Leap Day Currents

May yours be a good one.

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Another Manic Monday!

Just a quick post while finishing my 2nd cup. I finally had my PL updated and hope to share with you some photos soon. Thanks to my honey for bearing with my mess last night and for taking care of feeding me, while my head is on the works. Yummy "chop-suey" last night, hon. Better than the restaurants', seriously....


Also, today is shopping day @ Studio Calico. Hope to get my cart filled with these goodies again.


Ok, that's my quick post and hope you'll have a great start to your week!

Shanghai City

If you are in HongKong, China or any Chinese countries which is basically almost everywhere in the world, you might have tried or at least attempted to try some Chinese food once in your lifetime. If you visited these places and you have no Chinese blood and loved the food, chances are, you had the "authentic" kind of Chinese cooking which is mostly served at family dinners or intimate gatherings in Chinese restaurants.

I never had the so-called authentic Chinese cooking when I was younger back in my hometown and the closest I had, was the "chop-suey" because of what the name sounds like. Until after my 27th year when I moved and lived in Hongkong with a Cantonese family whose grandpa was a chef in the family and every dinner served was like a feast of 30 people! And whenever I got invited by the whole family to a restaurant, I felt like eating forever each and every single dish served on the round table, one after the other. You know when you are coming to an end is when the whole steamed fish is on the table and waiters start serving the rice. Very opposite to the Filipino way but for some reason, there's always a room for fried rice! Even a bowl of soup is served with grandeur and honestly, I've never really paid attention to how food is done, served and eaten until I lived the HongKong way. Like each and every ritual had its own meaning and that's when I started giving food more respect. Not that we don't in the Philippines, but I was young back then and I grew up barely with no one guiding me in the kitchen. I learned my own way mostly with some help from my dad and auntie every now and then.

And then HongKong changed all that. From holding the knife to cutting against the grain of meat, and the whys, to why you have to eat this and start serving the person tea next to you before yourself, all that, I still owe it to the old man chef of this Canton family. I miss it. I miss the Chinese food since I moved to America and I've never ever really had anything like it since. The closest I had must be HON'S when I used to live in New Westminster. Everywhere else I've been to, were these smorgy restaurants that claim good chinese food but honestly, nothing even close to it if you had been to a real one, trust me. And maybe then I'll believe you why you hate and never had Chinese food. Unfortunately, there's no where in town where I can take you. Until maybe yesterday, this one we tried the first time may pass your taste buds: Shanghai City! They don't have a website but I will let you judge through the photos I took from yesterday. So far, it's better than what we had in all claimed Chinese food restaurants here in Parksville. Until then, "sihk faahn"!....

By the way, the place was clean and I love the colors, the view and the waitress and owner. The ribs on the last photo is from another place we went to the other night and that's another story altogether. Hope you are having a fun Sunday!

My Currents

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If pictures could talk...

If this photo could express itself, I'd say for me it tells how I feel at the moment. Hope you're having a better one...

Revisiting Top Bridge

Good morning! And it's Wednesday already?! Oh, my.... Just something to share now that we are near the end of winter, although the cold days out there are even more furious than the actual winter days. I find that I have to bundle up with layers of clothing lately. But to get you ready for summer, because I had enough of these wet, gloomy cold days, haven't you?.... I'd like to share a few places you can visit if you're planning on a trip to our little town in Parksville.

You've never been to Parksville if you've never visited the famous Top Bridge. I posted about it way back but since I am posting through my Ipad, you will find it under "Welcome to the Island" label. Anyhow, we revisited the place on Sunday just for photo experimentation. Warning: if you ever plan on doing some kneeling down and you're not used to concrete, please bring some kneepads. You'll see what I mean... The best time to visit is around summer and after heavy rain! The swimming holes are filled up and the currentPs are at their strongest. If you want to take a hike, here's a good map for your trail guide.


And here are a few photos we took on Sunday.... Not so panoramic but just to give you a gist. Hope you're having a good day!











Hugs!

Seize the moment...

feet first + blogshop from arian soheili on Vimeo.

Sometimes I wish I'm a totally different person with totally different lifestyle. I guess that won't be me then;), maybe that's why we love photography, photoshops, anything to seize the moment, but most of all, to be present in there somewhere, be part of that moment. Have a fun Sunday!
Hugs!

Curries and spices....

Whoever doesn't like these aromatic flavours, raise your hands. A friend once told me that if you haven't tried East Indian food, you never had real good food. But to each his own, right? In fact, I was never a fan until I started cooking with real spices that required pounding, grinding, roasting and a lot of hard work and sweet lovin' to get the right consistency and taste. I'm not even sure if that's how they do it in East India but I know I had the right ingredients because they came directly fresh from Bombay.

That was long time ago. Since I left HongKong, I've never touched these aromatic spices until my 2nd year in Canada. I didn't realize that in my neighborhood, there was this specialty store that sells anything you can't find from your grocery store. Once in a while I'd try but since we had Amrikko opened in our area, we'd treat ourselves for a nice dinner. This weekend we went to their Nanaimo restaurant instead because we were 30 minutes early before dinner opens- and hungry! We were seated by the ocean view of Departure Bay where you can watch the ferries coming and going. Would be nicer if it were sunny and warm to sit outside. But it was still beautiful in the rain...

Our waiter was very helpful and his recommendation was the best of the dishes we had. I still loved my lamb vindaloo but the prawns dilwala were tender, tasty and delish! How about pretty colors?

Great with white wine: we had their house "Chilean" wine, not bad.

The way to a man's heart is his tummy and taste buds, indeed!

If you get the craving and around the area, Amrikko is the name.

Cheers! Have a great "tasty" weekend!

Life is....

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is bliss, taste it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.
Mother Teresa
Catholic Nun, Missionary
Nobel Peace Prize Recipient
Books Quotes




"Last night as I was trying to fill my empty nest, as hard as I could, I still failed at the very end because of a very sad sudden news. I am the type of person who takes everything so seriously but I can try not to show that side of me that much to the whole world. So instead, I would like to look at myself closely, where I'm at, how far I've become and think of what more I can share that I haven't, that is worthy and inspiring. I may be a normal person like you, who struggles the everyday life, work and routine but I take sad news as blessings and opportunity......
To the family who lost, my sympathy goes with you; to the grieving, my heart grieves with you, to those who are living, live life as it comes.... "




And here are more inspiring quotes which I hope will also lighten your burden or brighten your day maybe....
"This is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in its place is something that you have left behind...let it be something good."
Author Unknown
Related Quotes E-Card
"Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so. One day I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return."
Mary Jean Iron




“And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.”
Kahlil Gibran
Lebanese Poet and Novelist
The Prophet Other Books Quotes E-Card

Stumbled Upon....

Happy Valentine's Day! XO, Etsy from Etsy on Vimeo.

Hugs!

Happy Valentine, sweet Valentine....

Just taking time to thank you all for your visit, support and lovely emails and comments this Valentine's day.


Hugs, kisses, love come your way today and everyday.... Mwah!

An extraordinary Sunday in Photos

Are you ready for Valentine's day yet? Anyone making something extra special for their extra special someone? No worries, I'm not telling.... Down here at the little Johnson's family, everyday is a Valentine's day. But because we both work all day on the big day, we decided that this is the day we'd make it extra special. So off we went for a ride on a gloomy, cold, rainy day to one of our favorite places where beer is brewed on the premises with excellence! Some of their good ol' famous ones are kept available but some keep changing. One of our faves is the "Dunkelweizzen", a bit bitter but good to the taste and for the new flavour, we had "Vienna Lager", with a hint of apricot and orange. Both are full bodied with 5% + alcohol and enjoyable together. If you love beer but hate growing beer bellies, they have cute samplers which after one glass, I get winded combing my hair ;)... Anyone who gets the chance to visit the Island, do check the place, Http://www.longwoodbrewpub.com/brewery.html Brew Pub, very relaxing and the pub downstairs feels just like home. And here are some photos I took with delight on my honey's new IPhone. That's another story altogether....








Good to the last bite! Cheers and have a dreamy beer-ning.....

10Things of Lists and Links: Feb2012

TGIF!

And it's that time of the month again...

Time flies! I can't believe that we're on the 10th of Feb already.

How is yours doing so far? Hope all is going well with you and yours...

For my Ten Today, thought I'd share another list of projects

with links (feel free to navigate on the links if you haven't visited them),

that I'm working on right now, such as the following...

1. Time to redesign the blog again...

2. Time to work on my PL-Wk2 of Feb is almost over!

3. I've been working more on creativity lately....

4. Keeping my 1LittleWord in mind on everything I do...

5. Did you sign up on Amy Tan's class @ SC?

The challenge? Create your own masks!

Hearts & Chevron, how can you go wrong?

Will post my process another day, deal?

 

6. I finally started working on Shimelle's Starting Points

this year but will post again some other day, ok...

7. Is anyone doing Alissa's 29Days of Love this Year?

I loved her 2011 but I think I love this year's even more,

 and I think I found the motivation to play along... we'll see...

8. Aside from all the photo apps I found on the web,

I'm also doing 365 this year with our NewD90, baby!

9. Then, there's also the Photo a Day on my365.

(will have to update this very soon!)

10. 30 Days of Lists, anyone?

Yup, signed up and ready to rock March!

Thinking I should make use of my Smash books

for this project before they get rotten in their boxes.

Have a great weekend everyone and if you want to play along,

Ms. Shimelle will be posting her 10Things soon....

It's finally here! Feel free to join in &/or see what others have instored.

So, meanwhile, I will grab me some lovin' from Starbucks and will link up later.

Okidoks!

A day in the Life in Photos: Wednesday

I was planning on playing along with Ms. Ali Edward's A Day in the Life on Friday but I ended up taking more photos so here they are... A typical weekday in the little family of the Johnsons.


We were done with our 2 cups of fresh brewed around this time, watched the news, checked emails, had breakfast, and showered.


My honey was heading out with his tea and lunch for the day's work.


He's been making this baked oatmeal for breakfast since the cold days started, and we both love it. Here's what's left for the next day's breaky.


Morning mess before leaving for work....


And there he was, hoping he didn't forget anything esp. his phone...


Off he went and I was just sneaking out for some photos upstairs...


Caught me!


My bathroom mess....


One more seating...


Before...


After....


I took more photos at work but this was my highlight: bored and decided to play with scissors instead of more brain work.


Some nice lady bought me some lunch at work....


I finally got my 1st Northridge book subscription in the mail today, yay!


Flipping through J.Crew mags gave me an idea on a layout... hmm...


After work, play and craft dinner, time to wind down with my honey as we usually do before bed. Tonight we were both tired, we had to hit the sack earlier. I had a good night sleep and glad I did this little project yesterday. Thanks to Ms. Ali for another fun adventure and hope to join the Week in the Life with her in April... Hugs and thanks again for your visit. Nighty, night....