boulangerie of macarons + brunch

today was such a beautiful day. spring weather in the morning and summer weather in the afternoon.
perfect day to go a-brunching and exploring downtown with alice.
alice and i make quite a clumsy pair (more so for her though. harhar) and normally go into uncontrollable fits of laughter.


1. first stop was la bamboche - a cute little french bakery

i love the striped awning.

olive baguettes

freshly baked madeleines

our main reason for going though was to finally get a taste of those delectable macarons! i thought i had to wait until my paris vacation to be able to taste these beautiful (but very delicate) pastel-colored gems. you can buy them in toronto! they are a bit pricey, but they are very worth it. i loved green tea and lavender.

macarons à porter: for dessert after brunch!

la bamboche
4 manor road east
416-481-6735

2. next stop was le petit dejeuner (yes we had a french theme going on. alice and i both majored in études françaises).
it was quite busy when we got there but we didn't have to wait long for our food.
i had a croque madame.

it was quite good. although i had expected it to be drenched in sauce. harhar. i guess it was just as well. it came with a side of salad.

i ordered a plate of rosti. my croque madame was too healthy.

next time i come back i'll order a benny.

le petit dejeuner
191 king street east
416-703-1560

and two h&m tops (me), american apparel dress (her), italian soda and a latte (yes, on a hot day!), three macarons at dundas square later, we parted ways. i had to go for the monthly TRENDS event. where i actually did the introduction. that was quite an accomplishment. :)

anyhoo, i hope you are all having a good weekend! :)

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old school goodies.

meet henry!
{how do you do?}

i found him through craigslist! it's $20 well spent. i met up with caroline at college station and did our exchange there. i've tracked down stores that still sell polaroid film and i will be buying them this weekend.
i am so happy. i've already taken henry for a test drive around the neighborhood and he works wonderfully! my dad also found my box of polaroids from two years ago. i will scan them once i get the chance.

lovely presents from john:

bliss.
bliss.
utter bliss.

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two more weeks.

14 more sleeps and i'll be in an overnight transatlantic flight to paris, probably scribbling away furiously at my journal.

ever since...
cinéma français
before sunrise, paris je t'aime
missing that opportunity to study abroad :(
amélie (as cliché as that sounds)
those grade 9 french textbooks
sabrina, a la julia ormond,
...i have been dreaming to go to paris.

these are not my lovely photos but in a few weeks i'll have my own. :)
i am so excited.

chocolate monster's flickr

from here


simply breakfast

ps: joanna, karyn and casey are going too. and i cannot wait to see their pictures!

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giveaways+hello weekend

i haven't been signing onto my blogger. and when i did today, i found that two of my favorite reads are doing a giveaway! they all end today, but you still have time! :)
+karyn is giving away a copy of uppercase magazine to two lucky readers.

+ the lovely anabela of fieldguided is giving away a copy of lula!



today should be a lovely day. a whopping 19 degrees! :)

tonight, to celebrate my siblings' birthdays, angela & al-jo&i are staying overnight at the fairmont royal york hotel. not sure what we're going to do tonight yet, but it will definitely involve lots of food.

i hope everyone has a gorgeous weekend!

ps: i found a polaroid one step camera on craigslist...i hope that it still works. i'm going to see it today.

pps: i am thisclose to buying a canon rebel xs, 10.1 mp. i hope hope hope that it all works out. it's secondhand, but i'm sure it was loved.

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a bit of prepping going on for the trip:

luggage tags to chic-ify plain, black luggage

some pre-versailles reading. marie antoinette, as snobby and as frivolous as she was, was very much misunderstood. (oh yes, i actually borrowed books from the library! i normally buy them...)

the paris moleskine (grad gift from my sistah) and a very naughty french phrase book. hehe.

AND, i hope everyone's had a great easter!

- church for the past three days has been at least two hours long.
- passion of the christ never fails to make me cry.
- spontaneous dinners out with friends at midnight are fun. while blasting out meg & dia, deathcab and josh radin songs. hardeehar. i felt 20 again.
- niagara as a spontaneous outing for easter is the best. had a latte for the first time in 40 days and it was delicious.
- i've been spending way too much money at h&m.
- it's a good thing i've finally opened a tfsa and rrsp savings account. it's about time.
- my room is messy. but at least my closet is clean and organized. it really looks like yogurt in there. hardeehar.

have a good week everyone!

le grand trip countdown: 25 more sleeps

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when it's too cold to go to the beach...

...let the beach come to you.

it's a sandcastle kit.
tres adorable.

sigh. dreaming of summer weather.

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i love.

i have been feeling a little bummed out. and tired. with lots to do and so little time. i need two of me. i need sleep.

but then there's those little moments in your day that help you bear things and make you lighter inside:
- the lovely way the sun hits the tops of trees as it rises
- strangers that help you with doors
- strangers that give you a little smile as they walk onto the elevator
- the violin guy at the train station playing pachabel canon in d
- an unexpected email from someone you love
- catching the bus to get home
- and videos like this. this makes me so happy. enjoy :) i hope you all have a good day full of little moments.

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there's nothing better than leftover pie and ice cream.
i should really stop wolfing it down.

i finally made a new banner (the last one was from fall! completely forgot to do a winter one).
the banner took forever to do (looks so simple too!) but mac doesn't have a paint program, unlike its windows counterpart. so i downloaded gimp. it's sort of like photoshop. after three hours of google queries and playing around, i have finally gotten it. i'm sure there's more to it than just resizing and cropping images, but i don't think i'll go further than that.

i started working on the mini zipped pouches for TRENDS' makeup event this saturday.
i felt so clumsy with the sewing machine...understandable, after a two-month hiatus. never again! i managed to produce two samples, both of which i can't use for TRENDS. the dimensions of one were too disproportionate. and as for the other pouch, i gave it to my sister who liked the fabric.

harhar. and my altoid tin collection is growing.

i hope everyone had a bearable monday!

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- i am full of pasta, garlic bread and apple crumble pie/triple berry pie with vanilla ice cream

- gravy boats make cute vases

- after all these years i finally saw 13 going on 30. i now have the hugest crush on mark ruffalo. is it the way he speaks? his hair? hmm. i don't know.

- i bought 28 zippers today

- i love cozy dinner parties

- i sort of pulled an ina garten today. had everything ready before everyone came. i even set the table with flowers, harhar. one day i will have my own set of crisp fabric napkins too. i'll make them myself, just to one up her. harhar.

- yay for gossip girl. they finally have a new episode out.

- have a lovely weekend everyone! :)

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je l'adore.

i finally bought it. :)
the scent lasts longer.
and the bottle is just so adorable.

looking forward to:
- 5:00 pm, friday
- dinner party tomorrow
- a weekend of crafting
- sleeping in on sunday morning and waking up to my dad's banana and blueberry pancakes. yum-o.


here's to a sunny weekend! happy spring everyone :)

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just because.

1. there's 50% less hot sauce in the disposable little cup that goes with my jerk chicken burrito (i have to squeeze every bit out now, whereas before i would have to throw out a third of it).
some stores have started keeping their serviettes behind their counters.
and manchu wok is still giving out one napkin per order.
i feel as if i'm the only one who's living in an economic boom. i really should start saving money. or just stop spending money in general. and start bringing breakfast and lunch to work again. and once h&m stops making pretty clothes then i will stop spending.
a pleated, gauzy, silky, high-waisted navy blue skirt is just irresistable.

2. and it doesn't help that i'm planning a trip in may either.
i just want to do everything.
my dad and i had finally narrowed it down to the following:
* bike tour to versailles
* bike tour to giverny/monet's house
* day/night bike tours around paris
* day trip to london
* normandy/st. malo/mont st michel trip
(bike much?)

3. my little sister has the cutest little phone voice.

4. i am going to start sewing again. i'm going to be sewing up tiny makeup kits for the TRENDS event (a makeup artist from dior has graciously agreed to give four lucky girls makeovers!) in march (harhar, i had a lot of practice in december. i know it seems like that's the only thing i know how to make, but in truth, it's the only thing i can make that has the least number of flaws!). i have to make a minimum of 10. yay, project.

5. it is so wonderful to walk to work with the sun shining so brightly and to come home in daylight.


i hope everyone is having a good day! 15 degrees of sunshiney weather! lovely lovely.

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25 things.

hello friends.
i have completely neglected this blog so to update it i've decided to list 25 random things about me. i have been tagged on facebook but didn't really feel like posting this there.

1. i just bought the 13 inch macbook and i'm quite frustrated.
i named it hiro nakamura (my favorite character from heroes).

2. i used to crush on cartoon characters: gambit from x-men, darien from sailor moon and eric from little mermaid.

3. i still do not have my license. fine by me. i catch up on sleep on the train.

4. i started reading the sweet valley high books in grade 4 and i secretly did so from my mom. i thought it was scandalous at the time because of all the kissing parts. i also that the same way about the betty and veronica comics.

5. my barbie doll didn't date ken. she dated my brother's gambit action figure. i also used to make them kiss, for which i got in trouble. my sister, who was such a prude back then, told on me.

6. i keep a moleskine journal. i no longer write profound things (harhar like i ever did). most of the time i just doodle or list good things that happened to me during the day.

7. i went clubbing for the first time two weeks ago with my co-workers, and i really enjoyed it. it was at a classy club where most of the guys wore suits and the girls were in nice dresses. it was different from what i had imagined it to be (dingy, dark and sketchy).

8. making my bed in the morning is that one consistent thing i do each day.

9. i have problems with saving money. my investment is in my closet. hardeehar.

10. the first concert i attended was our lady peace.

11. i always take the aisle seat at the theater or on the plane because i go to the washroom often.

12. my closet looks like yogurt because of all the creamy tops i have purchased. i love cream.

13. i always order the same thing from the menu.

14. i clean my bathroom or bake when i am anxious.

15. i haven't used my sewing maching in two months.

16. my favorite karaoke songs are making love out of nothing at all and total eclipse of the heart.

17. i secretly wish that i was half japanese and half something. hehe. not so secret anymore. japanese girls are gorgeous. i also secretly wish that i had been born and raised in france. not so secret anymore either.

18. i would like to redecorate my room. it's screaming to be redecorated, what with all the fabric and craft supplies i have amassed over the months.

19. i am a huge sourgrape, especially when i play scrabble and monopoly against john.

20. my most favorite place in the world is anywhere where john is. sounds cheesy, i know. but there, i have said it.

21. i liked high school musical 3.

22. when i was in jk i shaved off my right eyebrow, the day before picture day! my mom got so mad and she cut my bangs in the sideswept fashion so that it would cover the missing brow. i did it because i remember watching my dad shave and being fascinated by it. another stupid eyebrow mishap was when i had the genius idea of plucking my eyebrow with a mini nail clipper (because i couldn't find the tweezers. this is so wrong in so many counts. one of them being that it was totally unsanitary)

23. i can finish an entire bag of chips and box of ice cream. i would also rather snack than eat an actual meal.

24. i have a routine for when i take a shower: hang my towel on the left side of the rack and my bathrobe beside it, so that the towel is the first thing i grab when i am done. after showering, i brush my teeth, then wash my face (the logic behind it is so that i have washed off any toothpaste residue, making it safe to apply my toner), then flush the toilet.

25. i hate daylight savings time...springing forward, that is.

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i'm back & family day.

(in edmonton at the fairmont macdonald)

after a few days (that felt like months) in the west, i am glad to be home.
in those five days i was gone, i:
* visited three provinces: manitoba, sasketchewan and alberta
* slept in a hotel room by myself for the first time (i always share with my sister)
* drank too many vodka sevens
* have gone on too many plane rides (yay for aeroplan points though!)
* rode in a stretch limo to the airport (so it could hold all 7 of us)
* lost a lot of sleep
* had too many cheese cubes and crackers and wine
* had too much coffee and timmy's breakfast sandwiches
* missed my family soooo much
* john withdrawals

and there is just something so comforting about having a tim horton's everywhere. it's that one thing you can count on. i also visited my aunt and uncle and their adorable daughters in edmonton. i had the loveliest time with them, and it included karaoke and singing making love out of nothing at all and total eclipse of the heart at the top of our lungs. again, i ate too much.

today is family day and i woke up at noon. argh. and i feel gross. so i decided to bake a butter cake with browned butter frosting (from my land o'lakes cookbook)

it didn't turn out so well because of the splenda substitution, but it is edible and it still tastes great!

anyhoo, have a happy family day! and i hope you're enjoying the nice warm weather we've been having.

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mini banana muffins

hello hello!

sorry for the lack of posts...the past few weeks have been so busy. i've gone on two business trips and have been waking up at the wee hours of the morning only to come home so very late at night. this tuesday i will be flying out west to winnipeg, regina and edmonton for more business conferences. it will be fun and exciting because i have never explored that part of canada before. i really love my job, what i do. i look forward coming to work and being able to be with such amazing, dynamic and funny people. i am staying an extra day or two in edmonton with some relatives.

today i tried to rest as i have been feeling sick (spinning head, aching body. i don't know what it is.). but when i'm home i just don't know what to do with myself. so i went to the mall to pick up tights and a lint brush (and argh, bought two creamy tops. my closet looks like yogurt with all the cream tops i have. hardeehar) and when i got back i decided to bake some mini banana muffins when i saw how dotty and soft our bananas have become.

you can find the recipe here. i substituted the sugar with splenda so that my dad can eat some (he is diabetic). i used 5 bananas instead of 4 and didn't mash them completely so that there are whole bits of banana. i find that the extra banana makes the muffins extra moist. i also included 2 teaspoons of vanilla. and finally, i also made some streusel. i simply mixed some softened butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg together and sprinkled it on top. it adds a bit of texture and more flavor.

i hope everyone has had a good, sunshiney and warm weekend! it feels like spring outside!

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dream big.

one of my secret dreams & wishes was to experience an elton john concert.
it remained secret because i never thought it would come true.

but it will!!!

i bought tickets to see elton john, live with billy joel (!) on may 30 for their face 2 face concert!

oh elton, you had me at goodbye yellow brick road.

i am so happy.

ps: as morbid as this sounds, i've requested my sister to have them play this song and skyline pigeon on my funeral day.
pps: what was your favorite concert? the best ones i've gone to so far are dashboard's dusk and summer tour & spice girls (and i am not ashamed to admit it!) world tour.
ppps: i would love to see enya or yanni or sara brightman one day. that would be lovely.

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je t'aimerai plus fort

i. i love this ad for cherie. it's so bright. so pink. this captures la vie en rose. this makes me more excited for paris!
ii. i love dior products. i used to use clinique, up until i discovered that the toner was BURNING my face. clinique toners have alcohol.
iii. i had a thirty minute complimentary facial at the bay. it was heaven.
iv. bought two cardigans, a top and a pair of shoes at h&m. ARGH.
v. spent an afternoon avec la soeur. it was very lovely. my sister is one of the few best people to hang out with.
vi. i saw revolutionary road. it's very sad. but not in an overwhelming way ( i didn't cry at all, which is what i tend to do when i watch sad movies. i was, however, tensed the entire time). the sadness is subtle, in the form of tiny pinpricks.
vii. i watched two for the road. another "before-and-after" movie on marriage. i love this movie though. audrey hepburn was great, and so was albert finney. i was weirded out the first time i saw it because i've always known him as daddy warbucks the baldie from annie.
viii. i altered and took in a dress that i got a long time ago but never wore because it was too big. i am very pleased with myself! tomorrow i will be hemming it (which scares me!)
ix. antoinette has awarded me with the kreativ blogger award! thank you so much antoinette! i am very honored and am smiling from cheek to cheek. :) (i will do a separate post for this one!)

anyhoo, i hope everyone had a great weekend! it's monday, which means back to work.
now say it slowly and fake it until you make it: "i love monday mornings. i love my job" :D

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on crochet trim, potholders and before sunset.

i made a few things.

this is heavily influenced by anabela. i love it because it's simple, compact and it fits the essential items.

this is for a little girl named jennifer. i made her another tote a long time ago.

i'm proud of myself because i actually lined it the correct and proper way. :)

i also like the straps. :) i normally take the messy way out by making something similar to bias tapes (except thicker) and just top stitching it. this time, i used karyn's crafty contraption: heavy string, bobbin as a weight, safety pin to pull the entire thing inside out.

this is a picture of the unfinished potholder that i made for my friend leslie. (inspired by karyn's beautiful potholders!) he likes to make cheesecake when he's stressed. i also made him a simple full apron (not pictured) out of cotton twill, and i used blue thread so that you can see a nice outline of blue.

and that is all is all. i'm dying to buy fabric, after seeing all the nice new fabrics that karyn has at the store!

***

my dad borrowed some parisian and french tours on dvd over the weekend.
i won't ever watch one again.
i'm afraid i might get disillusioned. although a lot of people say that i will absolutely love it.
soi have decided to just watch movies that are set in paris.
today's movie is before sunset. i wish they'd make another sequel. except i don't know how they'll call it. before dusk? hardeeharhar.
this movie has significant meaning because i was watching this movie around the time i was slowly falling for john. in the movie so much importance is placed in those rare connections you make with people. and what can happen if you just let it slip by.
i'm so glad i didn't.

i hope everyone had a good weekend! :)
mighty snowy in toronto. i built a fort with my little sister in the backyard today. hopefully it lasts for a while. we did very well, if i do say so myself.

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i'm going to paris!

:) :) :)

i bought my ticket today!
soooooooo happy!
i feel like i've just been proposed to harhar.
(ooohhhh and congratulations to blog friends who have all gotten engaged!)

i'm getting on a nonstop flight to paris which arrives at 10 am on the 8th of may.
10 days in the land of
truffaut
moliere
malle
racine
macarons
cafes
amelie
before sunset
baguettes
la vie en rose
yummy food
etc.
ack.

since my parents wouldn't let me go by myself, i will be going with my dad. which is fine by me! he's cool to be with and is very brave - he's going to be driving in the left side of the car on the left side of the road. plus he's quite generous avec l'argent. :)
instead of staying at a hotel (which is so pricey!) we're staying at an apartment in the heart of the quartier latin (!!!). 15 minutes away from the louvre, musee d'orsay. sigh.

have you ever been to paris, friends? if so, tell me about it! which cafe was your favorite? favorite place to shop at? (i am not shopping this time prior to the trip- big mistake i made when i went to rome and california. i am doing my shopping there!) what did you think of it? any suggestions? OR, if you haven't been, where did you always want to go?

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resolutions or bucket list: a list of things i should do before the end of 2009 or before i kick the bucket. whichever comes first.

that is by far, the longest title i've ever had

* write more letters to john
* sleep earlier, as in, be asleep by 11 pm
* drink more water
* make a quilt
* take less taxi cabs
* spend less, save more
* practice piano an hour each day
* go to france in may 2009. this is an absolute must. (anyone want to join me?)
* cook something off of Nigella's/Jaime's/Ina's cookbooks
* make something from the zakka book
* sew a top or dress that is not obviously homemade
* order something different from the menu
* go clubbing. just once.
* be a better, more generous friend, daughter, sister and girlfriend
* read wuthering heights.
* finish reading the books i have started reading ages ago: 1984, life is illuminated, the alchemist, le petit prince
* write in my journal in a real parisien cafe a la sabrina (julia ormond)
* drink coffee in a real parisien cafe
* smile and laugh more
* go to church more than once a week
* learn japanese/german
* go to germany and japan
* learn how to play yiruma's "river flows in you"
* make a speech in front of people without feeling so nervous
* take a public speaking course
* explore Canada more
* thanksgiving (US) in new york and watch macy's thanksgiving parade
* new year's eve in times square

sigh. i have paris in my mind right now. there are nights when i can't sleep because i just think about it and dream up a dozen itineraries. i want to go so badly. i really hope that everything works out.

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lovely brown paper & other things

they didn't include "brown paper packages" in "these are a few of my favorite things" for nothing.

there's something so lovely about brown/kraft paper. it's basically a blank canvas - you can dress it up with different kinds of ornaments without making it tacky.
this post was sort of inspired by karyn, who is truly the master crafter. she has written about brown paper packages. instead of using tape, she opted for stitches and scrap of fabric. i am most definitely going to take my queue from her!

being influenced by amazing crafters of the blog world, i decided to use kraft paper and fabric for all of my presents this year.

these mugs with the ceramic spoons are quite in. i included christmas hot chocolate mixes/christmas teas and lindor balls.

because of the consecutive snowstorms and lack of well-ventilated areas in my house, i couldn't do snap coin purses (silicon gel is very potent!). so i made mini make up kits and travel kits. i've filled them with travel-sized toothpastes, shampoos, toothbrushes, soaps, etc.

my good friend raiya baked lots of cookies to give away as presents. in exchange for some and to have some hang out time with her, i volunteered to package up the cookies (they were very yummy by the way!) for her. with her help cutting out the fabric, they were all done in less than an hour!

these tags were lasercut by karyn at the workroom. these papers are by amy butler. the mini clothesline pins were from etsy.

these little pompoms, which i call snowflakes (perhaps in the summer they can pass for flowers. hardeehar). this was inspired by melissa who had an entire post on gift wrapping ideas. my brother helped me make all of these!

went on a little splurge at michael's. the red/white thread? twine? i found at the paper place on queen street.

i wrapped the travel kits and the makeup kits with brown paper and used some pretty parisian gift wrapping paper i got from deserres. i used little brown envelopes to hold the shipping tags i used as gift tags.

blank brown paper bags are not so plain anymore. i placed the mugs in these bags.

i had wanted to wrap the lasercut greeting cards in fabric envelopes, but because i didn't have enough time, i wrapped them in kraft paper too. i made the tags out of card scraps, punched a hole in it so that the stamped christmas ornament will peek through. i've also rounded out the edges.

and that is all. for the first time i enjoyed wrapping up my presents...i think it was because everything was made from scratch. and i have you all very talented people to thank for! :)
i am so excited for valentine's day...it'll be the perfect time to put to use everything i've learned during the christmas season.

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a summary of 2008

anti-val celebration and dinners with les filles

winterlicious

spice girls world tour

late night timmy's runs

salsa dancing

last exams and essays

convocation

twenty 101

"catering" for TRENDS events

discovering my inner craftiness (still in the works though)

formals & dances

packages and love letters

california trip avec la famille

expensive splurge at the paper rabbit

first sewing machine

classes at the workroom

piano lessons

the big move

ballet & interpretive dancing
misery with A

lots of soul searching. hardeehar.

meeting wonderful online, blog friends

impromptu dinners

realizing who your real friends are...

...and who are not-so-real.

dinners+game nights with the three

ottawa/montreal/quebec city trip

awful haircut

i [heart] my new job

canoe

gossip girl nights

a lovely thanksgiving

a lovelier christmas

happy new year everyone :)

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