New Obsession: Quinoa

So I have been meaning to eat healthy... really I have! It has been my New Years Resolution for the last umm.... 5 years? Anyways, my new obsession has been quinoa. First of all, who new that it was part of the Swiss chard family? For the entire time that I've known about quinoa, I always thought it was some type of grain. I guess I was wrong. Because of it's neutral flavor it goes well with pretty much anything. I tried it patties, just by itself, in salads and even made bread with it! 

So this is the tart that I made today with quinoa. Eggs, butter, sugar, and corn flour, salt, baking powder and some LOVE! (sigh**) I really want to try to reduce my intake of sugar. But two minutes later I see my hand in a box of cereal or cookies. Such a bad habit. I also want to try to perhaps add sweetness to my cooking by using other sweetening agents such as agave syrup or honey. This semester I WILL EAT HEALTHY! Everyone 굳밤!~

TTC (Torontonians Talking Cr*p)

Today was a pretty normal day. Skyped with my roomie, ate Corn Flakes for breakfast and chilled before I had to go to work. Unfortunately because I have been a cheap ass for the past couple of months, I haven't been buying the metropass religiously which has limited me in many ways. Now that school's starting up, I made the big investment and went forth in buying the metropass... too bad I have to wait another 3 days prior to being able to use this. 

So to make up for the extra thin plastic that you thought you should have bought, the TTC provides you with little coins that are these really-expensive-to-make-expensive-to-buy tokens and look like a smaller size of a toonie. Excited to go work to catch up with all the people that I haven't seen for the past 4 months, I put my token in the machine... why was I not let in the station? So I call one of the workers... his response, "I didn't see you put in your token." Are you for aofi****dlfadkflja realz? I was clearly not happy... and was going to start an argument before I saw a metro security coming my way... wasted two tokens in getting work and waited 10 mins for the subway... all in all NOT HAPPY!!! This is the very reason why torontonians always are talking crap about TTC... 

On a lighter note, I found this set of toothbrushes that I really want. Btw, I have a huge fetish for colour organized things. Everytime I go to Sugar Mountain, I have to buy almost every flavour of jelly bellies whether or not I like them because they are all colour coated!!!! Yup, random fact of the day...

Oh I have a new dilemma... 굳밤 or 굿밤? That is the question.

Tip or not to tip?

So my mom and I had a really heated discussion on whether or not we should tip the other day. I feel like tipping is an extremely sensitive topic. There are people who tip just out of peer pressure or those who tipping because they firmly believe that the service provider truly deserves it. But honestly, how many times out of 10 can you really say that you've tipped because the other has deserved it? It's unfortunate that for many in the service industry, the establishment, most of the time, will emphasize that they WILL be receiving tip in compensation for their low wages. But is that really right? 

My family and I went to New York City last Victoria Day weekend for a nice long weekend of fun, feasting, and enjoying each other's company. We stayed in an apartment that was located near NYU and should've expected a large crowd on a Friday night. We went out for dinner relatively early and because of so many people, we decided to settle for a quaint Chinese restaurant within a 5 minute walking distance from our place. Ummm... the biggest mistake of our lives! We ordered food that was not quite what we expected. 

First, we ordered Kung Foo Chicken that consisted of 95% cashews and 5% chicken. Where did the cashews come from? They were NOT stated in the menu. And to make the story short, let's just say the other menu items were not outstanding. I had no idea that ignorance was the new trend in service... However, the end of our meal had to be the cherry on top. The bill came and I paid. I did not tip much because I was NOT pleased with most of the service and like the word represents, tips are gratuities... in other words, don't take them for granted. The serving staff started congregating and looking at our bill and counting the money that I presented right in front of me. To make matters worse, they were discussing the tip that I had given them right there and chose a representative that would come to me soon after. He came in an aggressive manner and decided that he would argue with me on how much I should have paid. 

He said, "I don't know how you do it in Canada, but in Manhattan it is common courtesy to tip at least 15%." I was in so much anger and shock when he said that, that I didn't even know how to react. I basically threw money in his face and left extremely upset. Let's just say that I have been to New York since then. So should tips really be enforced? I think not. It's should be ONLY given to those who truly deserve it. Anyways enough with my rant, I've been meaning to make quinoa patties for a really long time. 

 Surprisingly they were a lot easier to make and took far less time than meat patties. Because I didn't have any sour cream or cheddar cheese, I decided to top these with some honey mustard dressing and lemon. The light dressing was perfect with the dense but moist texture of the quinoa patties. These were definitely a two thumbs up! Anyways my goal for this semester is to try to maintain a healthy life style while studying hard. Maybe I'll go for a run tomorrow morning? Everybody 굳밤!~

Dreaming...

Today was a lovely day of just doing nothing. Don't you just love those days? I spent the entire day eating and chilling on my bed which may have been for the better because the weather was awfully hot unlike the other day. I found this blog called b for bonnie and found pictures of these wonderful hotels. 

I always have a rant session when it comes to hotels and traveling. Because this is what I study, for some weird reason I always felt the need to have a better discount or an advantage when it comes to these two things. While studying my ass off, unfortunately I have had only two occasions where I have been outside the country during my four years and personally these shouldn't count because they were visiting relatives. All I want to do is travel! Is that so much to ask for? And the answer is apparently... yes. 

I'm sure it is difficult to for many to get a full-time job but those in this industry it becomes even more difficult. Most of the time people don't even know what we study, why we study it, and how it will become useful in the future. If there is one thing that I want to emphasize at an interview it's that I'm just like any other business student, don't try to rip me off of my money. Anyways I'll save that rant for another day...

So first trip of the day will take you to Athens, Greece where you will be immersed in loads of color.

Second trip of the day is to Massachusetts where modern meets elegance. Man... I would love to stay in this hotel for a couple of days!

Hope to be staying at these hotels sometime soon, but for the mean time I'll be staying at Broadway Ave... everyone 굳밤!

It's Raining Leaves

Yup, its that time of the year again where it's raining leaves, not raining men. I guess here, in Toronto, we have already hit fall. The weather suddenly got much cooler and tonight it's going down to a low of 16 degrees Celsius. However, fall is my favorite time of the year because you can wear the prettiest clothes! The weather is perfect, not too hot, but not too cold. In changing with the season, I thought I would create a not-so-humble wish list for the fall.

** All pictures are taken from La Garconne. 
So many lovely items from leather jackets, to trench coats, sweat shirts... only if I could buy them all. 

Speaking of fall, I don't know why but at the end of a long relaxing summer, I always have a really hard time getting back into the groove of things. Although I slept for 12 hours, it always takes me a really long time to get up (involves pressing the snooze button like 5 times) and I seem tired all the time. When the school year finally starts up and I have to be at 20 different places at once, I'm tired but at the end of the day I feel accomplished and productive. There have been many times where I am so overwhelmed with all the stuff that's required of me, but when I look back at it, it was definitely a learning curve and has made me that much more patient. Fall is not only an end of a season, but also a beginning. It's the start of so many things. Looking forward to a new season of hustling and bustling and trying to live life to its fullest. Everyone 굳밤!

Man in the Red Jacket

After a long night of lighting and thunder, it was a beautiful sunny morning. I woke up early to go to work as usual and dragged myself to packed subway trying to make it for 9am just like millions in the city. Conveniently I work for the school which is located smack in the center of downtown Toronto. There are pros and cons to everything in life including this. 

It's great because (1) everything is easily accessible (2) you get first dibs on free samples (3) occasionally you will run into the random hot guy. 

It's terrible because (1) hobos everywhere (2)land of hobos (3) hobos partying up everyday/night.

It's not that I really have a problem with homeless roaming freely around the streets being a free soul. Actually there have been times where I envied them because they seem like they never have a care in the world. However, I do have a problem when start making physical contact with you and intruding on your personal space. 

I was walking to school from the subway station minding my own business when a man in the red jacket suddenly got waaaayy to close comes yelled jibberish in my ear. Not only was I scared to death but I thought I was going deaf. It was definitely not the first time that this has happened and I did recognize the guy. He was more formerly known as the "roaming" hobo because he travels to different parts of the city. Thankfully nothing happened because there were security guards near by who kindly escorted him to a less populated area. This incident really got me thinking... maybe this is why Torontonians are so rude? 

Anyways I had some 호도과자 the other day. I was never really a huge fan but now I am hooked! They're so small and perfect for snacking on that my dad and I probably finished 3/4 of a pack of 30 while just talking and chilling.

Tip of the day: If you see a man in a red jacket walking towards you... run! 굳밤!~

Tornado Warning??

So lately the weather in Toronto has been just jacked up. There have been slight earthquakes, rain and sun at the same time, and abnormally cool weather. And the finale tonight... a tornado warning??!! Well hopefully everyone has a safe and sound evening... 

So my skin has once again not been behaving very well and I decided that it was time to put it back into shape. I found the Neutrogena wave on sale at Shoppers Drugmart and being the "budget conscious" shopper, I felt that it was my duty to respond to the call. Personally, I'm a very skeptical shopper, but I was pleasantly surprised when the Neutrogena wave worked like a charm. Your face truly feels soft after one use and it doesn't hurt or damage your skin. All in all, at the end of the night, it was a big two thumbs up! I also bought a Vichy kit that all sorts of goodies... enough shopping for me.

 A sample size Vichy sunscreen along with Vichy foundation sample. Unfortunately, this color doesn't accommodate my Asian face...

My lovely purchases! Such an accomplished day!

 My lovely vintage clutch along with some necessities. I know... I still have a "dumbphone." I truly love old stuff... whether it is old phones or old iPods... Today was a looonnngg day with "not-so-fun-overly-repetitive" training at work. Oh well at least it's paid for... anyways hope everyone has a safe night. 굳밤!~

Jeepers Creepers

So today I was just chilling and strolling around the neighbourhood when I ran into these "tweens." Their conversation went a little like this...

Girl 1: OMG Justin Bieber is my fav! I would so want to go out with him!
Friend: I dunno he's looks like a girl. Would you want to date a girl?

While laughing, the conversation made me think of when I once had idols and looked up to them. I still remember back in the day when I was delusional in thinking that I was one of the Spice Girls. I knew all the lyrics to their songs and my friends and I would always fight over who would be Sporty Spice. And, you can't forget the infamous platforms. They represented the Spice Girls Era and the higher they were, you were proud! I am happy to say that platforms are back in!!!! Clap** I recently fell in love with these creepers on asos. Black, shiny, tall and oh so beautiful... I must get them this fall!!!!!

 I just posted these pictures because I was craving macarons sooo badly today... I wish I could've gone but I will wait until I get my TTC pass...

 When my sis first bought this vintage shirt over a year ago I thought I looked overly "hippy-like" and decided that I didn't like it. I don't know why my mind has changed so drastically... but it was absolutely perfect for a breezy, summer day! So after a long four months of doing almost nothing, I'm finally going back to work tomorrow and getting back into the groove... 굳밤!~

Silver Lining

Long time no see!!! I know it's been waaaaaayyy too long since the last post... wow time flies by! I can't believe it's already late August... After 3 grueling years, it's finally my last year and I can see it all coming to an end! I guess a lot has happened since the last post. My roomie has finally graduated and is no longer living with me. However, we have "skype dates" on a daily basis and are diligently working on our next project. I know... another project yet we have billions of unfinished projects. As for me, I'm just chilling, and trying to get outside as much as possible to enjoy the two months (not exaggerated at all**) of summer we have up here.

 These are pretty old pictures but I thought I would upload them anyways. I think this was about a year ago. Both my roomie and I got to stay at the Fairmont Royal York for free for a night because I work for Fairmont through my school. I guess I can't really complaint considering it was free but the room was pretty small and dark as you can see from the blurry pictures... -_-

 In action as always... part of our project from last summer. We always have these extravagant ideas that we can't execute the way people expect us to... so we interpret them in our own way. We found a really nice park near our house and wanted to take product shots. So we brought bags and bags of clothing and accessories to a point I'm sure there were people who thought we were homeless.

 Eating good food brings joy and calmness... they are totally worth every calorie after a long day of product shots.

 My roomie's capstone project for her final year. Very abstract and took eternity to level out all the boxes.

I was never really a blueberry fan until I went blueberry picking. They are so fresh, juicy and sweet. After eating freshly picked blueberries, you'll never go back to the store bought ones... 
Anyways, this time I promise I will be more diligent in posting... everybody 굳밤!