Late Boxing Day Shopping

Today, I went (late) boxing day shopping with Rhoda and Jess. Jess came by to pick me up and we headed downtown, we got lucky and got a parking spot right on the corner of Alberni and Thurlow. Wow, couldn't believe how busy it still was on the 3rd day of Boxing week! I was looking for the dark blue sapphire short sleeved blouse with ruffles in the front at Aritzia and hoping it was marked down, available in my size and yes it was on sale $55 from $75 but only one left and it was much too large. I did find another item that I had my eye on but didn't think it was going to be on sale, a Delphine 3/4 length black dress with cute mini ruffles in the front neckline, on sale for $60. I don't have a little black dress and I guess this could be it :) Rhoda and Jess wanted to go over to MAC Cosmetics and both picked up a few items, both bought an item from their new collection Dame Edna. Very cute and pretty make up! I didn't need any more make up, I have quite a collection at home! We didn't shop for very long, probably only about 1 1/2 hours and it didn't seem liked I picked up that many items but in the end, I spent quite a bit of money. Before calling it an end, our last stop was the Gucci boutique at Hotel Vancouver to see what they had on sale and there wasn't much left. I am looking for a new make up bag for my purse and I am thinking I might get one from Gucci. As we made our way back to the car, we did a quick stop at the Betsey Johnson boutique and that is where I spent the most money. I picked up a really nice black handbag by Bestey Johnson for only $219 and a beautifully tailored denim blazer (I don't own one) for $150!! I don't own any BJ items and I have been looking for a black handbag for quite some time so I thought what a great buy! The handbag was originally priced at $340 and the denim jacket $320. I had a great Boxing Day shopping and I really didn't think I would end up with ANYthing!! After shopping, Rhoda and I headed to Richmond cos Jess had to eat Xmas dinner with B's family and we were gonna wait for her so she could go home with Rhoda. Rhoda and I were not quite hungry yet so we did a bit more shopping at Daiso, Shoppers Drug Mart and then we headed over to a Congee Wonton House and I ordered the same dish I always order (Beef brisket and wontons with rice noodles) while we waited for Jess. We were almost finished when Jess was dropped off and we decided to go to LD so she could pick up a few gifts for a friend and we were in the beauty department for some time cos we love beauty products. After that, it was time to go home since Rhoda had to work on Monday and Jess was leaving for Jamaica on Tuesday! Lucky girl, she's spending the new years in Jamaica!! As always, it's so nice to spend the day with the girls!

Sick of Snow

Today, I had to clear the alley of SNOW and ICE in front of the garage for my mom cos she and grams were headed out to the shopping centre to see if grams could find some snow boots plus my mom's friend from Alaska, Cici will be coming in tonite. It took me 2 hours to clear the path for my mom's parking space and I ended up with two blisters and freezing feet in the process. I know for sure my back and neck will hurt for the next 2 days cos I haven't shoveled this intensely before. The previous snow days, I just shoveled the sidewalks and that had given me a few minor neck pains. I am so sick of the snow, I wish it would go away....

Xmas Week

Wow! What a week! I think I might be officially sick of turkey! Mmm... no, that's not true, I can eat turkey all the time but I am feeling like a stuffed turkey! hahaha... It's been a crazy busy week with the offices closing on Wednesday at noon (Dec. 24), the snow falling nonstop (and shoveling), more xmas shopping and xmas dinners/parties!

Monday and Tuesday, I was trying to finish off all the stuff I needed to do before the end of the year, mostly filing cos I leave it and when I do have time, I need to do it all but I can never get it all done before getting interrupted which means I rather not start! Most people were out of the office and so I got most of the filing done plus some miscellaneous items that needed my attention but had been put a side. Since I was pretty much done all my work stuff, I decided to take Wednesday off instead of coming in for half the day! Last week, I rec'd some lovely presents from my co-workers and my managers, as always my manager's wife put together a beautiful xmas gift that always included Belgium chocolate and the best wine ever! Another manager I work with gave me another bottle of lovely red wine and my good friend (and co worker) gave me a $50 Louis Vuitton GC which is so thoughtful since she knows how much I love my LVs.

On Wednesday, I decided I needed to pick up a few items from Costco and even though it was snowing heavily, I decided to venture out anyways. Boy what a mistake that was! The weather had caused some major delays in our transit system esp. the skytrain and I ended up walking home from Costco! I had waited at Stadium station for half an hour and decided I was never gonna get on a train so I started walking. Most of the route wasn't too bad until I got to Terminal Avenue and the snow was knee deep, in some parts I had to walk on the busy road cos I did not want to walk in knee deep snow. It took me about 35 minutes to walk from Stadium to Commercial drive and I decided to take a break at Blenz and Shoppers, I was thinking about training it home from Commercial but I had overheard people saying the skytrain had completely stopped and there were crowds of people at all the bus stops. I thought about taking the Victoria bus up to 28th but it seems there was a huge line up at the bus stop as well! I ended up walking home from Commercial to home and it wouldn't have taken me so long (another 30 minutes) except that I was pretty tired and Commercial / Victoria is a bit of hill on the way up and my coat was getting really heavy cos it was really wet from the snow. On a positive note, all this walking must have burned off all the calories and fat that I gained from all the holiday parties and chocolates!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

On Thursday (Xmas Day), I met up with Rhoda, Jess, and G for dim sum at Fortune House at Metro and even though we had quite a bit of snow fall, we knew it wouldn't snow much more during the day and we didn't want to be at home the entire day. I hadn't been to FH in a long time and the last time I was there, I remembered it not being very good but it seems they are under new management and the restaurant had a make over. Food and decor was pretty good, I think I will suggest my mom look into this place for my gram's 90th birthday dinner. Since it was Xmas Day, most businesses were closed except Asian places! After dim sum, we decided to head over to Aberdeen Centre in Richmond cos we knew that place would be opened and gosh, was it ever busy when we got there!! We walked through the mall and I ended up picking a really cute Baby Phat top for only $27.50 reg $55.00!! I also picked up a "dan tat" egg custard tart key chain for Kay from a store called "Looks So Real" and it really does look like an egg custard tart that you can eat!! After walking around AC, Rhoda and Jess invited Kay and I over for Xmas dinner since our Xmas dinner wasn't until Boxing Day (mom and grams had other plans, church and dim sum). Jess went to pick up Kay while Rhoda and I dropped G off at home (his van was parked unintentionally in Metro's parking lot). G invited us both to his place after dinner for drinks and celebration. We had a lovely dinner at Rhoda's and the food was delicious! It is always nice to spend time with family and Kay and I both feel Rhoda, Jess and Auntie are family :) After dinner, we dropped Kay off at home and headed over to G's place to celebrate, drink and mingle with his friends. It was a really great way to end a fabulous day!

Boxing Day/Xmas Dinner - We had snow all day but that didn't stop us from having our Xmas dinner! But at one point, I didn't think my brother or Rhoda or my Aunt would make it to the dinner but we found out that the main roads were cleared and salted. My brother was going to park in the back alley and we had done some shoveling in trying to make a parking spot but it did no good and after 40 minutes of shoveling and getting his car out of the snow (he got stucked in the snow, three times!!), he decided to try to find parking on the main street. Rhoda was nice enough to pick up our Aunt on her way to our place and she found parking on Kingsway. Rhoda had no problem walking to our place but it seems that not everyone had shoveled their sidewalks and our aunt did not wear snow boots which caused her to KAPOOT into the snow (hehehe, no not funny!). It was nice to have everyone at our dinner and the food was awesome! My organic turkey was super tasty and of course, my mom did a great job roasting the turkey and making all the fixings. We had both done quite a bit of preparation during the day but ti was worth it. The meal was delicious! After dinner and dessert (mom had chocolate ice cream cake in the freezer), we opened our gifts and it was a great way to end the evening. By 10pm, most of us were worn out (well mom and I) and it was better that Rhoda and my brother get on the roads while it was still somewhat cleared as the snow did not stop falling! It was a great way to spent Xmas and I think next year, maybe Rhoda and I should consider doing one Xmas dinner with both of our families! Hehehe, we'll start a new tradition!

On another note.....

Finished "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini - An emotional and beautiful story of two very different women living on the same street and how their lives eventually intertwine with each other. Stories of survival, love and what it takes to be a woman living under their circumstances. A very well written story and as always Khaled does not disappoint. A MUST READ.

Watched "Burns After Reading" - A humorous story that poked fun at the US government. A def. must watch!

Hello Kitty Diamond Ring

This is for the rich Hello Kitty fans, it’s a 18-karat yellow gold Hello Kitty Diamond Ring. This diamond ring will cost you a whopping $4,250.

• 18-karat yellow gold.

• Pavé diamond Hello Kitty®.

• Bow, pink pavé sapphires. Nose, yellow citrine. Eyes, onyx.

• 1.0 total carat weight.

• 1/2″H x 3/4″W.

Dinner at Kitty & Shel's

Tonite, we headed over to Kitty & Shel's house for a turkey dinner! There was a minor problem with his pipes (frozen!) and he thought he might have to postpone it but thankfully, the water came back on! The turkey and fixings were so delicious and I am so thankful to have a holiday dinner with them. They are good people with huge hearts and we treasure their friendship, we hardly ever see each other and never had Xmas dinner together so it's the first time since we've known each other. Hopefully, not the last! Charly came by to pick us up cos my car was still stuck in my parking spot and he drives a SUV with 4 wheel drive. I wouldn't drive anyways with the roads still icy and sloshy plus we had heard it was going to snow tonight! Charly brought some appy's, Jas brought dessert (mmmm...cheesecake!), Kay and I brought veggies with dip. Dinner did start a bit later than planned but there were lots to munch on. We caught up with each other's lives and watched a replay of Trevor Linden's retirement at GM Place, they officially retired #16 in his honour. It was a bit sad to see his retirement but it is awesome that they recognized his career with the Vancouver Canucks. Once, the turkey was ready, we sat down and helped ourselves and watched the hockey game on the PVR. After dinner, we rested a bit and had a slice of Urban Fare's vanilla bean cheesecake, mmmm... that was super yummy! Around 10ish, we decided we better head out cos the snow was coming down hard and Charly had to drive us all home. Plus he had to pick up and drop off his g/f as well. It was an awesome night with great people and delicious food! Enjoy the photos!

Casadei

After work, Jas and I met up for dinner and some shopping. I wasn't expecting to find anything at all but thought I would check out Holt Renfrew and Brown's designer shoe sales. At first, I found a really cute pair of Stuart Weitzman ballet flats (similar to what I already own) at HR but it was half a size too big and I wasn't willing to pay that price for them, maybe if they were less than $100 I would have considered them. I moved on to Browns and found really nothing in my size and didn't expect too since I was there a couple days before. But a pair of black Casadei caught my eye but when I tried on the display shoe in my supposed size, it was much too small so I tried a size up and couldn't believe it fit (with a bit of room, probably 1/2 size would have been a perfect fit!). I picked up the black and the red pair and could not believe the price!! $700 shoes marked down to $399.98 and down to $99.98?? I couldn't believe it, I actually had to stop a SA to make sure they were marked down to that price and she confirmed it. She brought out the other shoes so I could try them on and even though it was slightly loose on me (half a size or less), I decided I could go out and buy some insoles cos at THIS PRICE, how could I not buy them??!!?? Plus these are beautiful shoes made in Italy and so very comfortable even though the heel is so high. But when the cashier rang it up, it came up to $400+!! Apparently, they were $199.98 not $99.98 but I said, the SA confirmed the price of $99.98 and that is why I am buying both pairs. The SA came to the cashier and when the cashier pointed out the "1", the SA said no give it to her at the $99.98 price cos the price was deceiving and she didn't even realize it was $199.98!! She said she would sign off on it and I was so happy to hear cos I hadn't been able to buy anything in so long and finally, I managed to get out of my shopping rut! What a great deal and so happy to have them!!

Snow Storm

Tonite was a great night to do some Xmas shopping downtown :) It has been snowing all morning and afternoon, by the time I was finished work, the snow had stopped. I still had a few Xmas gifts to pick up for my co-workers and manager's wife so I decided tonite would be a good nite to go shopping. Boy was I not at all wrong :) It was nice and quiet out there! My first stop was MAC on Robson and usually this place is super busy and you can never get a make-up artist to help you but tonite, I was the only customer there and there were 8 MAs available! I picked up a holiday collection item for Kay as a stocking stuffer cos she won't get many gifts to open this year and I'm giving her lucky money instead of a gift. I also went over to Winners and got a great deal on a pair of Moschino leather gloves (lost one glove at the Xmas party) and Home Sense for my manager's wife's gift. By 6ish, I was tired and ready to call it a nite!

Coolest Gift yet!

By far, the coolest gift for Xmas :) My dear work friends, E and Jana, picked up this shoe tape dispenser for me. How thoughtful and so very me!!!

Xmas Dinner at Hotel Vancouver, Fairmount

Tonite, we had our company's Xmas party at the Fairmount Hotel and I had heard great reviews about the food from our party last year (missed it due to a parent/teacher meeting). Was not disappointed in the food, it was so delicious! The party started at 4.30pm (right after work), it is a nice way to end the night and nice to mingle with people that I don't work with but am friends with. When the Xmas party is here, it means we are almost at our Xmas break :) Yes, we get a Xmas break cos our offices are closed from noon on December 24 until January 5, 2009!

Dinner and Dessert with the Birthday Girl

Today is Rhoda's official birthday and we (Jess and I) took her out for dinner and dessert. Jess made reservations at Las Margaritas for 7pm, it was crazy to out in this super freezing weather but to resist not to go! Finding parking on West 4th can be difficult but it was def worth the cold! The meals are so yummy and for years, I have been meaning to check this restaurant out. Mexican food mainly consists of lots of veggies, meats, carbs and cheese. Yes, I think HonHon and Kay would really enjoy having dinner here. We love Mexican and truly, we really enjoy eating different types of cuisines and I still have to try the little local Mexican restaurant closer to home. A couple of friends mentioned one on Victoria street and it's only about 5 minutes (driving) from my house. One of the friends is a Mexican from Mexico so I would def not doubt his taste buds! After dinner, we decided to meet up with Rhoda's friend, Kent (her god brother) at True Confections for dessert cos a birthday girl needs her birthday cake! But before we met with him, Jess had to drop off some food for her BF and their place downtown. Cos we had two cars, Jess and Jess's friend, we decided Rhoda and friend could head over to TC to get a table and meet Kent while I go with Jess to drop off the food and check out her new condo. OMG, how beautiful is her new place!! It's at the Sheraton Residence and her suite has floor to ceilings windows and what a view it is!! She's got an amazing view of downtown, Vancouver and the mountains!! So nice!!! What a beautiful place to live. Once we arrived to TC, we ordered our drinks and dessert and I always choose the same one, a slice of the Devil's Food Cake. It is their famous old fashioned devil's food cake with dark chocolate layers, chocolate filling and marshmallow icing - YES - MARSHMALLOW ICING....mmmmm....yummy! It was an awesome nite with great peeps and good food!

Happy Birthday Rhoda!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Tonight 20 of us gathered to celebrate Rhoda's birthday at Pondok Indonesian Restaurant. Pondok moved from their small little location off Commercial Drive to Broadway in a plaza on the 2nd floor, wow, what a difference! Altho, I really preferred the smaller location (as it did not have a dance floor or a karaoke bar), I'm happy to see they are doing well, well enough to expand the restaurant and move to a really nice place. The last place seemed a bit of a hole in the wall and if you didn't know where it was, you'd never know! Rhoda had two large tables booked and when she finally arrived (birthday girl is allowed to be late for her party), she tried to put the two tables together. It wasn't going to work and it would be very difficult for everyone to eat being squished at one table. Our dinner reservations were at 7.30pm and at first, the restaurant was half empty but around 8.30pm, every single table in the restaurant was taken and there were many people in line waiting to be seated! The food was pretty good but I think it was better at the Commercial location. The service wasn't so great due to the large size of the restaurant and the min staff on hand but we couldn't be more happier to get out of the restaurant once the amateur singers and dancers were up on the stage and dance floor! Jas and I were going to go clubbing with her afterwards but it started to snow during dinner and I knew my car / tires wouldn't make it home if it kept coming down like that all night. It was nice to see a lot of old faces whom I haven't seen in a while and I'm really happy to see Rhoda had a great time! She deserves it!

Long Lost Friend

My long lost friend, I found him! Check out my very talented friend, Howie Woo :) and his toons!

Xmas Lunch

Today, we had our division's Xmas lunch at Joe Fortes. I have never been to this restaurant before and was quite excited about having lunch there and I probably should not have hyped it up so much. As it turns out, the food and the service was a bit disappointing. I am not sure if it was cos they could not handle a group of 90 or if this is the way it always is. I was esp disappointed with the choices I made from the set menu cos my steak was not blood rare instead it was cooked (blah!!) and the cheesecake I chose for dessert was not as yummy as I am used to. Oh well, I still appreciated the lunch (Thanks to our VP!) and getting a 2 hour lunch break with all the people I work with.

Report Card

I am not impressed with Kay. Not at all. Tomorrow is Parent Teacher Night and I asked if I needed to go, is there anything I should discuss with her teacher. Last night, she finally came home with the notice for setting up appointment times with 4 teachers. I didn't think much of it until bed time (while I was already in bed!) and asked what am I suppose to talk to the teacher about? Your grades? Hey wait a second, I got a message from the school last week about report cards! Where is her report card? Well she has been holding it this entire time and she didn't give it to me cos I didn't ask for it!! WTF?? You are kidding me right? She is so sneaky! If I never asked for it, I would have never have gotten it. Not impressed at all.

Early Xmas Holiday Cheers

Tonight, we celebrated an early Xmas potluck dinner with Vince, Meryl and R. At first, the host/ess(s) wanted us there at 5pm but there was no way we (Jas, Kay and I) could make it so early cos we all had a ton of things to do before dinner. R had to leave early cos she had other plans for that night. But that is way too early for dinner and not enough time to run errands.

In the afternoon, Kay and I had gone to the Winter's market to pick up our veggies and fruits for the next 2 weeks. It was a rainy and wet afternoon and you would think it would have been quieter but no such luck. It was packed and lots of people made it out! Our very first stop as always was the apple guy and we got some very disappointing news, this was the last market for him cos he is done for the season. :( Kay grabbed as many apples as she could cos these apples are the bestest! We can still find apples at the other farms but def no comparison to these apples. After the market, we had to get a hot drink, Kay went with an apple cider and I had an Americano and then we headed home. Kay had afternoon plans with her friend to finish up a project they were working on and I had a few more errands to run with my mom. Jas was also busy running around and she could not make it to my place until 5.30pm. I made an organic and local salad from the veggies I picked up in the afternoon and Jas brought dessert, mmm dessert.

Lately, I have been feeling very depressed and not really wanting to socialize, I'm sure it's cos I had my purse stolen and that is the cause of my icky mood. But after a while, I could not help but be part of the holiday cheer after dinner. Food and dessert always brings people together. Vince and Meryl cooked a lovely vegetable prawn dish and a chicken casserole dish served with white rice. I brought an organic salad (the carrots were super sweet and so fresh!) and of course, Jas brought dessert, cheesecake and chocolate cupcakes and R brought an appy, brie with garlic and dried cranberries served with crackers. I didn't eat much cos I haven't been hungry since that black friday (the day my purse got stolen and ironically it was a Black Friday) and since I don't eat white rice, I had a good sized plate of my salad and a bit of V &M's chicken dish. It was nice to see everyone before the holidays and so very nice of Vince and Meryl to host the dinner party cos we know how busy they are with their upcoming trip. How lucky they are to be going to Asia for a month and celebrating Xmas and New Years out there! I could use a holiday, well this May, I might be heading to NY NY! We'll see.... No presents were exchanged as per my request but V&M were very thoughtful in giving Kay a little something for Xmas (Metrotown GC, how can you go wrong with that??)

Night Off

Tonight was Kay's turn to cook, actually it was last night but she went to a friend's afterschool to work on their homework. She had decided to make buffalo burgers, mashed potatoes and grilled corn. Mmmmm...so yummy!

Depressed

I am so depressed.... so depressed in fact that I don't even enjoy shopping nor can I bring myself to buy anything (seriously, SOMETHING). I know there is def. something seriously wrong with me when I can't go shopping. I love shopping and I love shoes and make up yet I went into a couple of stores to look and came out with nothing. Even when I had a reason to go shopping, I could not do it. No desire to buy anything. I guess I am in mourning and I am sure eventually I will get over this but I wish I didn't have to go thru this. It really sucks. It's been a crappy 2008.

Long Day

What a long day and it didn't help that it rained all day long while running around trying to get things done! I finally picked up a new cellphone (Nokia 3500 in pink) to replace the one that got stolen and it's not the best looking phone but it does what it needs to do. After picking up and getting my mobile back online, we headed over to CT to pick up some new locks for the doors. My keys and my mom's keys were on the same key chain so I had to replace all the locks on the doors, what a pain! It took us 4 hours to replace one lock cos there was some confusion with the locks! After replacing the locks, I realized I have to replace everything and it's gonna take me weeks to get all my stuff together. I am so depressed and can't sleep or eat ... not good ...

Purse Snatching!

OMFG, my handbag got stolen at Pacific Centre while I was in Browns trying on boots! I turned my back for a second and it was gone!!! I can't believe this happened to me, 1/3 of my LV collection was in that handbag!! The total cost in goods is 3+K and my entire life was in that handbag!!! I am so pissed! I can't believe this happened to me. Yes I realized that these items are just material things and can be replaced but it's the fact that it took me forever to get this collection. Plus there are things in my handbag that cannot be replaced like note cards from HonHon, photos of Kay and HonHon, my jade buddha from Hong Kong that my grandma bought for me, my Japanese Hello Kitty from Kay's friend Ty etc. The most devastating thing is that I had a bad feeling today and I didn't follow my gut instinct to leave my handbag at work while out at lunch. I feel so stupid, violated, victimized, angry, depressed, worried and lost....

(almost) Brand New!

Tonight, BQ returned and put together my PC. Thank goodness we got it back, Kay and I were getting a little bit edgy without the computer. I can't believe how fast and smooth it's running, almost like a brand new computer! BQ is the BESTEST! He did mention that we had A LOT of stuff and I should really consider moving it onto a backup! I guess I'll have to pick up the WD 640 GB hard drive sometime soon and cut / paste all my stuff in there so we can have more space on the computer. After he fixed out system, it turns out that we had an extra 22 GB of hard disk space! Wow!

Hello Kitty Casio Digital Camera

Night off!

Tonight for dinner, Kay attempted to make spaghetti and meatballs. There was a lot of work involved with making the meatballs, she had to manually chop the onion (yes we have a food processor but I wanted her to learn to finely chop onions!) into fine (very fine) pieces and then mix the onions, garlic, seasonings and bread crumbs together with her hands. After the mixture was completely mixed, she had to roll the meat into little balls and pan fry them on medium heat for about 15 minutes. I didn't watch over her this time (which I should have) and her meatballs didn't turn out cos she didn't realize that these do not have to be continuously stirred in the pan and they fell apart! Oh well, no meatballs so it became just spaghetti and meat sauce! Still pretty yummy though :) Wonder what she will come up with next week.....

On another note, I finished the book "marley & me" by John Grogan. Very sweet book and if you are a dog lover, you must READ THIS BOOK. Very well written!

WD 640GB Hard Drive

Wow, look at this portable Western Digital HD, it's 640GB and it's very slick! Costco $119.99, I think I am going to pick this one up :) for my "back up" files.

Ginger Candids

Errands and such....

This afternoon was all about returning items and running errands. After BQ left with my PC, I went upstairs to grab some lunch (mom made perogies with green onions, sour cream and freshly grated cheddar cheese, 5000 calories!) and to see if she needed to run any errands for herself. She did have a few things to pick up so we decided to head over to Best Buy and Canadian Tire on Cambie street since BQ advised that I didn't actually need to upgrade my PC's hard drive to the 500GB cos what I had currently was more than enough for a home user. That was great to know, saves me a hundred dollars and now I can look for an external hard drive so I can back up all my important files in my PC just in case anything ever happened to it. It's quite concerning, how a little electronic device carries quite a bit of my life in there. Part of my life is in the hands (or gigabytes) of a PC.....hmm..... a bit scary actually......

After returning the hard drive and looking around (no sales or deals on an external hard drive at the moment), we went upstairs to CT to pick up a few items for Ginger. After CT, we decided to head over to Costco cos I needed to pick up a membership for myself cos it is handy to have one and I needed to pick up a couple of items from there. Mom also had a list of stuff they needed but she forgot her membership card and A/X. It didn't matter tho cos once you sign up and pay the fee, you can use your membership right away. Surprisingly, it wasn't that busy but we are not used to the set up of this Costco so we were a bit confused where everything was. After walking and locating our items, we headed over to the check out and it was pretty quick. We wanted to stop by the concession stand for a snack (Costco hot dogs ... mmmm... yumyum!) cos we still had to go to Superstore before heading home but the stand was super busy, the line up was out the door! We decided to go to McD's for drive thru, bad mistake cos my tummy didn't feel well after snacking on grease! At Superstore, we met up with Auntie Ing cos she wanted to go to Superstore with us, we walked around the store and picked up a few more items before calling it a night. I had the entire house to myself for a couple of hours cos mom, grams and auntie had gone out for dinner while Kay was at a movie with her friend. Super nice to have quietness and peacefulness, I remember at one time, it was pretty scary being alone in the house but now that we are used to it, it's quite a treat!

MIA

It seems that my PC has some serious problems and my IT friend, BQ who has been so kind to come by and look at my PC on his own time, cannot seem to find the problems no matter what he does. He has taken it home to backup all my stuff and will reload the Windows XP back and hopefully, this will fix all the problems! A nice thing about reloading Windows is that it will now be clean and all bugs and stuff will be out. Plus I have been having some major issues with my PC esp. the last Windows update, every since then, my PC has been difficult. BQ is the BESTEST! I owe him a couple of lunches for sure cos I know this is very time consuming and he's doing a huge favour for me.

Happy Birthday Andy!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDY!

Tonight, we celebrated his birthday at a cool little restaurant called Abigail's Party. The food was alright but the company was def fun and entertaining! After some appetizers, wine and dinner, we headed over to Andy's place to drink and cheer his birthday! He lasted much longer this year than last, he made it past midnight! It was a bit of a long night but it was def fun, entertaining and everyone is so cool :) well except for the annoying drunk. He bonked me in the head with an empty plastic drink cup! That was NO FUN....

Saturday Afternoon

This morning, Kay and I woke up early to hit the Winter's market a bit earlier than the last time cos we wanted to make sure we didn't miss out on the good stuff! Gosh, was it ever super busy today and with the sun out, I think people were more willing to come out! It was a great market, lots of great stuff and I'm happy that we arrived early, there were tons of farmers outside and much more inside with a lot of winter veggies on display. Kay and I picked up our apples (of course!), a winter squash, potatoes, mushrooms, onions and cauliflower. We also picked up some yummy Artichoke Pesto from Golda's and artisan all natural yogurt from Ridgecrest Dairy Ltd, a farm from Mission. To my surprise, the Hazelnut guy was there as well! I had fallen in love with the hazelnut oil that we brought back from Agassiz and could not locate this oil anywhere in Vancouver! He didn't have any hazelnut oil on display as he didn't have any available yet but he did have a new product, hazelnut butter (which I did end up buying one) and the sample was really yummy! He will be at the next Winter market and he will def have some hazelnut oil by that time. I am really excited about that cos this oil goes really well in any salad with a handful of his roasted hazelnuts! Very delish and yummy. After walking through and picking up our fruits/veggies for the next two weeks, we decided to check out Bosa Foods on Victoria since we were in the area and they are known to stock a lot of Italian goods. Wow, did it smell nice in there with all the freshly baked italian bread! Kay and I were quite excited to see the selection of pasta, dried cured meats, sauces and CHEESE. But we still have some cheese left from our last trip to the market so we didn't pick any up although we now know where we can get some good imported cheese for our pasta dishes! We did manage to leave the store with one item, an inexpensive bag of dried pasta :) Once we were finished, we headed home to drop off our items before heading over to Metrotown. I had to return the digital box I picked up from FS cos I need a new hard drive instead. I guess I will have to pick up the digital box next month as right now it's more important to fix and upgrade the PC. We headed over to FS to return the item and to see if FS would price match the Western Digital 500GB internal hard drive cos it was cheaper at Best Buy. But the aggressive sales person said he had to call BB to make sure it was in stock or else they would not price match it. I was like what? are you serious?!?! I know it's in stock cos I checked online before coming here! Since I didn't like the SP anyways, I decided to head over to BB instead and buy it there. Plus I have a BB rewards card altho (doh!) I forgot to bring it. Also, I like BB customer service, it is so much better and BB price matched an item for me yesterday without having to call FS to see if they had stock (which FS did not, of course!). Stupid FS, I hate that store and their sales staff. Maybe that's why FS has this policy cos their sales items are never in stock, it seems they sell out what little stock they have at the beginning of their sales. I think it's a conspiracy! After our purchase, we decided to walk around Shoppers Drug Mart and then over to Metrotown as we had about 45 minutes left on our parking ticket. Gosh, the mall is super packed which surprises me since it was such a beautiful and sunny day! I guess it's all about the holiday shopping! Wandering around the mall for a bit, we decided to call it an afternoon since we still had to go to HonHon's place to check his mail, I've been pretty lazy and hadn't checked his mail in three weeks! Yikes! Now it's time to get ready for Andy's birthday dinner and party!

Burberry at the Shangri-La Hotel

A Burberry boutique has opened in Vancouver! Wow! I am so happy to FINALLY see a Burberry boutique in our city! I did notice the store front yesterday (co-workers were hinting at it) and when I looked to see, I noticed it was and SAs were busy stocking the shelves and setting up the store for the grand opening. Just in time for the holidays! After my lunch appointment with Val (we checked out Joe Fortes for our Xmas luncheon), we went over to the new Urban Fare (at the Shangri-la Hotel) to see what they had and to pick up lunch at the deli counter. I briefly strolled through the store on my way back to the office (it is directly across from my office! oh no! dangerous!) and was amazed to see the beautiful set up. It is def nice to have a Burberry here cos the only other place that carried Burberry is Holt Renfrew and HR is very limited to what they have in stock. This boutique carries the entire collection including men's and women's clothing, shoes, handbags/wallets and accessories! While browsing through the store, I noticed a couple of familiar faces, Peggy (previously with Dior, Holt Renfrew) and another SA (previously with Louis Vuitton, Hotel Vancouver), this reunion was quite funny and I'm happy to know that I will have a new SA at Burberry. It's always nice to have a SA that knows who you are and what you like which means they can give you better service and the right amount of attention. Plus she knows I love pink and showed me a cashmere pink scarf which I loved but wasn't looking for that colour. She did me find the "Trench" colour scarf I was looking for and I am happy to see there is a few in stock. HonHon is buying me a cashmere scarf (the above) for Xmas and I am SO EXCITED cos I have wanted one of these for a long time and it's going to match my rain boots! Can't wait to pick it up! :)

Kay's Cooking

Tonight, Kay made dinner for the first time (with a bit of help!). I decided over the weekend that she should help out more with the household and start cooking dinner once a week. We agreed that Wednesday night would be a good night cos it's the middle of the week so tonight was her first attempt. Not bad for little experience, of course there was some guidance and a bit of cheating (used a Tresso Teriyaki sauce - which is the BEST teriyaki sauce ever!) to make the Teriyaki chicken stir fry with fresh veggies and udon noodles. I told her to start her prepping at 5.15 even though we eat dinner at 6pm cos I knew it would take her a bit to prepare. Good thing she did cos by the time she was at the stove, it was 5.45pm! I told her to be very careful with the knife and just do it slowly cos she's not used to using such a large chef knife. She did it on her own and she was quite proud :) I am so proud of her, I knew she could do it even though she was worried. After dinner, I cleaned up the huge mess and told her to start thinking about next week's dinner. We are NOT having the same thing! LOL... and I told her, she'll have to come up with something other than asian and stir fry! Enjoy the photos, more photos on my flickr account!

Gucci - Sukey Large Python Tote

OH MY! Beautiful Gucci Tote! Wish I could afford one cos they are a perfect match for my new Stewies! Exotic python leather, crafted with great detail yet simple and classic shape. Thank goodness Gucci went back to the classics cos I have no idea what they were thinking when they decided to bring THESE out....??!!??

Avail at Saks Fifth Avenue $3195 and due to popular demand, only 3 purchases per month!! Sheesh, wish I could even afford the ONE!

Perfect Domed Muffins!

Almost perfect! A bit over cooked, I think I didn't add enough "liquid" to the batter but my muffins are perfectly domed! With these shots, I couldn't choose the one to post so I posted them all! Enjoy and Yes, they are as yummy as they look :)

Brunch

This morning, I decided I wanted to try and make a nice brunch for Kay and I. I try to make brunch every weekend but I usually only make waffles with sausages or bacon with an egg but this morning, I wanted to try breakfast potatoes. I wasn't sure how they were going to turn out but they actually turned out pretty great! Brunch is yummy, my fave meal of the day!

It's funny how Kay still wants her waffles cut up into pieces cos I've been doing that for her since she was a little girl. She says it's easier for her to dip the waffles into the syrup! Hahaha.... I'm sure it is. The homemade waffle recipe is super easy and every ingredient is organic! Plus since we've cut out milk, we've noticed these waffles taste much fluffier when it's made with soy milk. Super yummy!

RIP Rudy

My mom's lovebird has passed tonight. He lived a very long life, almost 20 years. We are all very saddened by his loss and mom and I will bury him in the backyard tomorrow.

R.I.P. Rudy

Go Green, Live Rich

Just finished reading this book, Go Green, Live Rich (Canadian Edition) by David Bach with Hillary Rosner. I found it very easy to ready and there were many good ideas in going green in your every day life. Must read and own!

Sharp - Limited Edition

The AQUOS Limited Edition XS1 Series, in 65" and 52" screen sizes, sets a new standard for large-screen flat-panel LCD TVs. With Full HD 1080p resolution, dramatically enhanced black level and an elegant new ultra-thin design produce a breathtaking viewing experience that is second to none. The XS1 Series utilizes the next generation of Sharp’s proprietary 10-bit Advanced Super View/Black TFT Panel with Mega Dynamic Contrast Ratio in excess of 1,000,000:1 along with an ultra-high performance RGB-LED backlight for very deep black levels and an unprecedented 150% colour gamut. In addition, these models include the groundbreaking AQUOS Net feature for custom Web-based content through an Ethernet jack, as well as 120Hz Fine Motion Enhanced for the ultimate in fast-motion image processing. All XS1s are HDTVs with a separate AVC system with built-in ATSC / QAM / NTSC tuners and include 5 HDMI™ inputs and 2 HD 1080p component video inputs as well as RS-232C for control. This Series features a stunning silver cabinet, with detachable speakers. The AVC system connects to the monitor with an included HDMI™ cable and the XS1 features a stunning metallic cabinet that is less than 1” in thickness at its thinnest point.

Oooh I LOVE and WANT one!

4 Day Weekend!

Woohoo 4 day weekend! Love those :) But so sad cos it went by so fast! I can't believe it's already over :( weekends seem to rush right by.....

Saturday

Kay and I headed over to Wise Hall for the first day of the Winter's Market! We were happy to see that our apple guy was still around and we picked up another bag of apples! $12 worth of apples cos they are so yummy! Most of the regular vendors were around altho many are now just stocking winter vegetables. I am not sure how to cook all these different types of winter vegetables so I guess I will have to google some recipes! Lucky for us, it wasn't raining too bad as it was earlier in the morning (Kay woke up late). The Winter's Market only happens every 2 weeks so I had to figure out what I could buy and what wouldn't spoil so quickly in the fridge. Kay and I always enjoy heading over to the farmer's market cos there are so many interesting stands and some many wonderful items to discover! After the market, we headed home and Kay started on her homework cos she was heading out on Sunday with friends while I gave Rhoda a call cos she wanted to do a bit of shopping.

Rhoda and I headed over to Baby's World and IKEA in Coquitlam and she bought a few items from each place. Superstore was next and I picked up a few grocery items plus a cute sweater for only $29.99! After all that shopping, we decided to call it a day so we headed back to her place to drop her stuff off, rest a bit and to pick up my car. After chilling a bit, we decided to head over to my place to have dinner. Lucky for us, my mom was home and she made us a yummy asian dinner with soy sauce pork, bean sprout dish and BBQ duck/pork take out. Everything was delish altho I found the take out a bit too salty and was super thirsty after dinner. Rhoda hanged out with us a bit more before calling it a night.

Sunday

On this rainy day, mom and I ran errands cos she didn't get much done yesterday. We headed over to a few places to pick up her groceries and off to LD to pick up some sale items that she needed. Mom ended up buying me my very own pasta maker, I am so EXCITED, can't wait to test this out! Kay and I have been debating if we should make our own pasta since we do not like boxed lasagna and now we can do it ourselves, just have to find some recipes. After our errands, it was getting late and we decided to go out to eat so we didn't have to cook. We decided on Miu Garden cos grandma likes the curry brisket and we have been meaning to pick some up for her. After dinner, I chilled and relaxed.

Monday

Shopping in the States with my BFFs :) with the exception of Kay. She had school today! Aw too bad so sad... we spent the entire day in the States and I did pretty good. Only spent $200 USD and I didn't have to pay duties when we crossed the border cos I only claimed $105! We ended up to the usual places and I was a bit disappointed that I didn't see anything at the Outlet! Nada. We headed over to a new shopping centre called University Village and it's an outdoor shopping centre right by University of Washington (thank you to the mini gps). It's a pretty nice place and of course, it's new to us so it was a bit more exciting. We ended up in a little boutique called Mercer that had Citizens of Humanity (and 7's) on sale for $84 USD in my size!!!! Vancouver has these designer denims but are priced over $200+ a pair so it was a great deal and I could not resist them. Plus I don't own a pair of Citizens so I managed to justify this purchase in my head. I picked up a few items from Sephora (which was my main reason for going to the States) and I ended up with a Shu Uemura 24kt Gold eyelash curler (only available at Sephora), a Too Face lash injection pin point mascara and I picked up a Kat Von D metallic purple liquid eye liner for Kay. I always end up picking up a little something for her and I felt sorta bad that she had school today!

After all our driving and shopping, we decided to head back to Vancouver making one last stop at Bellis Fair. As we were driving back, we ended up in a minor accident on the freeway, a lady rear ended us cos she didn't realized we all had stopped and she didn't have her eyes on the road cos she was looking at her baby in the back seat!! OMG... it was a bit scary actually cos I have never been in an accident outside of Vancouver, plus the freeway was jammed packed with cars as we were in the middle of rush hour. It is pretty scary standing on the side of the freeway with these cars zooming past you! But it's def. a first time I've ever stood on the freeway having a cigarette! I was a bit worried about getting back into traffic cos there never seemed a break in between the cars but Rhoda managed to get us back in. But we missed our exit (to I-5) and had to take a long route around (kinda like Lougheed Hwy) back to I-5. I was hoping to find a Hello Kitty t-shirt at Bellis Fair but did not manage to find anything :( After a brief walk around, we headed towards the border, the wait wasn't too long (thank goodness!) as we were getting a bit hungry (we decided to eat in Vancouver). Rhoda and Jas ended up paying taxes cos we declared $800 USD total. Lucky for me, I only declared $105 USD ($70 USD in make up was stashed in my make up bag) and I didn't have to pay taxes! Once we crossed the border, we went to Richmond to eat dinner, we all wanted something light and easy so it was beef brisket, wonton noodle soup for us! It was a fun but tiring day and we did some great shopping! Plus it was awesome to have my girls bond :) This was def. one of the best shopping trips ever!!!

Tuesday

Today was a bit of a rainy day and I stayed home to rest and bake. Mom had wanted me to help her rake up the leaves but she never called or came down and when I went outside in the afternoon, she had already finished raking most of the yard. I didn't think she was going to do it today as it was very wet and cold but she wanted to get it done before she left for Vegas. I am now thinking I am not so sure I want to live in a house, the yard work is HARD WORK! Since my mom didn't need my help, I decide to catch up on my house errands like cleaning the washroom, doing a couple of loads of laundry, baking my muffins and waffles etc. It was nice not to be running around and out in about. It was a nice just being at home, altho I did end up going for a walk after dinner in the rain, I love walking in the rain esp when it's coming down hard. Love the freshness and crispness in the air.