Short Story

Finally shorts season is here! I have to admit that shopping for shorts is equally difficult for me as shopping for jeans. There are just so many options out there this year...my childhood favorite skorts are back, scalloped hem shorts, intricate lace detailed shorts...plus do I have to mention all the yummy colors?

Anyways for a hot summer day running in the park and playing ball like what I did with Nolan yesterday, I think I made the right choice wearing my comfortable cuffed linen shorts.

Friday!

I came across this picture on Pinterest last week that I need to share with you all. I've done table setting in so many ways but never once it had occurred to me that a napkin can be set up in such an adorable way! This weekend is gonna be a long weekend for Max and I. Don't be jealous and hope you all have a wonderful weekend too!

DIY Panel Moldings

I always admire the exquisite molding details in older homes. It's amazing to see how simple moldings can bring a sense of elegance and tons of characters to a room. Our apartment is not a new built, however its lack of architectural details makes the apartment looks really plain and boring despite how hard I tried to style it.

Earlier this year I got some big size pictures from Moveline, a hotel liquidation place in Oakville. The purpose of purchasing the pictures is to use the frames. (Originally I planed to do the framed wallpaper look by painting orange and white zig-zags by myself on paper and then put the painted frame on top. Apparently after almost 5 months, it's still not happening.) By taking out the picture and glass and paint the picture frame the same color as our bedroom wall color, I made my own panel moldings for the bedroom. After I taped the frames (by using heavy duty double sided tape) on the wall and all of sudden our rental apartment bedroom finally got the oh-so-charming look.

Sautéed Shrimp with Zucchini and Eggplant

 I hope everyone had a wonderful long weekend. It wasn't a long weekend to us because Max still had to work yesterday. However thanks to the weather not being screwy all the time, we spent a wonderful day in High park on Saturday just to get soaked up the sun. Not too sure about you, I find myself tend to have more junk food on the weekends. After all the chicken wings, beers, prosciutto, wine, steak, popcorn, chips, ice cream,... and all the other junk food I had for the past 3 days, I really feel like eat something light and healthy to detox my whole system.

From Runway to Room

This dress from Gucci 2011 spring collection is a purely stunning piece. The paring of vibrant turquoise blue and gold instantly bring out that ultimate glamorous look. Why not try to turn this outfit to a room and to bring that luxurious look by using this blue and gold color combo?

Colorful Kitchen Cabinets

    

My heart literally skipped a beat when I saw this pale blue kitchen featured in House & Home magazine. I wonder since when people stopped using colorful cabinets. It seems like all the kitchens are into this white color trend nowadays. Most of us might be afraid that this colorful look is too 50s style (I'm not saying retro is not fun). The trick is to use accessories to update the look. Note the handsome faucet, brass bin pulls, marble counter top and the gas stove in the picture above. This kitchen screams 21st century chic. It's time to bring out some colorful kitchen cabinets!

From Me To You

A photograph from "From Me To You"

Imagine the girl's (Coco Rocha) legs are swinging and her dress is flowing in the still picture above...wouldn't that be one whimsical picture? Well...yes, it is a picture like I described. From Me To You is a really cool blog by photographer Jamie Beck. It features still photographs embedded with some animated elements. I want to share this site with you because isn't it a perfect day to look at some beautiful inspirational pictures and to forget about the rain?

P.S. Thanks L for introducing me to this amazing blog.

Low-Cal Strawberry Grapefruit And Basil Mocktail

I got a strong craving for a thirst quenching summer drink on last Friday when I was jogging and sweating like completely getting soaked. And again yesterday I had the same but stronger craving during my hot yoga session when I was on the verge of passing out after ambitiously accomplished the harder version of all the flow moves in an advanced class(which was a really stupid inconsiderate decision because I went there after just finished a huge bowl of pasta). This morning after waking up with a dreadful sore body, I decided to compensate myself by turning my cravings into a reality. 

STRAWBERRY GRAPEFRUIT AND BASIL MOCKTAIL

Serves 1 (76 Cals)

Juice of 1/2 grapefruit

4 basil leaves

8 strawberries

Tonic Water 

1 basil sprig to garnish

• Muddle the first 3 ingredients together, then top with tonic and ice.

(That's the only tonic water I can find in our next door high-end grocery store)

Feng Shui - Another Way To Look At De-cluttering

(Nope...It's not my study in the picture)

There is always a neglected space in every single home..even in the most organized clutter free home. In some houses it might be the garage, some may be the basement or the kitchen. In my home it's the study (and maybe a tiny bit of problem with the entry). First I have to state that I am organized but not the neat freak type (except with the kitchen and bathroom). I do have the problem of returning stuff back to its original place ever since I was a little kid. That's okay because I always clean it up within 2 days if not on the same day. However the study is a completely different story. We have moved in our apartment for more than 5 months and this room only got cleaned up once which was a month ago. The picture below is actually taken at its better state and I also tried my best not to show all the mess on the desk.

My mom is very devoted to the philosophy of Feng Shui. After all the years I've heard enough things like mirror should be hung facing the bed, your bed shouldn't be positioned directly to the door or close to the window...,etc. Instinctively I wonder what kind of impact my messy study would bring to my life (For those of you who are not familiar with the term, Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese system of designing buildings and space or furniture arrangement according to special rules about the flow of energy; aimed at to improve positive vibes and remove the negative ones). That's why last night I spent almost two hours on google trying to study the map of Feng Shui.

Comparing this map (fame-south, career-north) to my apartment floor plan, my study would fall into the knowledge area. Maybe that would explain I've only used the study no more that five times or even touched any books on the bookshelves(not magazines) ever since we moved in, even though a study was on our must-have list when we were looking for an apartment. As a half believer, to me it certainly doesn't hurt to accept the idea of having a clean organized home can also boost the positive energy flow in my life. It even feels like getting a bonus point to me every time I try to clean up. After all home is everyone's sanctuary. Who wouldn't want to keep it clutter free?

Fish And Tofu Curry

Like most of us, sometimes I have this strongest craving for a hearty curry dish. And I believe that I'm probably not the only person on the planet that often get intimidated by all the spices and other ingredients that are needed for a curry dish. So here unblushingly I admit that store-bought curry paste used to be (and probably occasionally in the future still gonna be) my best friend. However after Max consistently reminding me the cardamom seeds and cans of coconut milk he bought 2 months ago and have been sitting in the pantry since, I know it's time for me to embrace my fear and make a curry dish from scratch. Since I am on a mission of eating healthy, I opted for a relatively lighter and healthier fish and tofu curry instead of my favorite butter chicken.

Black Olive Salsa

Summer can't be any closer and I just want to spent as much time outdoor as I can. Even though our rental apartment doesn't come with a balcony, there are several lovely parks just steps away. So yesterday we had our first picnic of the year in the park. Being outside with all the greenery surrounds us and breathing in the fresh air even made a simple Chinese style cold noodle salad, butter and garlic sautéed spinach and homemade lemonade much tastier. I didn't take pictures this time because we hurried out to the park as fast as we can that I didn't grab anything else but only the food. Anyways here I want to share with you a healthy, light spring/summer dish. This black olive salsa is lovely when paired with pan-fried fish and also is quite delicious on its own.

The Spell Of Noir

Lately I found myself being drawn to black color in interior decorating (no, I'm not gothic). Usually I'm not the type that would get shied away from colors, but I have to admit that to paint a wall black had never crossed my mind before. Maybe it's the grey color trend in interior for the past few years has helped me to adapt to black. Once I had my mind open, I started falling under its spell. I know it takes a lot of guts to paint a room dark, let alone black color. As I always tell people that dark color doesn't necessarily make a space smaller. It's relevant to how the furnitures are arranged and how other colors in the room coordinates with each other. If you want to introduce a bold color to the room without overpowering, you can always do an accent wall.

Notice how the black wall in the picture below, expands the room by visually pushed that wall further away and defines that dining area.

 

Back to the black color. Black, white and grey are the neutrals on the color wheel. It goes well with any other colors and it doesn't add any noise to your color scheme. It's calm and can be used in any room. It's bold and it accentuates other colors by bringing high contrast. Depends on the texture, it can be glamorous when it's glossy or even earthy when it's matte.

Return To The Outdoors

Cherry blossoms in High Park

Weather here in Toronto couldn't be nicer for the past few days. Thanks to that, my weekend was well spent walking in High Park, exploring the Rosedale ravines and Don Valley. Just wanna give a shout out to Kate Nash's blog entry on last Saturday. Close your laptop, put down your smart phone or any electronic devices...just go out, sit in the park or even try to have your lunch outside your office building, enjoy the breeze and warm sunshine. Return to the outdoors and reconnect with nature!

Colours!

Blazer, Zara. Dress, H&M

Every spring and summer I always add a few bright and surprising colours to my closest. This year is no exception. The only problem is that it's getting harder to choose because 2011 s/s collections are all so full of bright colours! Anyways when the sun finally came out yesterday after weeks of raining, I couldn't be more excited to take this luscious green  (this pictures just can't do the justice of the vibrant green colour) out the closest and bring it to light for the first time. 

Here are some more colorful pictures taken by Tommy Ton for Style.com at the Sydney Fashion Week. Aussies sure know a thing or two about wearing the colours. And......can you believe that summer is just a little more than a month away!

By the way, mom I know you check out my blog everyday. Thanks for your support and Happy Mother's Day to you! It's too bad that we are so far away from each other. But don't worry, as your only daughter I'm gonna cook you a really nice meal on Sunday and eat it for you too :) Also to all of you, have a happy mother's day with your moms!

My Not-So-Flat Flat Bread

As I mentioned earlier this week that I was on a baking kick last week. So here it is... my first try of making "thick" flat breads by following Nigel Slater's recipe last week to go with the fish curry. It should have came out a bit flatter since it's supposed to be FLAT bread. But thanks to our tiny compact rental apartment size oven, I couldn't be bothered to divide them into two batches to bake. I tried my best to fit them all on one baking tray. Doesn't matter how they look..these babies came out the oven so soft and warm and smelling oh so delicious. What else can beat a fresh-out-of-the-oven bread!

Jump to see more pictures and the recipe.

Knuckle Ring

Aldo Knuckle Ring $12, OPI Nail Polish in "Planks A Lot"

I've been looking for a knuckle/armor ring for more than a year  quite a while. Surprisingly I found this one from Aldo a month ago and fell love with it. Doesn't it feel great when you find something that's super cool and also fits you?!!

Julia Child's Fresh Strawberry Tart

It all started two or three weeks ago when Max mentioned that I don't bake that much. Unwillingly admitted the truth, however I remember I used to bake a lot when I was in my first co-op term in college (also the first time in life you realize that you don't have to study at night). I know baking can be a really slow and tedious job to most of us. But I really enjoy blending water, butter and flour by hands and making it into a cute chubby dough. I enjoy watching the pastry dough rising and changing its color under the warm oven light and smelling the whole kitchen filled with lovely sweet buttery scent. Yeah...how did I forget all that fun part of baking?.....And yes, that's how I got myself into this love-and-hate baking addiction again. Few days after the Lime Tart and the flat bread (I will post that this week), I simply forget all the trouble and get all excited to make the Julia Child's strawberry tart.

Jump to see more pictures and the recipe