Monday, February 24, 2014

103. Sharks at Bella Cermica

After waffles, we went off in smaller groups and decided where to go next from there. Since everyone had time until dinner, we were thinking of either going shopping or being tourists at Stanley Park since the weather was nice and sunny for once. After deliberating for a good five or so minutes, a friend suggested we go paint cups, and a great suggestion indeed! None of us except her had done so and we were all excited. I had been to the store before with her, but didn't sit down and paint last time since we were just picking up something.

There were a lot of choices... it took me a long time to decide what I wanted to paint!

So many choices!!

More choices in these boxed compartments!

In the end I chose a shark to gift my brother for his birthday.

Before its "makeup" transformation. 

After choosing the model, I had to choose the "makeup".

 Even more choices!

Choices... choices everywhere!

 After its "makeup" transformation.

The hearts for the eyes are actually done in pop up paint so once it has been fired in the kiln, the paint will show its true colours and the eyes would seem to "pop out".

My brother and I don't actually get along as much as I would like to, but I do love to troll the kid. They saying playing pranks and whatnot bring two people closer, and this is my effort.

After painting and paying, we left. While waiting for the bus, I saw this interesting... sculpture?



Looks really cool, doesn't it?

Sunday, February 23, 2014

102. Waffles Gone Wild

1 cute cafe + 5 yummy waffles + 5 great friends = 1 great outing.

Three of us ended up ordering the same waffle: Fruity Heaven, while two others ordered Matcha Waffle. I was debating between Fruity Heaven or Matcha, but ended up with Fruity Heaven because I was really craving fruits.

You'll think that because we ordered the same thing, they would all look the same! Well, guess again! For each plate, they decorated it with cute hand drawn pictures to liven up the dish, and to add some cuteness to it! Let me show you the ways...




 Now some close up shots of this deliciousness!

This is Fruit Heaven (banana, strawberry, whipped cream, ice cream with strawberry jam on top of waffle).

This is Matcha Waffle (red bean, ice cream, matcha mochi ice cream, whipped cream, strawberries on top of waffle).

And here are some pictures of the cafe's interior design.

A wall where polariods are taken of their customers and hung up.

That's me with my friends! Tin Tin is surprised to see us five sexy ladies (hehehe).

Hand drawn take out boxes! Aren't they adorable?!

I couldn't take a picture of the washroom for various reasons, but it was a very nice washroom! The theme was wood and it had a very calming and spa-like feel to it. The toilet seat was wooden, which I thought was really cool, and despite the sink being very small, it was really neat and organized. It was kind of like a home sauna room.

I had a great time and will definitely be back!

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

101. Kintaro Ramen

Last Thursday, I finally had my first bowl of Kintaro's famous miso ramen. I went with a very close friend and we waited what-felt-like-forever-because-I-was-starving time. During the wait, I could just smell all that good soup and see the yummy ingredients coming together to complete the final bowl. It was wonderful.

But, what was even more wonderful was that it was able to be mine soon, very soon. We both ordered their signature miso ramen dish and asked for rich soup. There were three options for the soup: rich, medium, or light. They also had an option for the chashu pork to be lean or fat, I chose lean and my friend chose fat.

Once we were seated, our food didn't take long to arrive. Or maybe it was because we were fascinated by the cook and their technique. The cook also tasted the soup, which I must praise because not many cooks do that. He would definitely make Gordon Ramsay proud. "Taste everything" as Ramsay would say.

Anyways, our ramen came and we dove right in (just thinking about it makes me hungry). No words, just nods of satisfaction. The praising came afterwards when we've had enough to quench our stomach's rumbling. Or my stomach rumbling at least.

Although there weren't that many ingredients in the ramen itself (it had noodles and soup obviously, some greens, corn, bean sprout, bamboo shoots, and some slices of chashu pork), it was enough to fill me up near the end and more than enough to create this delicious dish of all that is good.


One thing that I would change for next time though would be the soup option. I found the rich a bit too salty and strong for me, so next time I will try medium. And if that's still a bit much, then light. I definitely don't mind coming back here more often.

What's funny is that we actually decided to go for Mongolian Grill, but on the bus there, we passed our stop and realized that since Kintaro was nearby, we headed there instead.

I'm glad we missed our stop, or else it would have taken a long time for me to have this mouthwatering ramen.

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

100. 2 Decades

I have lived for two decades so far, not centuries. I made the mistake the first time I said it, but I got it right after that little embarrassment.

My birthday this year was the best so far and let me tell you why:

1. The day was beautiful! Cold, but beautiful!


(Left: On the skytrain to Richmond | Right: Life Sciences Centre building on campus)

2. I was able to get closer to a very quiet classmate and we walked around campus and chatted for an hour getting to know each other
3. Discovering cool new things on campus with classmate-now-friend



(Both: Full on chalkboard on the wall where the elevator is | Can you guess what I drew?)

3. b) Finding out Bruce Wayne was there


4. I didn't have to pay for my Starbucks drink because it was my birthday!
5. The Starbucks barista wrote 'Happy Birthday' on my cup, but I forgot to take a picture of it before I finished it and threw it away

(Non-existent picture here please)

6. I ate good food











(Top Left: interior design of restaurant | Top Right: Chicken Teriyaki and Fried Chicken Wings (yum) | Bottom Left: insanely sweet hot honey lemon tea | Bottom Right: Noodles for longevity!)

7. There were cool new displays up at the mall nearby where we ate (a mini garden inside the mall with a bridge and a statue of a man reading)




8. I finished off the celebration by sharing Banana Splits with a friend (@ Marble Slab)



9. Finding out where my vanity comes from #itsinthegenes #familyinheritance


(Please excuse my dad's lame English)

10. Sharing my birthday with my friends and receiving thoughtful presents! Apparently when they saw the gift, they went "It's Milly". I love it when people buy me presents while thinking of me, gets me all melted cheese inside, you know?


Couldn't have asked for a better birthday myself!

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

99. To Be or Not To Be

Today has been an exceptionally wonderful day because it is my birthday today! I have finally turned two decades - not centuries - old! I will write about this amazing day another time because I have procrastinated long enough today that I can't hold back my readings for tomorrow's pre-reading test anymore. Instead, here is my new year's resolutions... finally!

I was debating between whether to write about my year's review and goals in point form or not, but decided against it because if I were to look back at this years later, I would be confused by the choppiness and incoherent-ness of my thoughts and sentences due to the use of point forms. So, I opt to write properly in paragraphs.

A bit late, but another year and another list of hopeful resolutions. I wonder if I even completed the list from last year. Oh well, that's probably long gone from my memory bank by now, so I'll just make sure to save this list instead for review next year.

Anyways, I think I did pretty well academic wise the past year. I managed to obtain a decent grade and average for Term 1 and I hope to keep it up, if not, make it even better, for second term. I found that taking notes helped for essays and exams, but as for learning the material and keeping it in my head, I found that I really had to listen during the lecture to get the basics down (then review the details from my notes after class in my own time).

I also found that keeping a strict schedule helped a lot as well. By writing down what I had to do everyday and highlighting off the completed ones really helped me stay on track and focused. It also gave me a sense of self satisfaction knowing that I was productive for the day.

Hence, for the new year, I want to keep up this efficiency for my studying, as well as to boost my grades (or at least maintain them above a B). Also, to get at least an average in the A-range!

Aside from academic goals, I also want to continue my personal goal of losing the weight I gained over the Winter Break plus a little bit more. I have less than four months before sunshine, rainbows, and unicorns start to appear and it's time to break out the dresses sitting at the back of the wardrobe. So, I need to start maintaining my figure and be more careful and strict with what I eat... especially with those late night snacks!

And of course, to keep up this blog! I don't want it to be another one of those blogs that I've started, only to keep at it for a few months, then ignore it and in the end totally forget about it until the site sends me an email telling me they're terminating the account because of inactivity.

Also, to complain less. When you actually step back and look at the world and gain more knowledge of what is going on with current events, your perspective and attitudes change. There are so much more people who actually deserve to complain, and yet despite that, some with horrible situations don't even do that! So, I think I need to put my own issues into perspective in regard to those worse than me, and actually be more thankful and grateful for what I have.

This is another point that I need to address, which is that I need to be more thankful and grateful for what I have. Although I already started doing that last year, sometimes I catch myself being ungrateful with what I already have, and when I realize what I'm thinking or saying, I become sad at myself. Sad that I am ungrateful and being selfish. I hope I will become even more thankful and grateful towards what I have, especially in situations where I complain, which also means I need to keep my little complaints in check as well!

So, these are my goals for the New Year, a bit late, but here nevertheless!