Mes Putains ( Dairy Cream, Mississauga)

mes putains (n.pl): quelqu'un tellement cool.

We visited an iconic Mississauga establishment one day to reunite the RDL squad. With post secondary just in the horizon, we thought it would be nice to see each other at least once before the summer ends and also to somewhat celebrate a year of being away from Riviere du Loup. I am so glad to have known such a wicked group of people and I'm even happier to have shared delicious funnel cake with you all. 

Feeling the Soul (Seoul House, Mississauga)

This is a restaurant I love not only for its close proximity, but for a Korean invention that North American restaurants seriously need to jump on... and that is table bells. 

In Korea, you don't need to tip your waitress or waiter so they're not actually working for your tips. This means no mid-chew hover of asking how everything is doing that night etc etc. Although I do appreciate this aspect of the hospitality sector, there is just something about the convenience and efficiency of the table bell I am enthralled by. Plus, have you ever been approached by your server, who asks if everything is fine and you automatically respond that it is only to realize two minutes later that you could use some more napkins, or you'd like to order some more water? Well with the table bell you can inform your server as these things come up rather than waiting for them to make their cycle around the dining room again to you. 

Aaaand digression. 

Let's talk food.

Sandbanks Provincial Park

Just a little photo journal of my adventure to Sandbanks, Ontario. It was a beautiful day spent with a wonderful person. 

Travel Throwback: Québec City ( Tutto Gelato )

I didn't know how much gelato I could eat over the course of two days. 

Our trip to Quebec City was already a whole year ago. 365 days I was probably traversing Riviere du Loup, Quebec and with some of the coolest people I have ever met. Participants of the 2014 Explore program are talking to me about their experiences so far and I'm always grateful to have experienced it and was able to pass on the message of an awesome program to my friends. I just received a post card from Tadoussac, Quebec from my friend who is currently in Riviere du Loup and all the photos she posts on Facebook never fail to strike me with The Feels. I'm psyched they're having such cool adventures, even if I'm not there to join them. Regardless, someone has to scoop ice cream all summer! 

And now speaking of ice cream, let's talk gelato. In my summer induced craze, I took every waking opportunity of this short trip to consume as much gelato as humanely possible. It was wild and very delicious.

Before I went gelato-crazy, we spent the day exploring Montromancy Falls then were taken to Vieux Quebec for the evening. It was a long day of sun, hiking, stairs, hiking, and definitely stairs. 

Mac & Cheese & Friends & Happiness

Something I semi-recently learned how to execute properly was bechemelle sauce which is a white sauce that consists of flour slowly whisked into milk and finished with a shot of butter. Then cheese is added to make a cheese sauce for macaroni and cheese.

This is precisely what occured for a close friend's birthday celebration before she flew off to Quebec for five weeks. Luckily, her birthday fell right before her departure so we were able to prepare a radical dinner together, and wait upon her with French accents and pour her ginger ale into a wine glass.

These are friends who I have known for years now and with some mad stroke of luck, we managed to remain very good friends even over these weird, transitional years without speaking to each other more than a few times a year maybe. Whatever happened I'm thankful for because it means I can still continue to share endless laughs with these people. 

Summer Favourites

While it's some sort of tradition for bloggers to post their favourite products for the summer season, my summer favourites always consist of the blooming neighbours I have outside. I just thought I would share them with you all while they're still in bloom. No matter how beautiful the blossom, it will still only last a matter of a few weeks so it's good to cherish and enjoy them while you can. 

July is nearly over so I won't have the comfort of the summer heat (and the occasional unsuspecting cool) to distance my mind from the prospect of post secondary in about a month (plus the upcoming month of constant panic). 

Let's just enjoy the rest of the summer while we still can. I may or may not be doing so by re-watching my favourite Wong Fu Productions videos. Here's Recess Court that never fails to amaze me. 

Until next time. 

VIVA

Back in December of 2013, my family travelled the Las Vegas and needless to say the food was incredible! There are a lot of photos I have lined up so here are a few of the upcoming posts you can look forward to. There isn`t a particular order to the posts, but I thought that collecting them here may also simplify it for myself in the future.

> HEART ATTACK GRILL
> LV Container Park
> Chill Spot by SASASWEETS
> Strippin
> All American Breakfast
> BURGR by Gordon Ramsey
> Hidden China Town
> Local LV
> LV Natural History Museum
> Red Rock Canyon
> CupKates
> The Necessity of KBBQ

And many more!

ZUCCHINI FRIES

Allow me to have an amen for these things. They are the fastest, easiest, and most delicious kind of fries to make and my go-to solution for "entertaining" my friends when they come over. Nothing brings people together like preparing food and this is so simple, anyone can do it even with zero kitchen experience. 

These fries and crispy on the outside, but soft on the inside and light enough to enjoy with peppered barbecue sauce, marinara, spinach dip, or anything you could possibly be craving. (I've also envisioned these in a pseudo-poutine dish or just double baked and covered in gooey-mozzarella). 

Anyway, may your eyes enjoy. 

Eggplant Parmesean

I don't like eggplant.

Yet I bought an eggplant; on sale for fifty-nine cents.

Obviously said eggplant had to be put to use.

DIY Bun Home!

After extensive planning and frustration towards Target and hand saws, we did something crazy yesterday and rebuilt my rabbit's entire cage. Check out our progress and of course, the finished product with lots of cute rabbit pictures.

Dating back to the beginning of the year, plus the year before, plus the past six years, I have done my fair share of reading up on rabbit care and learned a lot. Six years with a rabbit (Ryu, female, mini rex mix, adopted, awesome) have been the happiest of my life and she has been nothing but a blessing to me. She reduces me to nothing but baby-talk and I often tell people that she could end a man's life and I would still adore her to the end of the Earth.

(My Instagram: smellslikeinternet / I constantly post photos of my rabbit.)

Photo Hunt

I have been on the hunt for the remainder of Las Vegas photos for the past few hours and Ièm running out of files to click through. Nonetheless, I managed to unearth a few scenic shots from the trip; a bit of a preview of what's to come. 

Our trip was a more low-key and casual take on Vegas, which I'm sure some of you will enjoy. There is so much more than the Strip to see, but it's all a great experience. I can't wait to share it with you all.  

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Until next time! 

On Occasion I'll Remember 02

It was my introduction to stewardship at The Riverwood Conservancy that connected me to various other organizations and the superbly wonderful people that make up of them. Evergreen is another notable name for all the tree planting events they organize in the GTA. No only are these always informative and extremely helpful, I always have a lot of fun roping my friends into tree planting adventures. Looking back on all our photos posted on our school club's page makes me a very happy person. 

They also hold very notably amazing year-end dinners for their volunteers! The evening event was held at their headquarters in Toronto at Brickworks. 

Big City Dessert [ Millie + Berry Mix, Toronto ]

Here's part two of the Burgernator Downtown Adventure! 

On the hunt for dessert, we wandered around sunny Kensington Market. This is the "Brae (Bro+Bae in one) Toronto Adventure" from a whole year ago! Brae Toronto Adventure 2014 is very, VERY soon, so I'll be able to post even more of our adventures. Maybe we'll have some repeats because that parfait down there is killing me. 

ONTO THE ADVENTURE! 

Not that I particularly remember what the contents were, this picture truly is enough to send me back. A stick of pocky was stolen before the photo was taken, but Millie Creperie is a little shop serving the sweetest (ha ha what a pun) fusion of French and Japanese cuisine. Check out their yelp page in the link! Hopefully we can try some of their savoury menu items as well. From the reviews, it sounds awesome. 

Next we went to Tutti Frutti which I believe has actually closed down since our visit! There were just too many self-serve frozen yogurt establishments to compete with. Mississauga recently opened it's first froyo location, so everyday has become a battle of "froyo or frono." 

I'm estatic to have developed this simple tradition with such a cool dude. Two years ago, we went to down town Toronto with our art class to this area and although we weren't the closest people, somehow we got through the day and survived on our own. Maybe it had to do with that cat we met. I still have the sketches from that day too! Oh look how far we've come. Once again, there's another soul I'll miss profusely in the upcoming academic year. Can you guys sense the motif? 

I'll see you in the next post. Thank you again for reading and keeping up.

Cookie Factory: Brownie cookies + Mocha chocolate chip cookies

Remembering that one night I became a one-man cookie factory. 

On occasion I'll remember 01

Volunteering is something introduced to the majority of pre-adolescents by eighth grade curriculum, and then re-introduced in secondary school for our ever-coveted forty hour minimum of volunteering to graduate. For myself, I got involved with an organization (this sounds a lot like I joined a gang. A gardening gang. Garden Squad 2k14) previously known as the Mississauga Garden Council, but currently known as The Riverwood Conservancy and for five years, it has served as the best summer home. During the peak of my involvement, I would spend six hours a day there for five days a week in whatever weather possible. I would never give up a single day of it. If anything, I wanted to be there more. 

 

You know how it is.

It's not you; it's me.

Honestly.

Like literally.

The redundancy in my articulation lately has "like literally" and "honestly" been haunting conversations.

Since the twenty-seventh of November of the two thousand and thirteenth year (happy belated new years, everyone) I have adventured, I have eaten, I have baked sparingly, but loved arguably excessively. These past seven months has been a blur, but I'm dedicated to catch up and maintain some form of articulation before my brain matter reduces to sludge by mid-August from suburban heat and boredom.

Besides from acquiring diplomas, a second player (P2), summer employment, and significantly less patience for boiling water, my fraction of joy remains the same.

Three-fifths joy will be returning shortly with a multitude of new material and thoughts.



Until then, brave warriors.