Unusual Find – Gretzky’s Green Tea

The name Wayne Gretzky is perhaps one of the more famous ones when thinking of Canadians -for those of you who don’t know who he is, here’s his bio.

Since he’s pretty much a symbol of hockey and Canada, I was curious to find this:

When it comes to Canadians, I think David Suzuki would make more sense on a green tea package, especially if it’s organic and the package is made of all recycled materials…….and before anyone asks, no, we are not related.

One Good Thing a Day – Project Day 85 – Unusual Winter

The weather is unusually warm for this time of year in Toronto, but I won’t complain since it’s quite pleasant to go out for a walk by the lake (still a bit cold for biking).

I love feeding the birds since many of them are very brave to come close up. The goose on the left even stole half a plain bagel from my hand (!)

We try to be covert with our feeding, or else the seagull reconnaissance team will give us away and this will happen:

One Good Thing a Day – Project Day 84 – Charles Xavier Betta

We got a betta fish today and named it Charles Xavier -yes, just like X-Men. I hope in the future, we can continue along in our geeky manner and get a dog named him Wolverine *^_^*

One Good Thing a Day – Project Day 83 – First Solid Snowfall

I was looking forward to a Canadian winter and have been sadly disappointed this year. At least we did get some snow……but nothing that actually lasts more than a day. This winter actually feels more like a Tokyo winter!

Yum Yum – Pinapple Mango Cake

For anyone who still hasn’t tried this upside down cake recipe, you should really try it!

This is one I made with mango and pineapple.

It’s important to make a couple of changes with the original recipe, or else the batter will not work well.

1 – Leave out the milk (or else it will curdle).

2 – Reduce the amount of sugar, since both fruits are very sweet.

3 – Use one small pineapple and 2-3 ripe mangoes, because anything more than that may make the batter too watery.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

In Search of Delicious Japanese Food

I had a huge craving for Japanese food today and have decided to search for the best (and most affordable) Japanese restaurants in Toronto. As much as I would love to cook everything that I used to in Tokyo, I just don’t have the same access to the ingredients as I used to….. not to mention Japanese imported food is about as cheap as Canadian imports in Japan :S

Will keep you updated in case you plan to visit one day!

One Good Thing a Day – Project Day 82 – Back from NYC and DC

So many sights sounds and creative things to get inspiration from. While NYC is very similar to Toyko, it certainly has a different creative vibe which is always fun to take in. DC is simply beautiful and has a wonderful classic charm (except for the pedestrians, cyclists and drivers!)

Here are a few sneak peaks from the trip:

2012! Happy New Year!

No matter where you may be in the world……I would like to wish you all of the very best for the New Year. Let’s all try to make this year even better than the last!

Do you believe in making resolutions every year?

Do they work?

Heading to NYC and Perhaps a New Tat….?

It’s been years since I got a tattoo or even a touch up for that matter, so my trip to NYC will certainly be a great chance to get something done by Ami James himself.

With a packed schedule, we’ll see if there’s any time but at least I’ll try to see the shop.

I hope you are all taking time to relax these holidays and check back soon for more photos, observations and projects for fun!

Boxing Day Madness – Kirigami How-to

It’s Boxing Day or Boxing Week in North America and millions of people are simply going mad for those sales and bargains. First of all, I wonder if they are actually worth the stress and chaos and second of all -where do people get all of this energy just after the holidays???

I used to work in retail and I must say, Boxing Day was always my most hated day >:P

Instead, stay in and try some new kirigami to relax and make something new for the home. You can virtually make a kirigami version of anything your heart desires.

How about a vacation to Paris?

or perhaps a simple new gown for a special occasion?

1 – I used regular (legal sized) paper since that’s what I had laying around but virtually any size will work.

2 – Fold the paper in half lengthwise.

3 – Sketch what you like, but only half of it and make sure to include parts of the middle fold.

For more intricate designs, you can print, trace or photocopy anything you find online or in books.

4 – Carefully out out the pieces that you do not want to include in your design (you want to keep the outline).

5 – If you find a piece you don’t like much, simply cut it out. I drew in a middle fold in my dress but didn’t like it, so I just folded it back in half and cut that piece off.

6 – Use your kirigami cut outs for home décor, stationery decoration or frame it for a friend.