In a Tizzy

Category: adventures

  • 10 Days of West-Coast Moseying – Complete (Trip 1)

    Ah, what a nice couple of weeks it has been!

    My trip to God’s Country was greatly desired and extremely uplifting – but far too short to leave me with anything less than a feeling of having been teased with my favourite fella’s company. However, I filled up on hugs and food and photos and filled the crew with baking from Vegan Vices! I had a lovely time, and experienced some prairie land weather “May”hem.

    One thing I had wanted to cross off my list of things to do was go to the farmer’s market! So off we went, partially in search (at least for me) of the magical veg*n ‘meat’ products that we knew were sold there (and consumed often by us at home).

     

    I bought some vegan
    shrimp. WOO.
    (Then forgot to bring
    it home with me.)

    We were also made aware of a street festival happening that weekend – the Lilac Festival! So we went and walked down about ten blocks of vendors and through endless seas of slow-moving people, finally finding a roasted corn cart that tickled our fancies and made us feel satisfied with calling it a day.

    The rest of the weekend consisted of cookie- and muffin-eating good times, a great deal of trampoline activities, touring about the city during down time, and watching Suits episodes that we are way too behind on (season 4 is starting soon!!).

    On my last night, we had dinner at a lovely Italian restaurant called Bonterra, and I had this really interesting and delicious pasta dish in the photo below! Everything about it was just about right, from the size of the whole dish to the size of the noodles to the amount of non-pasta items.


    The next post will cover the second trip down to Seattle and Portland!

  • Spring: The First Few Weeks

    The last week has been fun!

    And full of food adventures.

    Since my first day at work, just over a week ago, I have declined two job interviews on account of being unable to commit to the hours of the position if it were offered to me, I attended a day of rodeo fun, and I got my ‘Wack fix!

    Before I continue, I will provide some photographic updates of my food adventures in the first week or so of being off school…

    Strawberry-infused H2O.


    A delicious salad from Town Hall.


    Mom’s vegan casserole!


    Mom’s eggy breakfast with Daiya
    cheese and veggies for me!


    Vegetarian “chicken” fillet with
    mushroom gravy and yummyness.



    This is Abby Cadabby, she has been my amiga through most mornings and evenings at home! She carries my tea.
    Cyrina’s first experience at The Naam –
    Thai Dragon Bowl-style.
    Mother’s Day – SUSHI!





    Making copious amounts of juice with MZ and G!


    The weeks have progressed with some much-needed friend visits (more are needed, though), a great deal of catching up on TV shows, missing my fella’, going on a few adventures and touring friends around my home turf…








    The uncertainty of the future with my current job is somewhat exciting, despite the fact that it is a bit unnerving. I think it will involve many learning curves and a lot of delicious baking – that sounds like a good deal to me either way…

    The flexibility also gives the the chance to explore my summer opportunities a bit more! I can go on little trips, get in my friend and family time, and establish my incoming-residence-advisor presence at school over the summer (at go to Summer Community Eats). 

    All-in-all, things are going well and while I’ve turned away from a couple of different opportunities, I am also going into one that is very interesting and full of nice company and yummy treats! I am also content with my decision to stay at home, as it has been very rejuvenating to be here.




    More photo updates will come (along with some stories, I hope!) following a trip to see m’boy and to explore Seattle and Portland with G! This hasn’t been a very in-depth update, but it has been more of a time to be laid-back and to take it easy than to do too much in-depth exploration and thinking.

  • ABCs of: Denim, Easter, Food

    The day of near denim overdose.

    (See how I continued the “ABCs” with the words in my title?)

    There is little to update anyone on during this frustratingly lengthy exam break (12 days between my first exam and my last two exams on the same day), but I thought it would be a nice time to throw down some photos and muse over things.

    My last exam was welcomed, as I had a 9-day break between that and the last day of classes – and as it is a difficult course for my arts student background (Brain and Behaviour Psychology), I was very pleased with how it went! I finished in less than an hour and was given chocolate-covered almonds at the end. 🙂 




    Following this exam’s (and course’s, I suppose…) completion, I began about 36 hours of intensive resume-depositing and driving between school, home, the ‘Wack, and back! It was really nice to just kick back in the ‘Wack after all of the driving and make some veggie meatloaf with my daddy-o while watching movies. 


    Father-daughter camera dates!
    The most delicious of unmeatloaves.
    Josephine!
    Bella!

    After a too-brief but rejuvenating visit with mi padre, I ventured back out to UBC and put in some more study hours in preparation for a busy Easter Sunday back at home. 
    Thus far, the study schedule I have devised has worked exceptionally well for being so simply-structured, so I’ve been on track for everything so far! I sense that I will be well-prepared for my favourite class and that I will make it through my least favourite.


    Ah, dinner – one of the most magical moments to capture (not really, but it is a moment that can elicit salivation over and over, which is kind of magical, right?)! I tried a vegan “imitation ham” which added
    some fun texture to dinner, and with the help of gravy and everything else on the plate, dinner was both filling and delectable.

    Not a couple to let food fall by the wayside, he and I decided to celebrate 20 months of togetherness with a trip to The Reef for a Caribbean lunch! Plaintain chips, jerk tofu, Johnny cakes…. I still haven’t tried one of their coconut cocktails yet, but I think when that day comes, it will take the Reef to a whole-new level!



    Hopefully, more exciting and interesting adventures will arise in the week still left before my next exam takes place. In the meantime, I will continue to hunt for a summer employer, contemplate what courses I will take next year, and try to pack up some of the belongings in my dorm room to prepare for moving out in just over a week. 

    Vacation seems both too far and too near at the same time.

  • Spring is in the air! Plus a new dining discovery.

    All of my body’s sensory systems are being bombarded by signs of Spring:
    – Fully and pink cherry blossoms
    – The smell of food wafting from open patios at restaurants
    – Seasonally-appropriate Refreshers from Starbucks
    – Slipping into Toms every day
    – Tired and heavy footsteps during outdoor jogs

     I am struggling to determine if the end of classes (a) was perfectly-timed with the beautiful weather or (b) liberated my mind and allowed me to fully embrace the impending season and all of its glory – either way, it has been lovely.


    21 years of life – completed by MM!
    We enjoy mason jars over the
    traditional glassware.




    Block Party/MM’s birthday was fun this year! Many friends, amazing weather, and lots of dancing – followed by vegan s’mores on the beach (highly recommended). 

    Post-Block Party consisted of more birthday celebrations! And the beginning of studying. While the weather does not seem conducive to studying, it does lift my spirits and has served as inspiration to earn my time outside! Following an afternoon of studying, I had a nap to prepare to socialize more at The Afghan Horseman – a new dining discovery with delicious food! I had the Vegan Plate from their Vegetarian Dishes (pictured above), and zombied my way through dinner before collapsing into bed later that evening.

    The following day, GD and I moseyed down to experience The Juice Truck for the first time! This is something I’ve wanted to do since stumbling across their Instagram account. After sharing two very fulfilling smoothies, we grabbed some free ice cream from Leonidas at Waterfront (a Hot Chocolate Festival location!) for wishing one of their employees a happy birthday.
    After all of these birthday and food-related events… We had another birthday AND food-related event! On JS’s birthday, and to celebrate a triple-birthday week, I attended a birthday dessert potluck. Wu-Wu and I supplied healthy, vegan chocolate chip cookie muffins! Topped with coconut whipped cream and blueberries, we feel that they were definitely a baking success (thanks Chocolate-Covered Katie for the recipe!).


    Before further birthday celebrations continued the following day, I celebrated a belated National Grilled Cheese Day by making vegan grilled cheese (Daiya cheese) and homemade soup with GD, as we had neglected so far to eat dinner. 


    Finally, to cap off this entry, the sister and her fellow came over for dinner! We made vegetarian stir fry with a special sweet and sour “pork” recipe from the Calgary Farmer’s Market, alongside some homemade mango guacamole supplied by our guests. It was a good birthday dinner for GD and a good day overall!

    Now I am delving into studying before my 12-day exam break, where I hope to have more adventures that I can document and write about – until then…

    UBC REC full-team selfie!

  • A Photo Update: Barn Burner 2014


    As I await the professional photographs to be released, I will share some of my personal Barn Burner 2014 photos from a few weekends ago:
    The ever-so-mysterious Wu-Wu.
    R, K, and G!
    Chef Wu-Wu getting breakfast readied the
    following morning!

    French toast with lots of fruit!



  • Back from Hiatus

    Hello, M&M.

    If I’m not mistaken, it has been quite some time since we’ve interacted! My hope is to be back more regularly for updates as classes end… and the season of studying for final exams begins.

    In the last two weeks…

    My mom made special homemade soup for me!


    My sister turned nineteen and we went DANCING!









    I obviously ended up baking cookies (CCK recipe).


    In addition to birthdays, baking, and breaking it down, I have been preparing for the end of this term and what the next chapter of 2014 will hold. 

    For the end of this term: 
    – My final paper (the first paper I have written in about 16 months!)
    – The transition report for the incoming RHA Vice-President
    – Final events and socials for the RHA as a whole

    The next chapter:
    – Job interviews! One last Saturday, and one this coming Saturday with UBC REC
    – My official induction as a member of the 2014-15 NRHH
    – Applying for summer jobs!
    – Preparing for my stint as a residence advisor next school year
    Amidst all of these exciting upcoming opportunities and ongoing year-end preparations, I have been trying to get all of my socialization squeezed into these final weeks!

    There was the Welcome to Wonderland Boat Cruise:

















    There was also the 2nd annual Barn Burner:

    I also participated in my third Storm The Wall event! We placed first in our heat which was very exciting, and advanced to the next race – something I haven’t accomplished before with my team!

    Wall Me Maybe 2.0
    Wall Me Maybe 2.1

    Beyond attending and organizing events, I have been reflecting on what I’ve done and been a part of over the last eight months. 
    ~ Academics have been at a relative high for me, and my involvements have balanced well with school. For the first time in a while, I will miss courses that I’ve taken this year along with the professors that taught them; I also feel that my major has become more of a place that I feel at home, particularly in my gender and sex differences course (and my personality and behaviour disorders courses last term). 
    ~ I struggled through another visual arts class but enjoyed being able to use my camera for projects and was pleased that I applied something I’m passionate about in my final project (uploading to blog is currently being contemplated).
    ~ Being an executive member of the RHA has been great – it puts me in touch with every part of residence (mostly) and I have been a part of a forward-moving year for the organization. I regret the lack of closeness developed with my fellow executives early on, but am grateful that we’ve done so much as leaders and that we’ve bonded more in the last little while!
    ~ My personal life has expanded and evolved in terms of family bonds, friendships, and my relationship – all in ways that I think are taking me in a good direction. I don’t know what this direction is, but it feels like a good and enjoyable one.


    Overall, this year at UBC has been a good one.
    The summer is always a mysterious next chapter – travel plans, new job opportunities (sorry Safeway), and time for friends and family in abundance!
    I look forward to seeing where things go.

    Once my camera’s most recent photos have been uploaded,
    I’ll get back to this and update on the more recent events following
    the Boat Cruise! Barn Burner, food adventures, and more!

    Our cityscape view from the boat last weekend.

  • Weekend of March 14 – 16: Wine, Pie, and Comedy

    Appetizer dish with
    Moscato D’asti – Batasiolo Bosc 11/12

    The weekend began with Vine Fest – GD’s wine-tasting event which featured four wines and an array of cheeses, breads, meats, and fruits to snack on and pair with the drinks available. 




    As it was March 14 (03/14), it was also a night to celebrate pi(e)! To do so, he and I made our way to Aphrodite’s Organic Cafe and Pie Shop to indulge in a small dinner and amazing dessert; I was finally able to try one of their chocolate pies! I always miss the boat on those ones by the end of the day when they have sold out.

    (Vegan) Gnocci with sunchokes and hazelnut pesto.
    (Vegan) Chocolate pecan pie!

    In the rain on Saturday, NT and I made our way to the Vancouver Winter Farmer’s Market to indulge in many-a-sample item and purchase a couple of treats from local vendors with their seasonal specialties up for grabs!
    How to choose?

     

    I didn’t feel too hot on Saturday for the day’s entirety, so some kitchen therapy resulted in a triple batch of Chocolate Covered Katie chocolate chip cookies and a happier spirit (to make up for both a less-than-content stomach and an achey head).

    Homemade plantain chips!

    We finished off the weekend with a comedian’s show downtown and walked in with a beautiful sunset backdrop to the downtown nightlife just beginning to shine.

  • Last Weekend: Food

    Last weekend was one full of delicious meals and baking adventures. I shall summarize below:
    Marble Swirl Chocochip Banana Bread (CCK Recipe) – baked
    with AA while we caught up on life and drank tea.

    A sushi-filled double date with the sister and our novios!
    Sushi Topia is captained by a pleasant man who makes
    very delicious food – even for us veggie-heads!
    It was Waffle Gone Wild!’s 1-year anniversary event –
    we just happened to stop by for brunch on the right day!
    We were allowed to burst a balloon to find a giveaway
    inside – we ended up with free ice cream.
    J and M both ordered the Banana
    Nutella waffles – mmmm, chocolate.
    Delicious Bombay Chai tea.

     


    I went for the Cinnamon Apple option!

    (Not quite the weekend…) On Monday, I baked vegan cookies for my council meeting! Which was followed by my first full staff meeting as a future advisor – I got to meet my future team! It was very exciting, and all of my future colleagues seem like fun and kind people. The cookies were also great – adopted from a CCK recipe with added Ener-G Egg Replacer to see if they would fluff up. They did!

    A tour around campus to take some
    photos the other day led me to what
    I consider a sure sign of impending
    Spring – blooming daffodils! =D

  • Reading Week 2014

    With reading week already three days past, the midterm grind is on and I have become unnaturally fatigued following the men’s gold medal hockey game (the early morning seems to have triggered an insatiable weariness). However, I had a wonderful week off from classes and was able to do lots of adventuring thanks to an out-of-town visitor who wished to pursue some tourist attractions in Vancouver.

    The break began on the last day of the hot chocolate festival, with my fellow’s birthday and Valentine’s Day all making for a delicious three-way celebration:

     We chose Nuba restaurant as our spot to celebrate a 21st birthday and Valentine’s Day dinner.
    Our fuel of choice included delicious tomato and crispy cauliflower appetizers, and
    stuffed eggplant for the main course – all vegetarian or vegan and SO DELICIOUS!

    Following the Friday, we began our tourist adventures.

     

    Looking over the bridge’s edge!


    After our guest took a hiatus over on the island, I studied and made my way home for a couple of days to continue recuperating and Olympic-watching.
    (We won gold.)

     















    THEN we returned to our tour guide lives (after doing some morning muffin making).
    “Goddess Bowl” at Aphrodite’s Organic 
    Cafe and Pie Shop.

    And…. It snowed!

    Quite a lot!
    (By Vancouver standards.)

    My reading week was full of reading (for three midterms that I just overcame), family, friends, and an adequate amount of rest. Plus, a lot of exciting and emotional Olympic moments! Overall, I would deem it a success. Now, I am back to the home-stretch of this school year with finals to prepare for, papers to write, elections to get through next week, a couple more interviews to see through (as well as outcomes of previous ones), and the move out of residence.