictures!

Can you tell I couldn't wait to cut through it before we could take pictures??

Another thing we were craving for was nachos and dips. I know, I know! Cake and nachos soo do not go together, but what the hey! It's midnight and we needed snacks =) Look, how good it looks!

And the layers, mmmmmm......

Sooooo good! Anyway, enough about food. Thank You cards are calling! So much for trying to eat healthy!

love love, love!

Two more days to Bahamas, baby!

I guess it would be an understatement to say I'm looking forward to this much needed vacation. I'm going crazy with stress at work and all the undone "Thank You's" are staring at me when I get home, screaming " Finish me! Finish me!" Aaaahhhhh!! I'm exaggerating but what the heck!

On a happy note, silly things like these make me smile =)

don't you love heart shaped ice-cube makers from IKEA???

the search for the best shake-shack-like-burger

I know, I know. Just a few days ago, I've nothing but good intentions with regards to healthy eating but our recent trip to NYC has awoken something in me....and I don't even eat burgers! Feast your eyes on this: without a doubt, the best burger I've ever had....

the shack stack from shake shack

Believe it or not. People actually line up for this babies. We waited for two hours in line, just to devour this juicy beefy goodness. You can check out the line up here through their live webcam in real time! Cool, huh?

So what's so good about the shack stack?? Let me start with the breaded portobello mushrooms in between the juiciest, crunchiest slab of beef I've ever tasted with just the right combination of cheese, lettuce and tomatoes that can make you forget the amount of calories you've ingested. Magical? I think so!

Anyway, so I've been craving burgers these days (and no! for the nth time, I am not pregnant!! - just in case your wondering, like most people!) and A and I are on a quest to find the best burger place in Toronto. Our first destination---

No particular reason. It just happens that there's one near our place so we decided to check it out. Here is what we ordered: a traditional Jetsuns juicyburger with bacon. Sounds promising, huh?

And it looks good, too! But is it as delicious as it looks? and of course, it is a disappointing NO! You'd think the bacon would be a tasty addition to this already good-looking sort of bun but no, I hardly even tasted the bacon (or the beef for that matter!) The burger itself is so bland, it made the bun feel thicker and overwhelming. Anyway, we rate this baby a 1.75 and that's only because we ordered fries and gravy along with it which made this whole meal acceptable to our picky taste buds.

Our next destination:

Dangerous Dan's Diner (which apparently, holds the title for making the best burgers in Toronto)

I can't wait!

mmmm....salmon!

I've been ignoring the urge to buy new jeans and flowy tops to hide the flabby belly I seem to have acquired over the last two months. And though we're not completely unhealthy, there are still some changes that need to be made. Our "Labour Day Resolution": Cut down carbs and eat healthier. More and more people are noticing our rounder bellies and bigger frames and true enough, if we keep eating the same way, it won't be long until we have to buy a new wardrobe. So, healthier eating, here we come!

My very own version of Asian Salmon and Tuna Salad =)

ingredients:

your choice of greens (ours had romaine, iceberg, red cabbage and carrots. for a more "Asian" feel, try some spinach =))

grape tomatoes

cucumber

1 can of light tuna flakes

key ingredient: Litehouse Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette (only 35 calories for 2 tbsp!)

For the salmon:

half a lemon

a blend of your favorite spices (salt, pepper, basil, parsley, oregano, cumin, mustard, rosemary)

olive oil

instructions:

Marinate the salmon in lemon extract, olive oil and a blend of your favorite spices. Cook the salmon in medium heat until golden brown. Set aside.

In a bowl, blend your favorite greens, grape tomatoes and cucumber. Sprinkle half a can of light tuna on top. Place the salmon on top of your salad and finish off with Litehouse Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette. Enjoy! =)

Spice up your rice!

Looking for a twist on your plain white rice? Try this: add a little bit of "I can't believe it's not butter" margarine, garlic salt and a sprinkle of basil. Bon appetit!

new york, new york =)

It's been three days since we came back from our impromptu New York trip and I still don't think I'm truly, fully recovered. I think the fact that I have work the rest of the week has something to do with it. And yes, I am one of those who secretly hope there would come a time when I could just go on trips, spend ridiculous amount of money without ever having to work. Hehe. I'm either extremely optimistic, hopeful or just wishful thinking =P

We ventured and walked around Times Square and had our share of this delicious treat from an upscale frozen dessert franchise called Pinkberry. I wonder if we will ever get this in Toronto.

Anyway, back to our home, I have decided a few additions to our "Thank You" cards. I finally got some envelopes and hope to send these babies out by next week's end.

Don't you love the Martha Stewart-inspired bows?? Yay for new projects! =)

words unspoken...

It's been two weeks since we received our "thank you" postcards and now we're still just starting to write thank you notes. Our goal is to send them all out even before we celebrate our third month anniversary but seeing that it is already the middle of August, it may not be possible given the amount of thank you's we have to write.

We could be lazy and just pre-print standard thank you messages on the back of each card but we love the idea of handwritten notes. They seem much more sincere and personal and every bit appreciative which is appropriate for the kind of emotion we were hoping to express.

Here is a glimpse of our Thank You postcards:

The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention. ~ Oscar Wilde

something new...

Life is like an ice cream cone. You have to lick it one day at a time.

-Charles M. Schulz

I've been working evenings for six straight days and on my final night, I'm rewarding myself by eating this:

I'm getting cross-trained to a new area and though it is still related to what I was doing before, it is unfamiliar to what I have gotten so used to. And just like everybody, I tend to resist change which makes the transition all the more confusing and frustrating. I feel like a fish out of water and most days, I feel my heart pulsating faster than its normal rhythm. It took me a year to get comfortable on my old unit and now, I'm back to the same situation of always doubting and second-guessing myself (which I hate).

I know eventually I'll get used to this new place, too and most likely even love it as much as the other place, but it's still taking me awhile to be able to just relax and breathe.

Speaking of something new, A's got new body art...

there's always room for cake =)

I love wedding cakes! And although we didn't really get to enjoy our wedding cake, I was so thrilled with the way it turned out. We provided Just Temptations with this picture:

the inspiration

and here is our wedding cake!

We found the cake topper on a random stroll at Michael's. It was so cute and different and although the bride was blonde and nowhere near my natural hair colour, we thought this was perfect for our cake.

wish tree

One of my favourite details at our wedding was the Wish Tree. We searched for a long time to find the perfect tree for people to hang their wishes on and it also took us awhile to decide and create the perfect wish cards to go with it. In the end, we decided on these three types: A regular wish card, a "Predict our Future" card and a "Give us your best advice" card.

I also enjoyed making flower pens for people to use to sign the wish cards.

Materials:

silk flower

scissors

gel pen (or any other pen you prefer)

green floral tape

regular clear tape

1. Cut about two inches of the stem.

2. With clear tape, tape your flower to the bottom edge of your pen.

3. Start winding the green floral tape beginning at the top and pressing hard to secure the tape in place.

4. Continue wrapping the pen with green floral tape at least twice before cutting the floral tape and pinching the edge where the tape ended.

It was really easy to make and we had the most fun reading the responses while on our flight to Florida. It's interesting to read what people had to write when given topics to talk about. Some interesting responses include: