Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Tasty Tuesday: Shiso Tree Café

Shrimp Okonomiyaki Pasta from Shiso Tree Café
Is there any emotional issue in the world that pasta can't fix?  I don't think so.

Broken heart? 

Monday, July 30, 2012

NaBloPoMo Day 30: Thank You!!!

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At the risk of sounding premature,

Saturday, July 28, 2012

I Don't Know How to Play

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It was back in university when Cute Guy was sitting across from me in an Irish pub

Friday, July 27, 2012

Beating Genetics


If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, it probably wouldn't come as a surprise to you that I'm a vain person.  I freely admit it and am unapologetic about it.

But even though appearances are important to me,

Thursday, July 26, 2012

I Win At Passive Aggression

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You know you have a Chinese Mama when:
*you could win the gold medal if Being Passive-Aggressive were an Olympic sport

"Once upon a time, there was a little girl who disobeyed her mother.  One day, she died."

"Did you see the news last night?  No?  Well, take a look at these newspaper clippings.  There was a girl your age who was as pretty as you are and got good grades, just like you.  She went out late against her mother's wishes, got drunk and drugged at a party, and ended up getting robbed, shot, raped, mutilated, and eaten.  That's what happens when people don't listen to their moms."

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Essie Jazz

This is me wearing Essie Jazz (and being a Chanel whore)
Oh my goodness, you wouldn’t believe what lengths I went to to procure this nail polish. But the effort was quite worth it, don’t you think?

It’s a beautiful,

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Tasty Tuesday: La Bamboche

Left: Cassis & Earl Grey Cake  Right: Matcha (Green Tea) & Sesame Cake
I've been known to go bakery-hopping once in a while, and the most number of bakeries I've hit in a go was four.  For a city as large as Toronto, where things are so spread out, it was no easy feat!  Sometimes, I'm on a hunt for something specific -

Monday, July 23, 2012

The Oversharing Daughter


Petite. Both vertically and horizontally. (Is this a pattern?) A total weirdo packaged in a very normal-seeming exterior.

Within the first 15 minutes of meeting her she seems just like anyone else…but then we learn that

Sunday, July 22, 2012

$60,000 Husbands

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I recently learned that some husbands (and wives) can cost $60,000CAD* to acquire.

Friday, July 20, 2012

The Oversharing Former Classmate

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Petite.  Both vertically and horizontally. Was universally disliked in high school, or tolerated at best.  Has a mouth that just doesn't stop...

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Asian Girl Problems - Racist Relatives

Screen cap from my iPhone

I was at work earlier this week when all of a sudden, I received the text messages above, from an uncle.  I'm green, of course.

Please tell me I'm not the only one who's had to deal with this!

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Joe Fresh Orange Crush*

Last week I talked about my failed foray into trying one of the season's hottest colours...

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Tasty Tuesday/Cupcake Chronicles: Bobbette & Belle

$2.95 each - Top L-R: red velvet, raspberry, mango | Bottom L-R: cookies & cream, chocolate, (and I think) apple spice


The Cupcake Chronicles have become something of a life mission.  I’m still looking for the best cupcake in Toronto, only it’s expanded – I’m also looking for the best cupcake in every city that I visit, if they’re available.

On this edition of the CC, I try the offerings from Bobette & Belle, a pretty well-known bakery down at the Beaches.  A lot of my fellow foodists have been wanting to make the trip down there

Monday, July 16, 2012

What I Ate/Eat to Lose 35lbs.

shrimp, avocado, blueberry, cherry tomato, herb & mixed greens salad w/ Japanese dressing
Since I posted that I've lost 30 pounds (I've actually reached the -35lbs. mark now), I've been getting lots of questions about my fitness and nutrition habits.  Earlier, I posted about my fitness routine, so I thought I'd follow up with a post on what I eat.

And the truth is

Sunday, July 15, 2012

What Leads You to Me

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I was over at the lovely, brainy, and hilarious Loodie's blog when I saw her most recent post on the search terms that people have used to arrive at her blog, and decided that I would share some of mine because I've seen some doozies in my analytics account!

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Grito

Version 1 with my signature big hair, red lips, and the same glasses I've worn for 5 years now
The original is one of my favourite pieces of art in the world because it was the first painting that I was able to really "feel" - as cliché is that sounds.  I made this version four years ago when I was living in France, just for fun...little did I know how perfectly this image would capture many moments in my life since then, unfortunately.

Below is a...more realistic version!

Friday, July 13, 2012

My Motivation

This idea is courtesy of the lovely Ms. Aquadisiac!

A stroll around my office revealed one day that

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Beat Your Child!

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"You can stop talking now, Granny, because I've already stopped listening," said my co-worker's four year old to her grandmother during a discussion about Never Cry Wolf.  They were noticing that she was starting to fib, and grandma had taken it upon herself to nip the habit in the bud with a fable.  Obviously, it didn't work.

My co-worker relishes telling "cute" stories about his children,

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

NaBloPoMo Day 11: China Glaze Peachy Keen

China Glaze Peachy Keen
One of the it colours for nail polish this year is peach; all tones of orange are in, really, because

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Tasty Tuesday: The One (Part 2: The Food!)

Lobster Spoons
Before you read this, please click here to read my review on the very, erm, colourful ambience of this posh restaurant!

Okay, let’s finally talk about what I was looking forward to most during this outing: the food! (Cue the harps!)

Monday, July 9, 2012

Love Letter to All My "Not Skinny" Chinese Sisters

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I came across this discussion thread in a healthy lifestyle forum, from a young girl.  Normally, I wouldn't really have the patience to reply to posts like this but it hit too close to home, so I answered her.  Since this posting, her identity's been suspicious because "her" new blog has totally different statistics from those detailed in the profile of the writer of this note.  The only thing in common is that both the person who started this thread and the person who writes on that blog are obsessive about their weight and have very unhealthy attitudes about their body image.  Regardless of whether or not it's the same person, if I could just help one person - her or a passerby who reads this - have a healthier and more positive attitude about themselves, I would be really grateful.  Here it is:

Sunday, July 8, 2012

NaBloPoMo Day 8: Like Me!

Click Me!
I realized belatedly - five days late to be exact - that my blog's 4th birthday/anniversary came and went and I didn't acknowledge it at all!  That's right, my very first post on this blog was published on July 3rd, 2008 - where did the time go? 

Since then I have lived in France for a year, finished my undergrad degree, came home and completed a postgrad program, ran away to Spain for half a year, survived 10 months of working in terrible places, fell in and out of love a few times, lost over 30 pounds, and settled into a good, Big Girl Job that I am proud of.  My, I've been busy!

Throughout all this I've been a very sporadic blogger, and yet when I resolved to start writing again, a lot of you welcomed me back so graciously.  Part of me was honestly worried that there would be no more interest in this blog because of my inconsistency, but I've been pleasantly shocked, surprised, and delighted by all the hits I've gotten since July 1st!

Thank you so, so much for your continued support and encouragement over the years; all of you give me purpose, which is an incredible feeling and, actually, one of the greatest gifts I've ever gotten from anyone.  Thank you for reading me!!!

Before I start to get maudlin, I'd like to invite you all to my new Facebook page!  After four years, it's about time, right?  I'll be posting photos, updates, maybe even some videos there - and I'd love to interact with you more.  If you have a second right now, please head over and give me a thumbs up!  I'd be thrilled if all three of you that read my blog Like me on my page! ;P

Thank yous and see you tomorrow with a fresh, new article! :)

Saturday, July 7, 2012

NaBloPoMo Day 7: My Exercise Routine

Me @ my Superstar Spinning Class!
Those of you who've been keeping up with my Twitter have been asking me about my exercise routine, so I thought I'd share here!

Friday, July 6, 2012

NaBloPoMo Day 6: Chinese Kid Tales - Shame

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My stomach was churning in shame and embarrassment all day long. I knew as the work day progressed that I'd have to eventually face up to committing my mistake, and I was not looking forward to it at all. I pride myself on being a responsible, considerate citizen who more or less has her sh!t together; how did I get here?

Thursday, July 5, 2012

NaBloPoMo Day 5: My Partner, My Boyfriend, My Lover

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I don’t understand the term “my partner,” particularly in the context of heterosexual relationships. It makes me imagine both “partners” linking arms and skipping around in a folk dance routine. My mind automatically defaults to thinking,

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

NaBloPoMo Day 4: Essie A Cut Above


Over China Glaze For Audrey

On a love/hate ratio, my feelings towards this polish would stand at 60/40.  60 love because,

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Tasty Tuesday: The One (Part 1: The Ambience)


Interior of the restaurant
I love pretension.  To be exact, I have a penchant for pretentious places and things but not so much for pretentious people, which admittedly, I can sometimes be.  So of course I was delighted and excited when I learned that one of my work Christmas parties was to be at The One (also known as the One Hazelton to some people), a very posh and expensive restaurant located below the Metropolitan Hotel in Yorkville (a posh and pretentious neighbourhood in downtown Toronto). 

It’s a popular celebrity hangout.  I know someone who was seated beside Gerard Butler on the well-known patio when she was there during the film festival, and I’d read that Bono was just there in September – and of course, as I’ve already established, what’s good enough for Bono is good enough for me. 

But most importantly, I’d heard that the food was amazing.  And of course, that was my primary motivation; I’m always there mainly for the food.  I’d do very much for good food.  If I were to ever write an autobiography, I’d call it “I’m Here for the Food.”  Dead serious.

The One is run by star chef & restaurateur, Mark McEwan, who also runs the gourmet joints, North 44 and Bymark, which another friend has been to and loved.  He's a celebrity on Food Network Canada and he has a big reputation to uphold.  They charge $56 for a steak at The One and $18 for a cocktail.  There must be a reason for all of this, and I was really pumped to experience it all firsthand.

Monday, July 2, 2012

NaBloPoMo Day 2: Why I'd Be A Great WAG


I'm still riding the high from Spain's big, history-making win yesterday!

Some of my favourite parts of championship soccer finals actually are not the matches themselves, but the bits preceding and following the game - namely, when the footballers stroll onto the pitch holding the hands of little kids, and afterwards, when the winning team members bring their babies/young relatives onto the field.

If you follow my Twitter, you may recall some of my tweets about how, um, happy I feel when I see footballers with young children.  I squealed internally when the sportscaster commented on how Fernando Torres "had his hands full" walking around with little Nora & Leo on each arm.  I had to suppress a high-pitched awww at the photo Sergio Ramos tweeted of him holding the Euro Cup and hugging his niece, who he described as the world's most beautiful.

Consequently, I was reminded yesterday of my deep-seated desire to be a soccer WAG (Wife And Girlfriend).  I really, really want to.  And I am absolutely certain I would make an excellent one.  So I thought I would list all the reasons why I'd make a great WAG, in case any prospective FHABs (Footballer Husbands and Boyfriends) ever decide to look on the internet for candidates.

This list was created chiefly with Spanish footies in mind, but I wouldn't say no to some notable exceptions, such as Yoann Gourcuff, Robin van Persie, Marco Borriello, Olivier Giroud, or Pablo Osvaldo, for example.

So! My dear, prospective FHABs, this is why I'd make a great WAG (in no particular order):

Sunday, July 1, 2012

NaBloPoMo Day 1: My Promise

I know.  I know!

Completely unacceptable.  I disappear for over half a year, without explaining what was going on and without telling any of you and all of a sudden I just come back out of nowhere expecting us to pick right back up where we left off and be okay with everything?  Not cool.

But you already know what I'm going to tell you, right?  My life was going through a lot of upheavals and changes and I was settling into my new job and life was completely overwhelming me and I was doing a shit job of managing my time on top of everything else - not making excuses, but this was the deal.

Will go into more detail on everything that's been happening and am fervently hoping that you'll hang around, because I have SO MUCH to tell you!  Now that things have kind of settled down (as much as they will, anyway) and I've established something of a routine, I'm ready to reincorporate this very important thing back into my life and I'm ready to start anew.  It's never too late to start again, right?  And I'm a firm believer that it's okay to start fresh more than once if you need to, as long as you gather your resolve to finally do it right.

To demonstrate my commitment, I've decided to post every single day of July, 2012 - hold an independent NaBloPoMo, if you will.  I will do this!  I will keep my promise, but I invite all of you to keep me accountable.  Send me angry emails and tweets if I miss a day - I won't, but I'm putting it all out there and I want you to know that I understand and accept the consequences if I fail.  Which I won't! :)

Hope you all had a Happy Canada Day, Happy Pride, and of course, ¡Viva Españaaaa!