drum roll.....

we've launched myae's portfolio site: myaemakeup.com

if anyone needs make up services, a very talented artist is willing and able!!

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the cbc needs our help! the awesomest canadian institution is also feeling the pinch of the recession and is requesting a loan (not a bailout!) from the government. learn how you can help here.

kitchen - part II - sneak peek

a quick kitchen update!! andre has been working tirelessly and getting sick because of this house project, but our kitchen is almost done! this is how it used to look like.

we installed our ikea cabinets and the counter people came and installed quartz countertops - which means we have a working kitchen! i can't help but daydream that i'm giada or anna with my own tv show when i'm preparing even the quickest of meals in this new kitchen.

the trim went up this weekend and now we just have to install the last remaining cabinet doors, cover up the nail holes in the trim and we are almost there.

what's remaining:
• finding a pendant lamp for above the sink
• buying the backsplash tiles and putting them up

for all my fellow canadian/american asians who have been told they look exactly like, michelle kwan, lucy liu and even connie chung.

thanks marissa.

yummers

nimono by chef mummy hashimoto


cheese ramen from kintaro on denman

although i didn't document all the food i devoured, i definitely got my asian food fix on this trip!

mmmmmmmm

gibsons

for hannah's birthday present last year, i promised her a day trip somewhere together. so when i was back in vancouver we took a ferry from horseshoe bay to gibsons on the sunshine coast.

hannah and i both love walking and exploring, so we boarded the ferry as foot passengers, then took the sunshine coast bus from the langdale terminal to gibsons. we mistakenly got off away from the main 'downtown' area, but since the city is so small we were able to walk back down very easily.

gibsons' biggest claim to fame (besides the slightly smelly pulp mill and the gorgeous backdrop of mountains and ocean islands) is that it was the filming location of the cbc tv show the beachcombers. according to a man we met on the pier, the show ran for 17 years and most of the actors ended up living and purchasing property in gibsons. so hannah and i couldn't leave gibsons without eating at molly's reach, the local watering hole for the characters of the show.

despite the rain, we found gibsons to be very beautiful with a lot of small town charm. i especially love the fact that gibsons is on the mainland, but is only accessible by ferry. it is as if it's a small fortress with the mountains as parapets and the ocean as it's escarp.

more photos! ... and if you want to help bring back the beachcombers as reruns, sign the online petition!

hangin' with mr. cooper

while i never watched the tv show, i have indeed been hangin' with mr. cooper. our time together is ending this week with the return of his mom from HK.

i know he misses his parents, but i hope that he's enjoying his time with the hashimoto's now that he's gotten used to his new environment. i know he's won the hearts of my mom, dad, grandma and sister.