Holt Renfrew & Burberry

Today I met up with Rhoda at lunch cos we went over to check out the new flagship store for Aritzia at Pacific Centre and gosh is it ever huge plus I love the modern decor, it's more suitable for the downtown crowd. It's nice that there is also a lot more store space which means there will be a lot more stock (hopefully!) and hoping the clothing will be more business casual or dressy and not so bummy. We just wanted to wander through to see the new store but since there was no promotion with the grand opening, we didn't purchase anything. After Aritzia, we headed over to Browns Shoes to check out the winter sale and I have been pretty good at avoiding all the winter shoe sales. It also helps that there isn't anything that has caught my eye and I recently picked up a pair of beautiful shoes by SW at Saks Fifth Avenue so I am all good :) We quickly strolled through Browns and Rhoda didn't find or see anything she liked so we headed over to Holt Renfrew to use her 25% discount card. I would finally be able to pick up my Burberry scarf and at a 25% discount!! Only with the HR American Express card though and it was for this weekend only, it's 25% off on all winter and fall items which means my Burberry scarf was included and at a really good price, less than $200!! It is so soft and pretty plus it matches my Burberry rain boots! This was the last one in the store, still quite a few trench small checkered skinny scarves and small check camel skinny scarves but that one did not match my rain boots. So thankful that Rhoda is such a great friend to me cos she let me charge it and pay for it next month (Xmas is here and budget is tight) plus I would have ended up going to the Burberry store to purchase this and it would have cost over $300 to match my boots! I would have picked up the larger scarf but I am good with this one, it will do the job and keep away the winter chills :) Thanks Rhoda, Love You Babe!

Breakfast at Pan Pacific

Taken with my BlackBerry that's why it's a bit fuzzy :)

This morning I met up with Rhoda and we headed over to the Pan Pacific Christmas Wish for the Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau. This happens annually in December for the toy drive, you arrive with an unwrapped toy and PP serves you a wonderful hot breakfast. The breakfast buffet at the Pan Pacific is one of the best in the city and for as little as a $20 toy, you can have a lovely platter of freshly baked croissants, breakfast potatoes (ohmygosh, these were soooo good, it came with shredded sweet peppers to add colour and flavour!), grilled juicy thick sausages, and fluffy scrambled eggs served with orange juice and coffee!! Plus there was quite a number of entertainments happening all over the floor, lots of hunky firefighters, Santa Claus and more! Also Jack FM was broadcasting live at the event and I saw quite a few local celebrities (from the evening news). Christmas Spirit is all around! What a great way to start off the day!!

From their website:

Pan Pacific Christmas Wish Breakfast

Join thousands of friends for a complimentary hot breakfast. Bring a new, unwrapped toy for a child/ teenager and enjoy entertainment and the spirit of Christmas as Global TV and 96.9 Jack FM broadcast live from the lobby.December 9,2009. 6:00am – 9:00am

Dinner with Brother & GF

Tonite, Kay and I met with my brother and his not so new girlfriend, we haven't officially been introduced to her yet but I had recently found out that the two of us have a lot in common. Recently, I have been sending goodies (i.e. local organic veggies, muffins and sorts) with my brother when he goes to see her so she can enjoy some of the organic items that I like to eat. She wanted to send something back to me and as a gift so she baked an organic cake for us! My brother was originally suppose to bring it to me but he suggested that she should give it to me in persona and we could all go for dinner too. I was so surprised and couldn't believe all the effort she put into this cake, it's the cutest and sweetest cake I have ever received! It is so impressive and she really put a lot of work into this cake to make it represent Hello Kitty! Wow, how impressive! The cake was made of organic chocolate and the Hello Kitty face in white frosting, she decorated her face with bits of candy and pocky. It is so cute and I don't want to cut into her!!! Altho, I can't wait to try it cos it smells so delicious and it looks so tasty. My brother said they'd be dropping by around 7pm but I know him and I know him well, 7pm is more like 8pm which the time he ended up coming by. I guess this means he's on time cos that was the predicted time he'd arrive! After some thoughts and not quite knowing where to go, we decided on Joey's at Broadway cos the menu had a selection of everything. She doesn't eat meat except for eggs and fish, occasionally chicken or turkey so we didn't want to go somewhere where there were no vegetarian options. Once we sat down, we started talking and getting to know her. After about 20 minutes, I realized we def have a lot in common esp on the way we view foods and we have similar career paths. I really really like her and I hadn't liked one of my brother's g/f's since Kitty (his first long term girl). Tomina is very mature 20 something year old, you def would not have guessed she was in her early 20's cos she is so mature. I was a bit shocked when my brother told me his girlfriend was in her early 20's but I can see she is much more mature than he is! She is smart, witty, charming, polite and a well rounded person (also she is gorgeous!) and my brother really lucked out meeting her. I hope they stay together for a long time and even if they don't, I'm going to stay friends with her but it would make us all very happy if they did stay together forever! Hehehe... can't wait to try her cake....

Company Christmas Party

After work, our company Xmas party was being held at the Hotel Vancouver aka The Fairmount Vancouver in a beautiful decadent room on the second level. The company party is very low key and it's an after work function for the employees only, no spouses, usually the party is scheduled for about 3 hours with a huge raffle and prizes at the end but I didn't stay very long this time. There is no formal sit down dinner, more like a selection of hot appetizers, sushi, smoked and glazed salmon, choice of turkey or lamb, and a dessert buffet. There is an open bar but you do get your one free drink from the company - the bonus of the year. I ended up dumping my bonus down the drain as I received the wrong glass of red wine (a glass of Jackson Triggs Merlot instead of the Pinot Noir). I made sure I went at least 3 rounds at the appetizer tables, skipped the meat table but one large plate of chocolate dessert! I didn't want any turkey or lamb cos the line up was much too long (planned to stay 20 minutes only) and I had dinner plans with my brother and his girlfriend at 7pm. I think I managed to stay for about 30 minutes before calling it a night, making my way around the room to say good bye and wishing them a happy holiday.

Once I got home, Kay and I headed over to Superstore to pick up a couple of items and also a couple of toys for the Pan Pacific Christmas Wish breakfast. Kay and I found some great toys within a reasonable price and I don't know how I would have found or picked these ones without Kay cos she is a little kid at heart, she wouldn't let go of the Crayola bath toy :) We ended up staying longer than we anticipated but that's ok cos my brother didn't end up coming until almost 8pm (he said he'd be there around 7ish). It was a really freezing night and I swear my hair was freezing up while we were walking from the car to Superstore and so forth.... brrr.... freezing weather for the next couple of days! This dry weather is not good for my eczema! It's so dry!! Plus our hands and lips are becoming flaky due to this dry dry freezing air....

Fun filled Sunday!

For most of the morning and afternoon I was playing around with my new BlackBerry Bold. Rhoda and I had a msn video conference so she could help me me set up the basics for the phone and figure out why my Wifi or mobile internet was on or off. I had called Fido in the morning to set up the data plan, for $25 extra dollars a month, I get 500MB of data or for an extra $5, I could get double that but I doubt I will use 1GB of data for the month so I opted with the $25 plan. It could take up to 2 hours before it started working and boy did it seem longer than that! Another reason I didn't go with the 1GB is cos I have Wifi at home and work so I'll def set it up for an automatic selection to Wifi and save the network/passcodes in there. MSN video conference is pretty cool even tho I don't like how I look on the webcam, webcams are not very flattering, it was simple, easy and quick to use. I def have to start learning how to use it more often cos if and when Rhoda moves to HK, we will be doing a lot of msn video conferencing! We were on msn for a bit and once everything was done, I realized that it was getting late in the afternoon and I still had a couple of errands to run. I hadn't even noticed that Kay was no longer in the house, altho I do remember she mentioned she was heading out and I am pretty sure she gave me a kiss and said good bye :S By the time, I was ready to head out, it was close to 4pm and I messaged Rhoda to see if she wanted to get out of the house for a bit cos I was heading in that direction. I like shopping at the Coquitlam IKEA cos it's so much bigger and there is plenty of stock in their very large warehouse, much bigger than Richmond IKEA :) We picked up a few things for the home and I am happy we got out of the house a bit so we could enjoy the sunshine altho it was super freezing cold! On our way home, we decided to make a pit stop at Lougheed Centre so we could pick up a Starbucks to warm up and we walked around the mall for a bit cos I hadn't been to Lougheed Centre in ages! After our quick stroll through the mall, my brother PIN'd me and asked when I would be coming home cos we had plans to eat dinner with my mom and grams, we headed back over to Rhoda's place and she downloaded the coolest BB theme for me, it's pink Hello Kitty and Louis Vuitton wallpaper, the two of my most fave things! :) Thanks Rhoda!!! I am so excited to use this......

Blackberry Bold

It has finally arrived and I am so excited to use it! I am going to be connected and really connected to HonHon at all times of the day! Muahahahahaha... watch out HonHon, I'm gonna PIN you all the time!! :)

Louis Vuitton, Las Vegas Lightshow

Wow, this is amazing! Must go back to Vegas and see this light-show!

Louis Vuitton Going Green

Today, I dropped by Louis Vuitton for a visit since I will probably not be able to buy another piece for a long time cos Kay's braces are going to cost me at least a couple of years worth of Louis's. My fave Louis Vuitton SA greeted me and while I was looking around, I mentioned that I might pick up another item before Xmas (maybe a small key chain?) and she told me that LV is going eco friendly by phasing out the nice sturdy brown boxes given with your purchase. Good news and bad news, I for one enjoy collecting those little brown boxes (can come in quite handy) and good news, I'm sure there will be less of those boxes in the waste yard cos I'm sure many customers (who buy a lot of Louis Vuittons) probably just throw them out! Must get another box before they are no longer available!

Orthodontics

Ohmygosh, we just got back from the orthodontist (Dr. Brian Hong & Associates) and I can't believe how much it will cost to straighten Kay's teeth!!

Breakdown of Costs

Records Fee (x-rays, models, photos) $400
Initial Fee (braces) $1200
Monthly Treatments $4800
Grand Total $6400

The record fee has to be paid upfront which thankfully, my father has kindly offered to cover but I will have to pay for the extraction of her teeth (luckily my dental covers 80%) and the braces $1200 probably in January or February 2010. After the $1200 fee, we will be paying monthly installments for the next 16 months (on a pre authorize credit card or cheque) $300, yikes!! You can get a small discount of 5% if I have the money to pay in full which is $320 off. Asians never pass up on a deal but I do not have $6000 to pay off that amount or I would! After the x-rays are done, I need to make an appointment to schedule Kay's extractions. Gosh that won't be fun. She needs to make room in her mouth cos her teeth are overcrowding. This overcrowding has resulted in a slight overbite and caused the teeth to come in crooked. Luckily, her bottom jaw does not require any surgery or else that could run up to $20K!! In 2 years or less, she will have perfect teeth and her confidence level will be greatly boosted which is PRICELESS. That is what I'm telling myself..... Since my extended dental does not cover the orthodontics, we will be paying this entirely out of our own pockets but it's worth it right?

Dinner & Dessert

Tonite, Rhoda came by for dinner cos we haven't seen each other in a month! The last time we saw each other was on Halloween so we had so much to catch up on! We caught up on her life and her career over sable fish, organic purple kale, and brown jasmine rice with a glass of red wine or two. It was so nice to see her and it def was much too long but it was so nice that she made the time to come over for dinner. She's been so busy with so many things that it's hard to get together with her. Besides work, things are going good and she's got lots planned and going forward. After dinner, we headed over for HK style dessert and did some more talking. It was a great nite and so good to see her!

Swimming

Kay and I headed out to HonHon's place for a 30 minute swim. We (well I mostly) are trying to get as much cardio in as we can cos the weather has been pretty cold and it's hard running the dark. I have been meaning to find a route on the street with street lights so I could get my 4 km in but it's hard when it's been raining 20 days straight and it's been so cold. After our swim, we get to sit in the hot tub for 10 minutes that is so much nicer than running and then trying to finish up the rest of my workout before jumping into the hot shower! Altho I think I was def burning more calories running and my strength training, it's hard to get outside when it's so crummy out there. This upcoming week the pool will be closed for 5 days due to maintenance so I am trying to get as much in as I can before taking the week off. Maybe I'll try to run this upcoming week....

Coolest Gift EVER

What a surprise! This morning, I got the coolest gift ever. A huge Hello Kitty PEZ dispenser! It's been a long running joke that one day, one of the managers will bring one back and I can't believe he actually bought one and carried it throughout the airport for me!!! So funny! He brought it in the office in a white plastic shopping bag cos the one from the shop was clear and he was quite embarrassed lugging it around with him. The Hello Kitty PEZ dispenser is soooo cool.

2012 & Tires

I finally got new tires for my VW Bug and it was long over due. I can't believe what a difference a new set of tires can make! Hopefully, these tires will last another 10 years and the tire guy said it would last at least another 70K =) After picking up my car from Big O, I headed over to Metrotown to catch the movie, 2012. John Cusack is an awesome actor, I love the roles he takes on, sorta like an unsung hero or the underdog. The critics and the fans have been giving it great reviews so I was keen on watching it. Wow, amazing special effects and the storyline never boring. It is a very interesting and keeps you literally on the edge of your seat. No dull moments here and it is def recommended to watch in the theatre.

Stuart Weitzmann Pumps!

Oh my pumps are here (click photo to enlarge)! They are so much prettier in person than on the website and are the EXACT BLUE SILVER I wanted!!! It did not look like that colour in the photo on Saks Fifth Avenue and I am so thrilled that it's the colour I wanted cos I was going to purchase another pump to get that colour cos I thought THESE ones were more grey!!! Love love them!

Christmas in Vancouver!

We just got some great news! HonHon will be in Vancouver for the first time in 4 years for Xmas!!! It's for sure too cos it's a business trips and those are almost pretty much set in stone. Altho I am not usually too happy with all his business trips, this one, I'm not going to complain =) He can only stay for a week cos he has another business trip due out at the end of the month but I'm going to take what I can get! Hooray HonHon in Vancouver for Xmas!!!

Richmond Centre

Tonite, Kay and I headed over to Richmond cos we needed to pick up dad's meds (to be couriered to HK) and my brother was suppose to pick up some shoes for our cousin, A'Choo. After a quick dinner of organic & local kale, onions, carrots, garlic stir-fried with pasta, mmmmm... delicious! We headed over to my dad's to pick up my brother then over to the pharmacy and to Richmond Centre for the shoes. My brother ended up doing a bit of shopping, Kay ended up with a dress from Plenty that she has been eyeing for some time cos I had a 25% discount card so I picked it up for her AND I ended up with a Hello Kitty mimobot from J2! An anniversary edition for Hello Kitty's 35th birthday! After shopping, my brother was getting hungry so we headed over to Dinesty cos he hasn't been there yet and wanted to try it out. We ordered 3 dishes, a couple of sides and lots leftover cos Kay and I only had a little bit, it was so delicious! We ended up taking the stewed pork with tofu home cos my brother insisted :) It was a fun nite and good seeing my brother!

Cinnamon Buns with Cream Cheese Icing

Tonite, I used the scone recipe and made cinnamon buns so I could use some of the cream cheese icing I made this afternoon for the market's cinnamon bun (we always miss the ones with icing). Gosh, my cinnamon buns turned out much yummier than the ones from the market! They were so good, I ate 2 1/2 buns - thank goodness they are small! So yummy and so easy to make!

Scones
4 cups of flour
5 tbsp of baking powder
1 tbsp of sugar
1/4 tsp salt (I always skip the salt cos I use salted butter)
1/2 to 3/4 cup of butter (softened)
Enough cold milk to bind, approximately 1 1/2 cups of cold milk - I use soy milk and it's just as yummy!

Sift together dry ingredients. Cut in butter until pea-sized. Add enough milk to form into a ball. Roughly form balls into the size of your palm and drop onto greased sheets. Bake in 350 - 375 C oven until done (about 15 mins). Best eaten warm with butter and jam. Add grated cheese for Cheese Scones.

Cinnamon Buns

Take the above recipe and roll batter into rectangular square on floured counter top. Cover with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon (raisins and nuts if desired). Roll into a log. Use thread to cut thru log and place swirl side up on greased pan. Bake in 350 - 375 C oven until done. (about 15 mins). When cooled, add icing sugar or homemade cream cheese icing.

Cream Cheese Icing
1 package of cream cheese (softened)
1/4 cup of butter (softened) - you may use more butter for richer icing
3/4 cup to 1 cup of icing sugar (I always use 1 cup)
1 tbsp of vanilla

Beat the ingredients together until creamy. Unused portion should be kept in the fridge.

Winter's Market @ Wise Hall

Wow, what an awesome first Winter's Market at Wise Hall! There were so many vendors and even tho it was raining and a bit chilly, the market was super packed! Kay and I picked up some great veggies and I am gonna attempt to make squash soup and stem kale for the very first time. Can't wait to try out the kale, it's suppose to be full of vitamins and it's really really good for you. We also picked up some spinach, cauliflower, apples (super inexpensive, 4 lbs for $5!) and of course, we finished our shopping with a hot dog and a cinnamon bun (to go!).

Benefit for Parkinson's Disease

Tonite, Jas and I headed over to The Press Box for a charity event in support of Parkinson's, both of our dads have this disease so this hits close to home. All the proceeds for the dinner goes to Parkinson's Society of BC. For $20, you get a burger platter with fries and a beer or wine. Jas and I were long over due for a get together so this event was the perfect opportunity to catch up and support a great cause! I wasn't expecting much from the burger but ohmygosh, pub food is super good! The burger is one of the best I've had! The place was packed with friends and family of the organizers and they had a silent auction and a 50/50 draw. It was nice to see Shauna too since I hadn't seen her in ages! Her mom was part of organizing and holding this event for her friend who has been diagnosed with this disease. The quick word and power of FaceBook , Shauna sent this invite to all of her friends and it def brought in a huge crowd of people! After dinner, we went over to her place to catch the Rihanna interview with Diane Sawyer. It was an interesting interview and it's awful what happened to her but at least she is bringing awareness to young women that this is not ok. It was a great nite of catching up!

This Is It

Wow, an amazing documentary about Michael Jackson and his This Is It concert, it would have been a spectacular concert! My fave part was the Thriller and Billie Jean, I think those would have been incredible on stage. I can't imagine all the costumes, gosh it would have been incredible. Def a must see, it's really cool to see him on stage and watch his vision. He is an incredibly talented and it's too bad, we will never know what the concert could have been.

United Way Bake Sale!

I volunteered to bake up some muffins for the United Way Bake Sale tomorrow! Mmmm...the house smells so lovely with all this baking. I've made raisin bran muffins and chocolate chip muffins, hope they do well!

Running the Park

Wow, I am impressed! I just found out that I run 4 km in 30 minutes! Erin has a site where it can calculate the distance (very accurately!) and I usually run about 10 rounds which is 4km and I used to run 13 which means I was at one time doing 5 km!!

Hello Kitty Apartment

Ohmy! How I would love to see this place in person! More photos at Three Apples Apartment.

Halloween Hookup at Hennessey Lounge

Tonite, Rhoda and I headed out to Hennessey Lounge to hear G spin and it was amazing! Rhoda and I dressed up for Halloween and I used her "cop" accessories to be a naughty cop this year. It was so much fun to dress up and I couldn't believe how hot the cop outfit looked! Before we headed over to the lounge, we stopped by Cheesecake Etc. to have dessert cos we didn't want to get to the lounge to early since G would be spinning at 11.30pm! We met up with Rhoda's friends at the cafe and after having cheesecake, we all headed off to the lounge. It wasn't a full house but still a large crowd showed up. Lots of great costumes and we all had a great time! Nice to catch up with everyone and to hear G spin, it was a fun nite and I think I'll def have to go out next Halloween!

Reunion at Joey's

Tonite we had a surprised reunion! We got pretty lucky cos originally we were going to meet on Wednesday but ended up meeting on Thursday. All 4 of us have not been together at the same place in 2 1/2 years! Jen just recently got back from Australia and Karli was in Vancouver for just the one day / night! This meeting was meant to be and we feel so lucky to be able to all see each other to catch up! Jen and Karli are doing great and Karli is busy as ever. Jen is still looking for something but I'm sure she will find something soon with all her experience. Hopefully, she'll be in the downtown core and then we could have our lunches again!

We had dinner at the new Joey's on Burrard and Pender and it is very interesting how they set up this new restaurant. Designed a bit different from the others and I'm not sure I like where they put the washrooms cos they are far from the main dining area. Behind the main dining area and bar is another bar but a bit darker and more reserved, feels like it's set up for an older crowd, men in suits. The decor throughout the restaurant is unique and interesting plus I notice the crowd (after work) is a bit older and way more suits than I expected. I tried something different cos the menu is the same at every restaurant, I decided to go with the Ahi Tuna Club, mmm... that was pretty delish and I would order it again. After dinner, it was still early but we decided to call it a nite cos Karli, Rae and I were a bit tired from the long day. Even tho we didn't get to spend much more time together, I was happy to have the chance to catch up with both Karli and Jen! We miss them so much!

Goldfish Pacific Kitchen

Another Taste of Yaletown dining experience at Goldfish. This is another restaurant I have been meaning to go to but never had a chance. The menu for TOY was reasonably priced and there were quite a few options to choose from which impressed me. The dishes were well presented and the food was delicious and mostly local. The decor is trendy and modern and the cuisine is asian fusion. A very comfortable place to enjoy drinks and appetizers with friends after work but I probably would not go back for dinner cos the dishes are a bit pricey for asian food.

I started with the premium raw oysters (a bit small but super sweet!), entree was the oven roasted sable fish (served as Hoisin-sake glaze, caramelized onion and black bean coconut jus), and for dessert, I chose the Creme Brulee with white chocolate and jasmine shortbread cookie. All for $35 not including my drinks. I would def recommend going during TOY cos you get to sample a bit of everything at a reasonable price.

Go Canucks Go!

Rhoda had won tickets from work, yeah! She hasn't been to a hockey game in 2 years which is quite unbelievable but true. We decided to have dinner at Fat Burger since we hadn't been in a while plus it's close to GM Place. It's either White Spot or Fat Burger, only junk food at the hockey game. Thankfully, every game that I've been to, the Canucks wins the game and this time they did not disappoint. Altho, the game started off a bit slow and disorganized but in the end, they got into the groove, played like a team and won the game. Go Canucks Go!

r.tl

Taste of Yaletown

r.tl had a really nice and reasonably priced menu ($25 / person). This was my first time at this place and I have been meaning to go but never had a chance to. It was a full house tonite and our table wasn't quite ready so we were offered the "red room". The red room is a room with a white leather couch, a few cushioned stools and a coffee table, the room was equipped with a TV and iPod dock and you could have the privacy away from the noisy restaurant by closing the door. We didn't do that tho cos it made the room feel really small and claustrophobic. The room is nice if you are having appetizers and drinks but not so comfortable trying to eat your dinner. The food was well presented and delicious but I was not impressed with the dessert. Overall, it was a good meal at a reasonable price and I think I would def go back again for dinner. I loved the decor and the restaurant setting. Plus the staff was incredibly attentive which we really liked and the manager gave me another dessert cos I expressed that I didn't like the dessert I chose off the menu. After dinner, it was still early (2 hour time slots for TOY) so we decided to try and get into a lounge or bar in Yaletown but it was impossible cos it's Saturday nite and we had no reservations. We walked through Yaletown to take a chance to see if we could get into Glowbal but it was packed, even Yaletown brewery had a huge line up, we decided to stop in a Blenz to have a coffee and chat some more. It was a good nite with good friends and it seems like we hadn't seen everyone in such a long time! Next dinner, it will probably be at Shel/Kitty's or Vince/Meryl's new place.

Dim Sum and Shopping

Today Kay and I met up with Clare and Cass for dim sum at Victoria Restaurant in downtown to catch up on each other since there have been many changes since we've last saw each other. Clare and Cass moved downtown and being downtown means you don't need a car but since Clare had another appointment in downtown, we decided to stick in the downtown core (Kay and I usually don't have dim sum downtown since there are so many less expensive and yummier places closer to home). We ordered a bit of everything from the menu and Clare ordered a couple of glasses of white wine to go with her dim sum. After catching up and getting full from all the dim sum, Clare had to head over to her next appointment while Kay, Cass and I decided to walk around downtown to burn off the meal. I ended up picking a couple of items like a cute silver sparkle shrug from H&M and a pair of tights from Urban Outfitters. It was nice to be outside in the sunshine as we won't be getting much more of it. After shopping, it was time to head home cos I had dinner plans for the night. It was interesting catching up with Clare, a lot has changed since I've last spoken with her.

Jay Z | N.E.R.D

Jas got tickets for this concert for half price and even though these were not the best seats in the house, Jay Z is awesome! Not huge fans of N.E.R.D tho esp their new stuff (not yet released) but did enjoy the 3 songs that I was familiar with. Jay Z is an amazing performer and def worth the money, he even spent 15 minutes looking into the crowd and thanking the fans for coming out. I have a lot of awesome photos and videos but just don't have the time to edit and go thru them so here are a few of my fave shots!

Thanksgiving Dinner

Tonite, we celebrated Thanksgiving dinner with family and friends. We had quite a meal, there was so much food and I was in charge of mash potatoes and cranberry sauce. I had picked up some purple potatoes at the last Trout Lake Farmers' Market with Kay and was very excited to surprise everyone with purple mash! The turkey was almost cooked perfectly, we should have left it in the oven a bit longer but we managed to slice the top part and enjoy some turkey before the second helping (turkey back in the oven)! Gosh, we have lots of leftovers cos mom picked up a 18 lb turkey! We love this time of the year cos we get turkey and spent quality time with the family and it's even more special cos my mom dos this for us, she and grams aren't huge fans of turkey like we are! :) (more photos on my flickr)

Hello Kitty 35th Anniversary Hoodie

Kay and I went down to Super Bored to check out the Hello Kitty LE hoodie and it was so cute that I had to have it! I felt bad that she didn't have any money to purchase a cap so I bought her a SuperBored cap as well but she's paying for half which I will be docking off her allowance. My hoodie came with a free phone strap also LE and celebrating Hello Kitty's 35th anniversary! After SuperBored, we headed over to Granville Street so I could pick up a body butter for my eczema at Rocky Mountain Soap cos the body butter works awesome and with the drier air and the office heating, I'm pretty sure I'm going to need a lot of body butter! Once we finished, we headed home cos tonite is out Thanksgiving Dinner! Mmmm....turkey, mama's stuffing and spaghetti, butter corn, purple mash potatoes and so much more!

Cooking Mama II

Sex and the City - The Movie

Wow, what a great movie! I am so in love with the ladies of Sex and The City .... must must visit New York, New York... can't wait for the next one......

Taking away the mid week blues....

with shopping ... how else do you get rid of the blues? Hehehe...

After work, Kay and I headed over to Holt Renfrew's Louis Vuitton boutique cos I had a LV limited edition book called "Louis Vuitton: Art, Fashion and Architecture" on hold for me. This is a large format book that explores 80 collaborations with the likes of Takashi Murakami and Stephen Sprouse. It is def. a collector's item and something every Louis Vuitton fan should have. The book is priced at $130USD or $160CDN and I had a few HR gift cards so I only had to pay $20.29! Gosh, the book is HEAVY and we still had quite a bit more to do so we took turns carrying the bag with the heavy book. After HR, we headed over to H&M cos Kay wanted a boyfriend blazer which she found for only $39.95, I found a cute sparkly silver shrug for $24.95 and it's perfect for my silk Kenzie dress which I want to wear during the fall/winter but need a little something to make it more wearable in the cooler months. After H&M, we walked through Browns and I found the perfect blue silver (SW colour: bluebird) shoes, this colour I have been eyeing for the past couple months but HR did not have my size and I am not in love with the style. At Browns, the style is more mine and it's dressier than HR's style plus it's a bit less expensive than the ones at HR! I will try them on when I'm ready to make the purchase :) Still on the shoe theme, Kay and I headed over to Payless cos they were having BOGO (buy one, get one 1/2 off!) and Kay really needed to replace a pair of grey flats that I threw out cos they were completely wrecked! She got a pair of black flats with a button detail (very pretty) and a pair of pink summer sandals for only $8 cos they were half off! After Payless, we headed over to the Main Street Farmer's market cos we are getting close to the end before the Winter market starts, we picked up some more candy tomatoes, romaine lettuce, apples and had a snack of bison smokie and an elephant ear (?). It was nice spending some quality time with Kay and we got a lot done this evening!

World's Oldest Hotel

Houshi

Wow, this place looks amazing and I think one of these days, HonHon and I should def stop by to enjoy their hot springs, this place looks so romantic, peaceful and relaxing. Apparently this is the world's oldest hotel and has been operated by the same family for 46 generations!

Earls

Tonite, I met up for dinner with Charly, we had dinner plans at Earls Restaurant on Lougheed Hwy in Burnaby. Usually, Tuesday is reserved for the Grouse Grind but he had bruised a muscle last week and is unable to hike up the trail. This was fine with me since I had thought our last time was the the last time cos last week, I was on holidays and he was moving out of his condo. It is so hard to get back into the Grind after skipping it a week and half and I wasn't too upset that we were not doing it. So we planned for a dinner cos I had something for his trip up to the Okanagan and we wanted to catch up before he left. Jas and I were suppose to head up to the Okanagan with them but I had to cancel since I do not have enough funds to go on this trip. I hadn't been to Earls in a long time and I wondered why, now I know why I haven't gone in so long. The quality (and quantity) in the food has gone down and I was disappointed with my salad which is suppose to be my meal but it wasn't a meal size! For $15, I expected a much larger portion and they forgot to add the cheese! I asked our server about it and she says it doesn't come with cheese but she did end up bringing me some from the kitchen. Also in my salad, they were not generous with the fruit (strawberries) or the candied nuts but added a whole lot of Quinoa!! I ordered a Bellini (Bellini Tuesdays $4) but was also disappointed with that, it was not that tasty and with only 1 oz of alcohol, I had to order another drink so I ended up with a glass of red wine. We did order a dessert which was pretty good but I don't think you can really screw up dessert. Overall, the experience was just ok and I will not be going back.

*Note: I am comparing the salad plate size to Milestones which are huge portions. For $15 I do expect much more than what was served by Earls*

Mystic River

I just finished reading Mystic River by Dennis Lehane. I am now addicted to his novels cos I love his writing style and he's really a good story teller, throwing ideas into your head and you think you've got the story but really it's not what you think. I read Shutter Island cos the movie is coming out and I wanted to know the story before watching the movie. I am really excited about the movie now and I cannot wait to watch it. Now that I've ready Mystic River, I will go and rent the movie this weekend. He is an amazing and talented writer, must go to the library and borrow a few more of his novels.

Tearful Farewells

We dropped HonHon off at the YVR around 11.30pm and for the first time, there were many many tears from all three of us. I think this time it's harder than any other time cos we had not seen him in such a long time plus our time together was cut short by a couple days due to his next business trip to China. I was clearly disappointed that he arrived late and left as scheduled (instead of delaying his departure by a couple of days) but I understand this is his business/company and he is working over there cos he wants to provide a better future and life for us. Even as we know this, It's still very hard and the distance takes a toll on a very strong and stable relationship. There is only so much time and distance a person can take and it's starting to break oneself. Tho I was well aware of this situation and what it would take, I didn't realize it would be for this long and it looks like we have a couple of more years to go. It's incredibly hard and I do not ever recommend that anyone put themselves into a long distance relationship. Even with a history (and foundation) like ours (we've know each other since we were 15 or 16 and have been together since we were 17) it is still very difficult and takes a lot out of a person, imagine a family going thru this. Kay and I have always been pretty strong and I usually keep a very strong front when it comes time to drop HonHon off at the airport but this time, we could not hold back the tears. We miss him very much and I hope the distance/time between us will get shorter and visits will become longer. We can only hope that one day, he will be here more often if not permanent but until then, we must deal with this as best we can. After dropping him off at the airport and trying to get ourselves back to schedule, I only cried about 10 more minutes in bed before falling asleep. Miss him so much......

100 mile diet

Tonite, everything on our plate (with exception of a couple of the ingredients in my Caesar salad dressing) are local and organic! Since HonHon is here, we like to cook him dinner and tonite, he got a chance to see and taste what we eat daily. He couldn't believe how delicious our pork chops (no animal meat by products vegetable diet, no antibiotic treatments, no growth hormones, freedom to run and root) from Gelderman Farms were and we had only used cracked pepper and sea salt to season as we grilled it in the wrought iron pan. We also fried the shallots in the pan after the pork chops were done and that made the shallots super tasty. Our 100 mile dinner was super delish and sooo yummy!