Even though it's snowing...

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day
It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day

Oh yes I can make it now, the pain is gone
All of the bad feelings have disappeared
Here is the rainbow I've been prayin' for
It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day

Look all around, there's nothin' but blue skies
Look straight ahead, nothin' but blue skies

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way
Here is the rainbow I've been prayin' for
It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day
It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day
bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day
It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day
It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day
--------------------------------
Sometimes I think I define my happiness too much on my successes. After so many years, one would think that it'd get easier, but it doesn't. I'll just have to remember to keep my head up and wait for better opportunities. I have to accept my own strengths and weaknesses. I'm a strong believer of que sera, sera. I know that things eventually work out, it always has. Right now, I have things to focus on. I've never been one to go with the flow nor status quo. I just have to keep swimming. Thanks Dory. And thanks Johnny Nash or Bob Marley.

pro-cras-ti-na-tion

Seems like this term, I'm getting really good at procrastination. I have to finish my law comment paper by Sunday and I've barely started. It's minimum 800 words but I have such a hard time with it. This is my second one so hopefully it's better.

I slacked off my whole reading week back in VANCOUVER with the Olympics. Can I get a "woot woot"?! I was so happy to see my city, yes my city, in the spotlight. In fact, I was getting a little possessive, sharing my city with the massive crowds. Despite the technical difficulties experienced at the opening ceremonies, all my other experiences were extremely positive. The main downside were all the lineups, but those were inevitable. I got to spend time with so many of my friends and met some new ones as well. People came together to sing O Canada on the Canada Line and in the streets. The country feels unified, and Canadians are finally showing some patriotism, even if it only for the duration of these few weeks.





I'm back to life as usual. I'm getting really sick and tired of school. I've completely lost my motivation. I need a boost. D, where are you?

nom nom nom

I've made it a goal to cook at home more and create some interesting dishes. I said in December that I was going to try to recreate dishes from the New York Times Minimalist section. I did make one, the pasta with chicken and mushroom, risotto style. However, I didn't have my camera to take a picture of what I made. It was super easy though, and the risotto style cooking resulted in a chewier pasta (I used gemelli, which is like a denser fusilli but smaller than rotini). The pasta was also infused with the flavour of the chicken stock and wine. I should make it again so I can snap a photo.

Recently, I've had a few delicious creations as well. I seared some halibut and topped with a pine nut-walnut butter sauce. John and I made orzo as well. Lucy thought it was RICE! haha. Unfortunately, no picture of that creation.

This here is the fried rice I made with the same pine nut-walnut mix, mixed with Lucy's preserved veggie thing and topped with some garlic buttered kale. It was a delicious meal as we watched Up in the Air.

I'm a bit of a pasta fanatic. This is a pasta primavera of sorts, minus the carrots and bell peppers, so I guess it's not so primavera. I used cavatappi pasta, which I also used when I made my pesto sauce over the summer. Here, I just mixed some mushrooms, zucchini, leftover kale, and tomatoes with a bit of garlic butter and topped off with a bit of Parmesan. Yum. No complaints from Lucy!

I LOVE SOBA. John asked me if I could eat any type of food everyday, what cuisine would it be from. I told him, Japanese food. It's healthy and yummy. What more could a girl want?! This is my lunch. Just some buckwheat soba noodles mixed with edamame and carrots. There's also pieces of chicken in this but I guess they're shy and hiding under the noodles. The broth was simple. Ok I cheated. I had a broth mix that my mom brought for me from Taiwan. I'm trying to think of ways to change this noodle combo up. I used to make soba with miso, but got a little tired of that. I wish I had some ebi tempura to top this off!!

I have more food pictures but I'll save those for another post. There'll be more pasta and a certain red wine chicken that I'm bound to make again sometime this week because Lucy actually called it an "orgasm in her mouth". LMAO.

Bon appetit!

P.S. I'm so happy Meryl Streep was nominated for and Oscar for her role in Julie and Julia. She was SO GOOD in it!

should I stay or should I go?

Winter has finally hit. It was inhumanely cold over the weekend and it's supposed to continue for the next few days. I'm glad I'd be able to escape a bit of the bitter winter in two weeks when I head home for the Olympics!

I was in Toronto again this past weekend to relax and unwind a bit. I left with the feeling that I didn't really accomplish what I wanted to though. My main reason for going to Toronto was to watch Carmen, the opera by Bizet. The plan was to get rush tickets at 11am of the showing, so I arrive at the Four Seasons Centre about a quarter after 11. Unfortunately, they didn't have any more $20 tickets left...only $160 tickets in Ring 2. If I had wanted to buy expensive tickets, I would've bought them beforehand! I woke up "early" (we stayed out late the night prior) and walked in the bitter cold to get unattainable tickets. On the bright side, the morning walk in the cold really woke me up, and the sunshine was really pleasant as well. It gave me a nice chance to reflect and think like I often did in the fall term when I frequented walks along University Avenue.

On the other hand, I was productive in meeting up with people. I lunched with my old boss and coworker on Friday and had a great time catching up with them. Then, after some work, I met up with K for a chat and a browse-through of Winners. We still have a lot to talk about and it's great that we're able to be friends.

I had my fair share of eating out this weekend too. Winterlicious at Midi Bistro, which faired about 3 out of 5 for food and 4 out of 5 for atmosphere. Late night, sobering up McDonald's is the way to go! A delicious breakfast at 1pm accompanied by the hot waiter at Eggsmart the next day = top notch. Then a meal of ribs at Baton Rouge with D was pretty pleasant, but I'd rather fatty ribs. Next morning, sleep-deprived and hungry, went to Liberty Village for some brunch. It's a good thing I didn't go shopping, because I spent all my money on food! I'm heading back for Winterlicious at Tundra Friday...and the meal there is a little pricier as well.

I guess right now, I'm pretty happy with my life. School hasn't been too exciting, but I'm muddling through. The only thing on my mind right now should be studying for my test tomorrow...but I don't even feel stressed about it.
I just want to clarify things with D before I invest too much feeling.

Anyway, happy February everyone. It's going to be a short month. I can't wait for the summer...I really want warmer temperatures!