The King (and Queen) of Kensington!

Yesterday started off as quite the lazy day. Gerwyn had to work so I did stuff around the condo; cleaning, laundry and eventually a 2 hour nap. Every so often I'd hear him come into my room, but only to tell me he had a lot more work to do. So I went back to my zzzzzzzz. Eventually I woke up when Hanna came in from her interview at U of T and we managed to persuade Gerwyn to leave his work until Monday and we all went out for a late lunch at Ichiban Sushi on Wellington. It was ok (the spicy tuna was REALLY spicy!).

Then we walked Hanna back to the condo before she headed off to another interview in Kingston and decided to take a little trip to Kensington. Kensington is one of Gerwyn's favourite spots (I'm sure y'all know why,) but I haven't spent too much time there. I just remember the trips I used to take with friends in highschool to find some cool "used" clothing in one of the many stores. Anyway, yesterday we took another tour of the area and I realized how amazing it is. There are grocery stores and restaurants of every culture, Latino, French, Thai, African, Italian and Asian and lots of cute little cafes and stores. At the grocery store, I picked up some quinoa (so cheap!). We also checked out a new store called "Blue Banana", I think its going to become one of my favourites. Its like a mixture of house stuff from all over the world. They have pillows, dishes, curtains, beanbag chairs, fudge, candles, and the list goes on. We left with some fudge and funny matches. (I couldn't leave empty handed afterall.)

Then we continued our tour with a stop at the HotBoxCafe (of course,) followed by a beef patty and empanada at Jumbo Empanadas. We also tried something called an "empalvaldo(?)". Its a Chilean dessert which looks like a small two layer cake with caramel sauce in between and then covered in coconut and icing sugar. It was so good we went back for another. Lastly, we picked up some produce at one of the many fruit stands and went home to rent a movie.

I can't wait until the weather gets better and then we can make it a weekend tradition!

Dinner with Friends

Last night we met MelandNorm and Victor and his new girlfriend Nikki for dinner at Spring Rolls. We were originally supposed to go to Salad King (one of my favourite restaurants,) but we got there at 8:30 and there was a half hour wait plus the restaurant closed at 9:15 so there was a chance we might not even get served! Well, after that we decided to go to Spring Rolls instead, we needed to eat afterall!

Gerwyn+Victor+Norm = a whole lot of silliness. I'm sure its like going back to the highschool days except I guess when you go to an all boys school, the jokes are dirtier and WAY more immature. Its pretty funny to watch. After dinner, MelandNorm decided to head home since they had an early day the next day (and it WAS already 11pm, very late for us!) but the rest of us decided to watch a movie at the new AMC theatres at Dundas Square. I remember when I went to Ryerson and they were just "talking" about purchasing the building for lecture halls and movie theatres. I even remember seeing the original architect's drawings and its amazing to see that the design has finally come to life. The building itself is huge and the theatres were great. Definitely beats going to a lecture in L71!!

All in all, a great Friday night out. After the movie the boys wanted to keep "partying" but the old lady in me just couldn't keep up so I broke up the party and we headed home (it was past 1 AM!!) We came home to freshly baked chocolate cookies (made by Hanna who was spending the night) and managed to gobble a few before going to bed.

Happy Easter... Let's EAT!

Yesterday I had a family party at my aunt's house for Easter. It was kind of spur of the moment (well for me anyway) since I just got back from Stamford the night before but I was looking forward to all the goood Korean food and all the amaaaazing desserts I knew my cousin Carol would make. And boy, she didn't disappoint! She brought vanilla cupcakes with all the decorations for the kids (some big kids too) to decorate (check it out, they did a good job for all being under 10,) plus an unbelievable looking Bunny Cake! It looked so good. And yes, it tasted good too.

As you can see, it was decapitated. A bit sad but only for a split second until I put the tasty meringue covered cake in my mouth... YUM!!

And of course, no family party is complete without a million pictures of the babies, so I've included a couple of Charlotte and Samarra here too.

The big apple!

I just finished reading Sally's blog and really, why repeat our entire trip when its been so well recorded by Sally so... all I'll say is that it was a really great trip. Its been a really long time since I've been on a trip with Sally and I'm glad we got to hang out just the two of us and have some girl time for awhile. (Reminded me of the old days when it WAS just the two of us ALL the time!) We've already worked out our "travel groove" so everything was easy, I did the navigating and Sally did the following. (She always WAS a good follower... hoa hoa hoa!) Actually, Sally did the all the driving and the cupcake carrying and was overall a great companion.

Can't wait til our next trip!

Blogworthy buns...

Yesterday I spent the afternoon at Saadia's place. Its been awhile since we'd seen each other so I thought I would stop by and spend some quality vegging out time together. When I arrived Saadia was in the process of making bread. From SCRATCH! Ok, she had a breadmaker but it was still a treat for me. They had just gotten back from buying a new mini-bbq and decided to make burgers for dinner. However after realizing they had no hamburger buns, Ms Cuisinart herself decided she would just make them. It was honestly one of the most exciting things I've encountered lately (in addition to the chocolate covered profiteroles at Ev's place on Wednesday night.). I watched the bread rise and then Saadia formed them into cute little bun shapes and let them proof again. They looked so cute I just wanted to rub my face against them (but she drew the line at giving them a little poke.) Half an hour later and the house was filled with the best smell in the world... fresh baked bread. Needless to say that was one of the best hamburgers I've ever had.

Too bad I didn't have my camera on me. Thanks Saadia for another great meal and for always being there when I need a little veg out time...

Love...

BLACKout!

Last night while waiting for Gerwyn to arrive, my condo experienced a black out. Luckily I had just finished making dinner and blow drying my hair but it was still alarming. All of a sudden everything just turns off. I guess it was because of this crazy storm which seems to be over now. But for about an hour or so, I was sitting in the dark with nothing to do. I decided to try to give myself a manicure by candlelight. I thought I did a pretty good job too until the lights came on. Then there were quite a few touch ups.

Gerwyn ended up getting in at midnight. His plane was delayed with engine troubles (not something you want to hear during a storm) and then again because they couldn't land. But he's finally home safe and sound. Unfortunately I still haven't gotten a chance to see him yet but at least now we're in the vicinity!

I'm just enjoying my morning coffee (now decaf which tastes a little funny) and my toast. Its kind of nice to just to be able to have a relaxing breakfast. And its so beautiful outside, I think I might take a walk. I want to see everything in white!!

Brunch at Eleven!

Today I met Grant, Dora and Shea for brunch at Eleven. Its a new restaurant where Ninth Gate used to be. Apparently they have this famous "apple pancake" so the guys wanted to check it out (apparently apple pancakes are really big in Winnipeg where they are originally from.) Anyway, there didn't happen to be any apple pancakes today (the guy who was supposed to deliver the ingredients apparently got stuck in the snow) but everything else was dee-lish!

We ended up getting the banana pancakes with toblerone fondue, some cinnamon ginger doughnuts and a sausage, gruyere and potato omelette. It was all very tasty and very filling. I am officially past capacity and in desperate need of a visit to the gym after I digest. After brunch I decided to make a pit stop at the market and pick up some things for dinner tonight. Yes, there's a ton of snow but its absolutely beautiful. I wore by high boots so I wouldn't have to worry about getting my pants wet and also so I could walk through every puddle of slush and snow. I wish I could put on my snowpants and roll around in it. I definitely miss those days from when I was a kid and would build forts in the snow. It was so much fun!

Gerwyn is supposed to come back from Philly today but I'm wondering if his flight will be cancelled due to all this snow. I certainly hope not as I have been counting down the days until he's back and I've been looking forward to seeing him. Well, as long as he makes it back in one piece I guess it doesn't matter if the flight is delayed.

Ok, time to unpack the groceries and hit the gym. Or maybe a quick nap first... I'm really full.

The Reigning Champion

When it comes to sports, I will be the first to admit that I suck. I was never into sports as a kid and now as an adult I feel like I'm playing catch up. I always find that I'm playing sports now (and sucking) and wishing that I really spent more time doing it as a kid. Anyway, tonight Sally and JJ came over to restart our Basketball Thursdays. When Randy was in town, the four of us would get together and play basketball, 2 on 2. It was a great workout and a lot of fun. When JJ came over tonight, it had been a long time since any of us played and I expected, as usual, that I would stink!

Since there were other people on the court, JJ came up with a "warm up" game that would help get us back into the swing of things. We each had to score as many baskets as possible within 2 minutes from the free-throw line. It sounds simple but it was soooo fun! I was the first up and somehow I managed to get 8 baskets. Then came Sally. I thought for sure she would totally school me but she only ended up with 5!!! Then came JJ (who was shooting from the 3 point line) and he only got 3! Then he tried again from the regular line and ended up with 7. So, for the first time in my life, I was a winner. We even went around again and I still won. Although JJ managed to catch up. Sally, on the other hand... well, better luck next week!!

Maybe it was beginner's luck. Maybe I actually AM getting better. Whatever the case, it was lots of fun and a great workout. Can't wait til next week. Maybe we'll actually get to play a GAME!

Baby Phat!

I just got back from visiting my niece Charlotte and I still can't believe how fat she is. I saw her last weekend but it honestly seems like she gets fatter and fatter each week! I was holding her today and its almost at the point where she can't totally bend her arms and legs (due to the fat) so when you pick her up, she's like a stiff teddy bear that kind of moves her limbs from side to side. Its quite funny. But she's definitely strong, whenever I put her on my lap she tries to stand up and can hold her weight. I can't wait to see her next weekend. (Promise to bring my camera next time.)

Last night Gerwyn and I went to Ryan's house to meet his new girlfriend. My friend Ryan is one of those "do it yourself" kind of guys so his house is a big shrine of all his handy work. He pretty much gutted everything and started over and boy did it look great. I was hoping that some of Ryan's handiness might rub off on Gerwyn so we shall see... Anyway, it was a nice low key night and we enjoyed hanging out with Ryan and his friends in his cool loungy living room. (Plus we each ate like 2 or 3 of Ryan's birthday cupcakes.) We ended up staying out pretty late and got in about 2 am. Luckily we were able to sleep in a bit before Gerwyn finished packing and headed to the airport for his business trip in Philly.