Japanese Festival X TNT Nightmarket

This past weekend was a bit of a blur. I accomplished a lot while at the same time not a lot. Photo and video editing has taken over my life and  I feel a little bit more immersed in my blog. So although it may have been time costly it's been well worth it.

We stopped by the Japanese Festival in Dundas Square on Sunday to see what was happening. It was mostly food stalls from several local restaurants. Many sold similar style food to the night market, which made it easy for us to leave and catch a cab down to the harbor front.

After being dropped off by the cab, we quickly ran through the gates to snatch up sticky rice and mangos. Our enjoyment didn't last long as the rain soon came down relatively hard. The weather forecast called for thunderstorms but luckily for us the weather didn't get that bad until later on. We sacrificed a couple hours waiting in line for some delicious teriyaki squid and gushi chicken only to be heavily rained on. A quick run back to the cabs secured us a safe ride home where we dried off and enjoyed the rest of the evening indoors.

Kitchen Play - Pesto Sandwhich

Being a relatively healthy eater, I tend to opt for fresher pastes and pesto sauce definitely hits the spot. It can be thrown into a pasta, used as a spread and even tastes great in a salad. On days when I'm rushing to work in the morning or I'm looking for something quick and easy to make, I almost always reach for my jar of pesto to make my pesto sandwich.

This recipe takes under 5 minutes to make and can easily be customized to suite your taste buds and cravings.

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1. Spread pesto sauce over the bread of your choice. I prefer whole grains because it's healthier for my body.
2. Slice up a tomato until you have enough to cover the slice of bread.
3. Layer the cheese of your choice over another slice of bread. I usually enjoy gently warming up the cheese in a microwave after this so that it's soft and helps keep the sandwhich together.
4. Put the two pieces of bread together and enjoy!

I have another sandwhich recipe that involves smoked salmon which is a little heavier. If you guys are interested, let me know in the comments and I'll definitely add it to my Kitchen Play series!

July LustListt

I know I'm pushing it a little bit late here with the LustListt for this month, but better late than never right? I've been feeling a little bit sporty chic this month with comfortable but fashionable pieces. I'm loving all of the boxy silhouettes and sexy cutouts in unexpected places. The vibrant pops of color against a clean white slate makes the designs stand out against a fresh palette.

1. Textured Weave Top (H&M) - $39.95
   This textured crop top would look great with a pair of loose silk shorts. Oh what's that, do we spot a super cute pairing below? If shorts aren't your thing, try a neoprene flared midi skirt for a feminine silhouette.
   
2. Decker Hat (Aritzia) - $35.00
   Baseball hats are popular again, but to stay ahead of the league (no pun intended haha), try rocking a leather version.
   
3. Montrouge Shorts (Aritzia) - $42.50
   I've been dying to get my hands on a pair of these silk crepe shorts and if I could snatch the textured weave top pictured above it, it would make the perfect outfit.
   
4. Short Floral Print Blazer (Zara) - $49.99
   The linen construction of the blazer makes it the perfect boxy cut over slinky tank. Pair it with matching shorts for a more office appropriate look or baggy shorts for a street chic style.
   
5. Cut-out Back Top (H&M) - $29.95
   A giant keyhole cutout in the back would be perfect way to display a sneak peek of a cute sports bra. Take a cue from #7.
   
6. Crêpe Top (H&M) - $39.95
   The contrasting piping adds a sleek touch to this simple but feminine white to. Paired together with a pair of black shorts and baseball cap and you'll be ready for a perfect summer's day.
7. Rasa Bra (Aritzia) - $30.00
   I've had this bra on my radar for the longest time ever. If only I didn't have the ittiest bittiest titties then it would fit me perfectly. But hey, a girl can lust right?
8. Poppin' Signature Pen (Chapters) - $14.00
   Okay, yes, this isn't fashion but I do write a lifestyle blog. Writing utensils are essential to a blogger when planning out posts and creating content so I couldn't leave out this cute white pens.

Thomas Sabo A/W 2014 Collection Launch

Last week I was kindly extended the invitation to attend the launch of the new THOMAS SABO Autumn/Winter 2014 Collection at the Four Seasons Hotel. The gorgeous collection was a mix of metals in a variety of tones adorned with beautiful jewels and gems.

If you know me, then you know I'm a fan of the infinite symbol (ie. my tattoo) and the significance behind it. It's safe to say that I've fallen in love with quite a few of the pieces.

I spy myself another watch? There's always room in my collection for more, at least I tell myself that there is.

 

I may not be a fan of rings, but look at the sparkle on these babies. Santa, can Christmas come any sooner? I know my birthday just passed, but I just can't wait!

And if the jewels weren't enough, the food was definitely enough to tempt me to go back to the service tables over and over again. Macarons (not pictured), cream puffs and ahi tuna bites - yes please! I love raw food and when it includes seafood I'm head over heels in love. I already have my eye on a beautiful filigree ear cuff and can't wait till this collection is available for purchase. What do you think of the sneak peek? Did you find any pieces that you'd enjoy?

Times Square

Our last day in New York was spent in Times Square exploring the sights and doing some obligatory shopping. I love the bustling and busy nature of New York and the Square exemplifies just that. With cross walks full of people and cars zipping by in every which way, I could feel the energy of the city flowing with each step.

We got a chance to ride the ferry out to see the Statue of Liberty as well as Ellis island. It was fairly foggy that day so unfortunately the pictures that I got weren't as nice as I had hoped. I did manage to snag this one which completely made my day.  And here's an obligatory "#FromWhereIStand" photo. I've recently fallen in love with Converse and these Chucks saved my life (feet) during the entire trip.

Celebrations

Last weekend I took some time off and went back home to celebrate my birthday with my family and friends. The best part about birthdays? All of the e-mails that you get sent about free stuff. I kick started off my weekend with a snack/lunch at Spin Dessert Cafe and Bistro. Unfortunately there are no high resolution images of my weekend because I wanted to spend the time as organically as possible. That means no touting large chunky cameras and lenses around, and only capturing moments fleetingly with my phone.

P had planned something special for me that day and refused to share any secrets so we rushed back home to get ready. All that I was told by him was to bring a dress and to be ready to potentially stand for a couple of hours. I later found out that he had planned for us to go on a sunset cruise around the Thousand Islands. Unfortunately we missed the cruise due to a rising bridge that had our car stopped for about 5 minutes. Within that time frame, out boat launched, leaving us by the dock. The lovely ticket sales counter was kind enough to completely refund us the value of our ticket and instead we took to the town for dinner.

We shared our dinner at Tango Nuevo and then walked around the downtown core enjoying the setting sun against the buildings and harbor front. Soon after we drove back to Ottawa to enjoy a night out with friends. What started out as ice cream cake at a friend's restaurant turned into an alcohol-fueled karaoke night with the bestest. Surprisingly I didn't wake up with a splitting headache the next morning. Myself and a couple of friends took to Gatineau Park to go hiking and settled on a trail that had a waterfall.

Once we found the falls, we idiotically thought that it would be smart to climb onto the rocks in the middle of it and take pictures while risking our lives. Yes, risking out lives. The rocks were slippery and the mud deep. If it hadn't been for the trees to cling onto, I'm pretty sure that most of us would have fallen to our untimely deaths. How ironic would that have been, to die celebrating your own birthday. We finished our afternoon off with a couple scoops of gelato from Pasticceria Gelateria Italiana. Let me say that the gelato there trumps Piccolo Grande, anyday.

There was time to kill in between gelato and dinner so we took to a condo showing room and then the Ornamental Gardens at the Experimental Farm. When the sun became too blinding we headed over to My Sweet Tea for drinks. The night was finished off at Gezellig where I had dinner with some close friends and celebrating one of their CMA exam passing. I'm already excited to go back home again next weekend and see my family as I've been feeling the emotions of homesickness whenever I'm in Toronto. I have high hopes for the upcoming week and can't wait till Friday rolls around!

Convocation

As I mentioned in a previous post, I recently finished my degree and graduated from the University of Ottawa. A couple weeks ago I attended my convocation, walked across the stage and received the hard copy of my degree. It's been a long and stressful journey but I couldn't be more than happy to have reached the end of it. This closes one chapter of my life as I'm continuing onto the next one.

Congratulations to the class of 2014 and may you excel in all your future endeavors!

The Bronx Zoo

If I could describe The Bronx Zoo in one sentence: "Complete waste of time". Not a place I would recommend anyone take their family nor their friends. Granted yes, we also went on a free day, but half of the exhibitions were closed, down for renovations or the animals just weren't there. The few pictures I'll have for this post were literally the only animals that we were able to see while at the zoo. It was another day of tiring feet and aching backs, but this stop did not make up for any of the pain that was gained. At least I can now say that I've been to the Bronx.

One word for this picture. Awwww. It's funnier to think that literally 10 seconds before I shot this photo, these two were full on fighting with each other.

Once I saw these little cute red pandas, my trip was done. They were literally all that I came to see so I was happy. Okay, time to leave. Nope, the rest of the zoo decided to turn into an IKEA style zoo and we just had to walk through the entire place to find the exit back out to civilization.