Let's Chow in Toronto

Time flies when you're having fun, I just came back from a long weekend in Toronto where I ate a ton of good food in good company :) This break was so refreshing and low-key: all we did was eat and watch Brooklyn Nine-Nine on Netflix (I even sneaked in a midday nap as intermission between the eating and Netflix-binging)! Jackie took me to Pastel where we had roasted green tea crepe with brownies, rice cakes, roasted green tea icecream and a side of whipped cream drizzled with maple syrup: this dessert left me in a daze for the rest of the weekend. I swear that all my crepe standards from the past have been completely overthrown. Damn you Toronto for raising my Asian-food standards! I also met up with some mariano friends whom I haven't seen in a long time. It was really funny because they all showed up in a similar outfit (denim shirt over t-shirt). Clearly an outsider here :P  

The best is the enemy of the good

Frog and I drove to Toronto for the New Year to visit his mom. We had all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ on New Year's eve and the kalbi was so tender and flavorful, I fell into a food coma from its tastiness and missed the countdown *oops*.  The past year has been a relatively smooth one: I accomplished the goals that I had set for myself at work, started planning my financial future, became more open to photographic opportunities and looked for ways to invest in myself in the long-term. In the past, I was always looking for short term rewards: the entire chocolate bar that I gobbed up in one sitting that caused cavities, the trendy shirt (or ten) that ended up in the back of my closet, the last-minute assignments handed in with embarrassing typos. I never gave much thought to the long term consequences of my choices. 

Indulging in all these habits made me feel like a puppy running after its tail: you run so hard yet you don't catch anything. It makes me really sad to see hard work deplete into dust because of inconsistency. I recently read a book called The Compound Effect. It's about how small decisions and harmless habits can yield major results both positive and negative with time (a lot of time). So rather than tackling the New Year with grandiose resolutions, we should take baby steps towards our goals. Start by contributing $20.00 toward your retirement fund, add one green vegetable to your daily meal, sleep 15 minutes earlier tonight. Easy behaviours are easy to maintain therefore they will solidify into a positive habit :) Let's make 2016 a shining year! 

Thankful

HELLO! It's been too long, how do I do this again? (please forgive my awkward reintroduction). 

I can't believe it's already the end of the year. 2014 felt like a bottom-less magician hat pulling out one trick after the other. This summer was full of challenges; I felt like a clumsy dog chasing after its tail, not knowing which direction to go. But like all things in life, the cloud eventually settles and I'm in a much more peaceful place mentally. 

Having a full time job means that I won't be able to travel anytime soon. So when my friends suggested I visit Toronto, I didn't hesitate. Food + good company is always a winning combo for me. 

I stayed at a good friend's place, flew into the sunset on a small plane, ate a ton of deliciously unhealthy food, had the best HK milk tea gelato, watched "Magic in the Moonlight" and laughed hysterically.  

My friend and I discovered these adorable turban squashes at the Kensington Market. I wonder what they taste like but they are just too cute to eat! 

I've been trying to clean up my diet but Chocolate and I have a fiery affair that is hard to break off. I'm always longing for him D-:  HELP!